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College application essays are a critical aspect of the admissions process, offering an opportunity to showcase your individuality beyond the standard application forms and test scores. A well-crafted essay can highlight your unique personality, experiences, and aspirations, providing college admissions officers with a more holistic view of who you are.
That said, many students find writing college essays to be one of the more challenging parts of the application. Keep reading for tips on how to make your college essays stand out.
How to Write an Impressive College Application Essay: Table of Contents
The college admissions essay is designed to give admissions officers insight into your character, experiences, and motivations. Unlike standardized test scores and transcripts, which provide quantitative data, the college essay allows students to showcase their unique voice, creativity, and personal journey. It often addresses prompts that encourage reflection on significant life events, personal growth, or aspirations, enabling you to highlight what makes you a compelling candidate for admission.
Your academic performance in high school indicates how well you might do in your college coursework, but it doesn’t paint the entire picture. College essays are critical because the admissions committee at most institutions, particularly more selective colleges, want to know more about you beyond grades and test scores. They want to know how you’ll fit into the campus culture, so your essay is an opportunity to share what makes you unique — your experiences, personality, perspectives, values, interests, and activities beyond the classroom.
What if essay writing isn’t one of your strengths? It’s a good idea to practice your essay writing skills before you even start applying to colleges by reading as much narrative nonfiction as you can. You can also find online courses on Coursera and other websites that focus on memoir and personal essay writing. You can also get help with developing your writing skills through tutoring at IvyWise.
Grades are the most important factor that admissions officers consider when evaluating college applications. However, grades and GPA alone don’t guarantee admission. Each school has its own rubric for evaluating applications, and both your GPA and college essay are typically components of this rubric. Great grades can get you to the “let me think about it” pile, but a dull and uninspired essay can bring your rubric score down. However, a stellar essay can set you apart from other applicants who are similar to you academically, which can help the admissions committee narrow the field.
Thousands of students with similar GPA, course rigor, and test scores apply to the same colleges every year. It can be hard to stand out with the sheer number of candidates with similar academic qualifications. This is where other components of your application will come in, such as your college essay, that could tip the scales in your favor. While a great GPA is important, it doesn’t necessarily make you stand out. Other soft factors, like your essay, will.
In addition to the personal statement, which is submitted to each school you apply to, many colleges include supplemental essay questions in their application. Why do supplemental essays matter? These supplements are the perfect opportunity to articulate why you are interested in a specific school and demonstrate your knowledge of the institution.
Some colleges may explicitly ask students why they are interested in their institution while other universities may include less direct prompts that focus on long-term goals and ambitions. Regardless of the nature of the question, applicants should strive to tailor their responses to the university they are applying to and weave in school-specific details that highlight their knowledge about programs and opportunities on campus.
Applying to other schools? We have more tips for supplemental essays.
The Common App essay prompts are released every year well ahead of the August 1 opening date. Additionally, many colleges and universities announce their supplemental essay prompts in July. We recommend students begin writing their essays during the summer before the rigors of senior year. This gives you plenty of time to draft, revise, get feedback, and proofread before it’s ready to submit.
Teenagers have such limited life experiences that it’s not easy to be truly unique in college essays. Instead, focus on being authentic. Your essay should be an expression of your authentic voice — which in itself is unique. Keep in mind that admissions officers evaluate thousands of applications each year. You’re unlikely to write about something they haven’t read before.
Choose an essay topic based on what you want the admissions officers to know about you, not what you think will impress them or be “different.” Often students trying to be unique in their essays — like writing in a poetic structure or in a weird voice — come off as disingenuous. Write an essay about a topic that will give them a good idea of who you are and how you will contribute to the school both inside and outside of the classroom.
Of course, a lot of things make you who you are, and you can’t write about them all. Doing some research on what to write in a personal statement can help you focus on what will impress the admissions committee.
While the content of your essay is important, you also need to think about how to format it properly. By following these guidelines, you can present a polished essay.
A compelling essay starts with a “hook” that draws the reader in and sets the tone for the rest of your essay. You might begin with an engaging story, a vivid description of a scene, or a personal anecdote that relates to the main theme of your essay, but keep it brief. Other strategies include using a meaningful quote, a thought-provoking question, or an intriguing statement that sets up the central idea of your essay.
While the college essay writing process is mostly about authenticity and creativity, you generally will have to stick to a word limit. The Common App essay has a limit of 650 words. Most supplemental essays will be shorter than 650 words, but it depends on the school you’re applying to.
