One more day until the Common App goes live! We are pretty excited over at St. Mary’s to start having those applications begin to trickle in. Today our post is going to focus on the most time-consuming part of the application process (except for those 4-hour long SAT tests!): The College Essay. And who better to help explain the college essay process than Cher Horowitz, that wise-before-her-time high queen bee who has been teaching us how to navigate high school since 1995?
Let’s start with the essay prompts. This year, Common App has five prompts to choose from:
- Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
- Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
- Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
- Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
- Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
The first step is to choose one of these topics resonates with you most.Think about how you feel when you read them. Does one jump off the page and you think, “Yes! I definitely can remember a time I challenged a belief!” If you don’t feel immediately inspired, try brainstorming different possibilities for each prompt. List a few places you feel perfectly content, for example, and let them simmer for a few days. Then come back to your list, and re-evaluate which topics you feel most comfortable writing about.
Several colleges have their own supplement, so be prepared to write more than one essay per application. One thing that admissions counselors cannot stand is when you write the same thing for both essays.
Some schools will ask you to write “Why are you interested in ____ University?” Some colleges have a list of prompts to choose from. Some have really quirky questions. But all of them want to learn a little more about you, and by taking the time to write an extra essay, it shows that you care about the school you are applying to.
When it comes to tips for writing your college essay, there are tons of great resources on the web. College Board is a great source for tips and advice, including video posts from different deans of admissions across the country.
US News and World Report, which is already a great college search site, also has a post called “10 Tips for Writing the College Essay.” Or try NACAC– the National Association for College Admission Counseling- their tips are good to take note of as well.
At St. Mary’s, we use the essays to learn things about our applicants that we can’t learn from the rest of the application. We already know your high school grades, what you are involved in, your test scores… now we want to hear what you are really passionate about.
We also want to be entertained. A college admissions counselor will read several essays a day– how can you make yours stand out? A former director in our Admissions Office used to say, “Think like a child, but write like an adult.” Make us laugh, cry, rage, but most of all, tell us a story. Even if it seems totally goofy:
As always, don’t hesitate to call or email your admissions counselor to ask about possible essay topics. They probably won’t give you a direct “Yes this will get you into my school” answer, but they can help point you in the right direction. When in doubt, you can always just end your essay like Cher does during her class presentation…
Or not. Good luck!
The Yellow Brick Path 