One of the most nerve-wracking, or anxiety-producing, parts of the college application process, for many students, is the Essay portion of their application(s). But it doesn’t have to be that way. Over the course of this two-part series, we will look at twenty tips for leveraging; shining; and standing-out amongst the sea of applicants at America’s most popular and desirous colleges and universities (that do use college essays). What is more—now, more than ever–college essays are taking on greater importance, as more and more colleges and universities are moving to (Standardized) Test-Optional; Test-Flexible; or even Test-Blind for admissions—and as COVID-19 has had a strong effect on what students may or may not have learned in the classroom, over the course of the past few years. With this in mind, let’s jump right in to my first ten tips for college essays.

#20: Keep the Focus on You:

We start out with this tip because you will hear it more than once, and because it is the number one piece of advice,  tip, or strategy for college essays that I can possibly offer (as I have worked with dozens and dozens of students that have been admitted to some of the most prestigious institutions in the country). Yes, colleges can use essays as a screening tool to gauge college-level writing ability for students, but it is more than that. As an applicant, the focus needs to be squarely on you. Sure, as you are telling your story, you may mention other key people in your essay, but you cannot veer-off and take the focus off you. You are the main character; the applicant being evaluated–the batter in the batter’s box—you are in the spotlight. The essay is completely about you; leverage that and boldly tell your own story.

#19: Keep It Simple:

When it comes to the college essay, do not feel pressured to use fancy, super-advanced vocabulary—especially, using a myriad, or plethora, of vocabulary words…see what I just did there?—you don’t need to use those kinds of words. Keep the focus on you and tell your story. Similarly, you want the essay to be in your own voice. Using unnatural vocabulary (i.e., words that you don’t normally use) can create an awkwardly-sounding and unnaturally-flowing essay and may give off the impression that there perhaps may have been a little bit too much “professional coaching” going on with the essay. Whenever I review or critique a student’s college essay—and I have seen and reviewed many good ones—yes, I will proofread for grammar and spelling, but I want to make sure that the essay sounds like the student I know; that it’s their own voice that Is being resoundingly heard throughout—from beginning to end.

#18: Don’t Worry About Having a Harrowing Story or Tale to Share:

Many times, students feel self-pressure that they somehow must tell of a harrowing, crazy life experience story to stand-out in the college essay. Not true–at all! At 17, 18, or 19 years old, not all students have had an abundance of watershed stories or events to share about their lives lived thus far—and that is totally OK! Tell a more routine or common story if you think that is one that best describes you and your interests; your passions; your goals; and your dreams, for instance–as opposed to reaching for a more unusual or exciting-sounding life story, simply because you think the essay reviewer might like your essay (and you) better. If you share a story, or example, you will just want to make sure that it is central to your own identity and that it fits with who you are as a person (and applicant).

#17: Start Writing Early:

In my experience, the best essays are essays that are started early. How early, you ask? The second half of Junior year is a great time to start. In some Language Arts classes, certain teachers may even make the college essay part of a regular class assignment–which can be a huge benefit to students. But even if you are not doing the college essay for an actual grade, look at the prompts on the Common Application (Common App, for short) during your Junior year (sometime before summer!) and start to think about telling your story. Jot down some notes; let some thoughts or ideas marinate in your mind; and set up a plan for writing. Starting the essay(s) in, say, the second half of your Junior year would give you a minimum of five months to complete them (more, if you start before the month of June). Starting early can absolutely take away a large portion of the anxiety; indecision; and confusion that can sometimes come from this pivotal portion of the college application.

#16: Let It Sit For a Bit:

I know it may sound a bit counter-intuitive–especially, after just describing the importance of starting your essay early–but it’s true: The advantage of starting your essay(s) early is that you can take a refreshing break from it/them, say, once or twice over the summer and come back to it/them with a new perspective, insight, or fresh set of eyes, later on. If you let your essay sit for a short bit—untouched–chances are strong that you will still be thinking about it, of course. So, the next time you come back to work on adding to it, or editing it again, you will have the advantage of owning a more naturally-sounding, flowing, and unhurried essay that had time to “breathe” and organically come together over the course of several months or more. If you can do this, your edits will be often be better and it will be easier to put those finishing touches on your piece(s) of writing.

