College Essay Tips

Top Five Most important Points
1) The essay can make the difference in whether you are accepted, waitlisted/deferred or rejected.
2) Start early; have essays drafts ready before the senior year starts
3) The essay is error-free; ask two or three grammarians to proofread
4) Yawn. The essay must be interesting to read. Admissions officers read hundreds, perhaps
thousands of essays you need to stand out for the right reasons. Be memorable, but not shocking
or outlandish.
5) Optional essays are mandatory if you want to be accepted.
Topics/Styles to Avoid
• Trips or vacations
• Adversity (many times these essays give reasons for colleges to reject an applicant); if you select
the adversity essay, be very careful
• Essays that match the applicant to the college because of climate, prestige/reputation, friends,
parents, fun or some other shallow reason.
• Influential books, people, or events that are nothing more than a report from Wikipedia.
• Major catastrophes (unless you have firsthand experience)
• Humor that isn’t funny or is offensive to a subgroup
• Going over the word limit
• Essays written by parents or a college counselor
• Essays published in books and merely copied or paraphrased
• Avoid gimmicks
• Do not exaggerate
• Avoid getting too personal; highly personal information used for shock value seldom works
• Avoid bragging or an arrogant tone
• Rehashing activities or something else in the application which could be inferred
• Making excuses (e.g., I have a low GPA because my parents watch reality TV every night)
• Avoid telling your life story in 500 words; go for the slice of life
• Overused topics or topics from books of essays
• Melodrama (“It was a dark, stormy night . . .”) or overuse of adjectives to the point that the nouns
are an afterthought
Good Topics/Styles
• Essays that explain why you want to attend a particular school; matching the applicant to the
school with good reasons why the applicant needs the school (carefully avoiding essays that could
be constructed from just looking at brochures); the essay will most likely mention specific courses,
programs or professors; lots of specifics needed for this essay
• Essays that demonstrate the applicant’s stated passions or goals
• Influential books, people, or events: focus on how you were influenced
• Humor that is really funny.
• When approaching the “what do you do for fun” essay, consider constructive activities; avoid
“hanging out” or video game playing.• “Show, don’t tell” – describe sensations, actions and dialogue
• Telling a story tends to work
• Work for a strong opening; otherwise the admission’s officer may not read the entire essay
• Be yourself, use natural language (yes, use big words, but not words you have to look up to use)
• Write a fresh topic for every question
• Some of the best essays are about nothing; in other words, they are about small incidents or
experiences because your effort to describe them actually reveals more about you
Essays that Admissions Officers Hate (courtesy of Elizabeth Wissner-Gross):
• Luxury tours
• Itinerary essays (places I have visited)
• Luxury Resort essays
• Travel Wish List
• Adversity Essay
Best Essays (courtesy of Elizabeth Wissner-Gross):
• “Why Do You Want to Come Here” essay
• “Make Your Mark” essay (demonstrating a deliberate track record to prove that your goals or
ambitions are not just pipe dreams)
• “Most Meaningful Activity” (essay supports other statements made in the application
• The “Describe a Person, Book, or Event That Influenced You Most” Essay
• The Humorous Essay
• “Describe Your Ideal Roommate Essay”
• Think metaphorically; demonstrate the ability to be a big-picture thinker
Different Types of Essays & Tips
The “Why Do You Want To Come Here” Essay
 Explain why you are a good match for the school
 The school is looking for your educational direction and career goals
 Share how much you know about the school, using specifics from a tour or sitting in on a
class (names, courses/programs, facilities)
 Demonstrate a concrete knowledge of the school
 If possible, demonstrate why you need this school (e.g. it has a program that only this
particular school offers or a professor who is a leading expert in something about which
you are passionate)
 Avoid clichés that could come from campus brochures or websites
 Do not try to flatter the school, that often backfires
 When visiting campuses, take notes for essay material for the schools to which you believe
you will eventually apply