Demystifying the College Application Essay

The college application essay is one of the most stressful parts of the college admissions process. Unlike other parts of the application, which are other people telling the college about you, this is a chance to speak directly to the people making the admission decision. While this thought might be terrifying, it is also a tremendous opportunity to create a person out of the litany of test scores, GPA, and recommendations that are the other parts of the application.

Prepare

Before beginning to write, you must know what good writing is. Stay away from books that promise failsafe strategies on how to write a college essay. In fact, stay away from college application essay books. The college admissions essay is just a short piece of creative nonfiction. To learn how to write well, read the best creative nonfiction that you can find. Look for essays in magazines like the New Yorker, and nonfiction anthologies. A good librarian will also help you to find essays you might like.

When you find an essay that speaks to you, read it critically. Try to identify what makes it a good essay, and what clues are displayed about the author. Notice how an essay might be about one subject, but also speaks about another, larger issue.

After you understand what makes a good essay, take some time to read a good book on the mechanics of writing. On Writing Well, by William Zinsser is considered the best on the topic, and states the truth that writing is much more than that first draft. If you are unsure of writing conventions, Elements of Style by Strunk and White is an excellent reference book.

Brainstorm

For this next step, take a look at what type of college admissions essay you must write. Some colleges require you to answer a specific question; others leave the topic up to you. Try to limit the amount of college essays as much as possible; it's fine to reuse an essay. For each required essay, brainstorm for possible topics. The easiest way to accomplish this is to write down as many possible topics in five minutes. Don't be concerned with the quality of the ideas at this point and don't reject any idea as stupid while brainstorming.