#15: Always Go Back to This One Concept: What Do I Want Schools to Know About Me:

I get it: Many students say that the college essay was one of the hardest things that they have ever had to write. What can make the college essay particularly difficult for some students is when stress and anxiety cloud the writer from having a clear focus; direction; or understanding of what to choose to write (or not write) about. Going back to the beginning: Keep the focus on you, but also think about what it is that you want colleges to know about you. What makes you tick? What are your passions? What problems do you want to solve? How did where you grew up impact the person you are today? How does your family influence you? What do you hope to offer a college or university? What life events, or periods of time, had an especially-profound effect on the person that are now? All of those questions not only will help keep the focus squarely upon you, but they will also give you a good head-start into telling your school(s) what it is that is most important for them to know about you.

# 14: Choose the Prompt(s) You are Most Comfortable With:

Sometimes, students will worry (or wonder) if they even picked the wrong writing prompt(s). But to colleges or universities, there are no right or wrong–or better or worse–prompts. Some prompts are more opened-ended; some are more structured; many stay pretty consistent year-over-year. Pick the prompt(s) that you not only feel most comfortable with (in terms of style or structure), but also the one(s) that you feel you can answer the best. What do I mean by answer the best? I am talking about responding to the prompt(s) that tell the colleges the most important information that they should know about you—simple as that. What do you want them to know about you, in terms of your story; your values; your goals; your dreams—the things that make you tick or come alive? Those are the things I am talking about. Do this, and many of the colleges will love you for it (because they are gaining a true insight into the young person that you truly are).

#13. Answer the Prompt (If You Want To Play It Safest):

In a similar vein, when it comes time to selecting the prompt(s) that you want to write about, you usually can’t go wrong sticking to the script, so to speak. Sometimes, it can be fairly easy to find yourself straying a bit from some of the questions, but you want to remember the true spirit, or heartbeat, behind the essay prompts, and that is: for the admissions folks to get to know the true you (sometimes, however, students will fail to answer the prompt and go off in a direction that takes the focus off them—don’t do that!). But if you thoughtfully, and carefully, answer the prompt(s), this is probably the safest, most straight-forward way to satisfy that objective. Yet, if you choose to splinter-off into a bit of a different direction—but still manage to share important information about yourself—you still are giving the application readers or reviewers (probably, mostly) what they are looking for. But you want to be careful, here. If you are not particularly enamored with some of the more structured essay prompts, maybe select a more open-ended prompt that might allow you to more freely choose how to respond. This is one of the reasons why there are multiple essay prompts to select from: so students can feel more comfortable with choosing particular styles of prompts that best suit their preferences; comfort levels; and writing styles.

#12. Include Information Not Found Anywhere Else in Your Application:

One of the most important points to remember about colleges essays is that essays are supposed to be the place in your application that reveals new–or different—information about you not found in any other parts of your application. It, then, goes without saying that the essay section is not the place to copy and paste other parts of your application into. This section is meant to be all new, original information about you. Leverage that. Use this space to take your black & white application and splatter it with dashes of vibrant color! The Essay section is what humanizes you as an applicant; it’s where your personality can truly rise to the surface. Give the application reader(s) something to really think about—something to ponder that is really memorable about you. Give them something that—had it not been for this key section of your application—they would never have known about you otherwise (and, hence, rendering your application as, well, rather incomplete).

#11. Use All Five Senses:

When it comes time to write your essay(s), you will want to make it an immersive experience– as much as possible–for the reviewer. Pull them fully into the scene you are describing. Take them directly into that moment. What colors did your eyes see? What sounds alerted you? What shapes did you touch? What smells can you still remember? These key details are what can absolutely help make a great essay. You can even take a rather mundane, routine event and bring it to life (if you remember to include rich detail). What you are doing, here, then, is helping to fill-in the gaps for the reader(s)—and helping them to remember you. You’re not making up things, here, though, but you are powerfully describing the experience to the reader–in 4-D. Details matter, and details can make a true difference. If you are detailed in your writing, colleges with know that you are also (likely) detailed in other areas as a student; that you are a thoughtful, deep, and interesting person—and that is absolutely the kind of impression you will want to leave of yourself to the college admissions reviewers.