Ending your college essay on a strong note is crucial as it leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Here are some suggestions:
Ensure your conclusion reinforces the key points of your essay and leaves the reader with a clear understanding of your character, goals, and why you are an excellent fit for the college.
Strong essays also tend to be relatively free of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes because they demonstrate your attention to detail. You aren’t expected to be perfect, but it helps to know some common grammar and spelling mistakes to avoid in essays.
Proofreading is essential to catch avoidable errors, especially since you can’t always rely on spell or grammar check to catch all your mistakes. And a second pair of eyes never hurts. You may find it helpful to ask someone else to proofread your essay.
To create a compelling essay, focus on authentic storytelling, clearly articulate your passion for the specific college or program, and demonstrate how your goals align with the institution’s values and opportunities. Thorough research, genuine enthusiasm, and a reflective approach are key elements that can transform your essay into a memorable and impactful narrative. Here are some additional college essay tips.
Every applicant is more than the sum of their grades, test scores, and extracurricular involvements. College application essays give students the opportunity to reveal who they truly are and the personality traits that set them apart. Consequently, students shouldn’t be afraid to use their own authentic voices in their essays and let their unique character shine through.
Many essay prompts focus on moments of growth and self-discovery, which can provide applicants with an opportunity to discuss the personal experiences that have defined them and helped them grow. Instead of striving to write something that sounds academic, focus on creating compelling essays using your own authentic voice. It can be helpful to read your essay drafts out loud to ensure your words sound like something you would really say.
Application essays can be the perfect place to reveal something new about yourself or discuss something that is not obvious elsewhere in your application. Students may wish to consider drafting personal statements about experiences that aren’t highlighted in their resume or transcript.
For example, instead of writing about scoring the winning goal, a star athlete may choose to focus on an experience outside of their chosen sport, since it is likely that this extracurricular activity is referenced throughout their application. A student like this may choose to focus on what they learned from a summer job, a volunteer experience that changed their perspective, or a personal challenge that enabled them to grow.
Admissions officers are looking to admit applicants who will become active participants on campus. Take advantage of personal statements and supplements to convey not just who you are now, but what you wish to achieve. For school-specific supplements, applicants may wish to highlight the groups and programs that they are eager to join if admitted.
Similarly, students may choose to weave in details about their future goals and ambitions in a personal statement, which can help give admissions officers a sense of the impact they wish to make.
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Many colleges and universities require you to respond to one of the Common App essay prompts. You are asked to respond to your chosen prompt in 250-650 words, so it helps to be concise and focused. This personal statement is sent to all the colleges you apply to through the Common App.
You may be required to respond to school-specific supplemental essay prompts as well. Some schools provide quirky college essay prompts, but that’s good news. It means you’re encouraged to be creative! Plus, unique prompts can make the admissions process a little less daunting. However, you should still take all essay prompts seriously regardless of how unconventional or easy they seem. Take your time and provide a thoughtful response that gives the admissions committee insight into who you are.
Given the importance of college essays, students should start drafting their pieces well in advance. This can be one of the most daunting parts of your college application, which is why it can be beneficial to seek expert guidance. All IvyWise college admissions counselors have direct experience in admissions at some of the most selective colleges and universities in the U.S. They have read thousands of college essays and know what makes students stand out.
If you are currently working on application essays and looking for expert guidance, our team of college admissions counselors can help you find your voice. Schedule your Initial Consultation to speak to one of our experts.
Brown is at the top of plenty of students’ best-fit lists, so it’s no surprise that most prospective applicants want to do everything they can to stand out in their applications. While grades and course rigor carry the most weight in admissions decisions, students also need to write compelling essays that demonstrate their interest in attending the college.
If Vanderbilt University, also known as Vandy, is one of your top-choice schools, you may be wondering how to craft your admissions essay to help you stand out. Vanderbilt is incredibly selective, so they look for students who demonstrate what they can contribute to the diverse campus community academically and otherwise. Your response to these essays contributes to the holistic review of your application, so it’s important to put a lot of thought into them.
If Princeton is at the top of your list for best-fit colleges, you know that every component of your application counts. With an acceptance rate of 4.5% for the class of 2027, it’s clear that applicants are going to have to submit their best work to be competitive, and that includes writing compelling supplemental essays.
The Common Application is officially open, and many college-bound high school students are hard at work on their college applications. In addition to the main Common App essay, many schools might also require supplements that include some thoughtful — and downright quirky — essay prompts and short answer questions.
