Writing a college essay is an important part of the college admissions process. It is one of the most important factors that a college considers when going over your application and deciding to offer you a spot come college decision season. What's cool about the college essay is that it is the only area of the overall college application where you can truly be yourself and appeal to an admissions officer in your unique way.
Often college applicants have very similar applications (GPA, Test Scores, ECs, etc), so the college essay is often the part that helps an applicant stand out from the rest. But how can you go about doing that? Well here are 3 tips to help you excel when writing your college essay, and how to get over the phenomenon known as “Writer's Block.”
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Apply Now#1 Be Eloquent
This is perhaps the most important tip but it is knowing how to present yourself, especially when writing your college essays. The entire premise of the college admissions process is to sell yourself to the admissions officer of the school you are aiming to attend. How can you do this?
A good strategy is to look at what areas you and the college you want to attend have in common, and then really emphasize that in your college essays. At the end of the day it is all about how you present yourself because colleges look at the fit between you and the school before they make a decision, so take your essays as an opportunity to show a strong fit from your attributes as an applicant and the values the school looks for. Present yourself as the best fit by being articulate and aligning your strengths with the school's values.
#2 Find A Spike
I cannot stress this tip enough. When you are applying to colleges and writing your essays, you must find something that makes you stand out. It is about setting you apart from others during the college admissions process.
You can achieve this by finding something that interests you and diving deep into it to show your commitment and dedication to its craft. It's all about showing initiative and drive when finding your interests. How can you do this? Think about something that you have a real passion for something you enjoy at its core and look for opportunities where you can make an impact. Colleges like impact more than anything and showing that impact in your essays as part of your spike will help you stand out during the college admissions process.
But what if you don't have a spike? Well, that is okay. There are many ways for you to find one based on your own distinct qualities.
Say for example you help out your family with chores, work, etc. That shows initiative and dedication which you can outline in your essays, to establish a fit between you and a school. It's not about having the most glamorous or flashy spike; it is more about the impact that you make.
#3 Be Interesting
This tip goes hand in hand with the previous tip. Now that you have found your spike, look to present them in a way that makes you different from the rest. Chances are that you are very similar to other applicants: grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc., which makes your essay the only way where you can be yourself and be different from other applicants.
Take this as your chance to make you stand out from the crowd. Remember to use your spike to your advantage and go above and beyond in making your passion shine through, to tie your entire application together.
How To Avoid Writer's Block
This is a common hurdle many students come across every year. Often you may find that your mind blanks and you cannot get an idea that will make you stand out, or even getting an idea at all and that is okay. The best way to tackle this problem is simple: the Internet.
You will find on places like YouTube, many successful college applicants have made videos sharing their essays that got them into top colleges. Use them as a useful reference in getting an idea that relates to you as an applicant. When you are having trouble writing about an idea it helps to write any thought or potential spike in a note or Google doc and refer to them when you need some help writing an essay.
The college admissions process is difficult. That is the truth, but you should view the essays you write as part of your application as the best chance to really appeal to your school. So try to use all of your writing ability to make your writing truly extraordinary.
