Writing the College Essay

Do start early. Leave plenty of time to revise, and reword. You can improve on your presentation.

Do read the directions carefully.  Answer the question and be within the word limit.  Express yourself as briefly and as clearly as you can.

Do tell the truth about yourself. The admission committee is anonymous to you; you are completely unknown to it. Even if you run into a committee member in the future, he will have no way of connecting your essay (out of the thousands he has read) to you.

Do focus on an aspect of yourself that will show your best side. You might have overcome some adversity, worked through a difficult project, or profited from a specific incident. A narrow focus is more interesting than broad based generalizations.

Do consider using the three Common Application form topics as early practice possibilities: (1) evaluate a significant experience or achievement that has special meaning to you; (2) discuss some issue of personal, local, or national concern and its importance to you; (3) indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

Do feel comfortable expressing anxieties. Everybody has them, and it's good to know that an applicant can see them and face them.

Do speak positively. Negatives tend to turn people off.

Do write about your greatest assets and achievements. You should be proud of them!

Don't repeat information given elsewhere on your application. The committee has already seen it, and it seems as though you have nothing better to say.

Don't write on general, impersonal topics  like the nuclear arms race or the importance of good management in business. The college wants to know about you.

Don't sacrifice the essay to excuse your shortcomings unless you intend it to be a natural and integral part of your topic. If it's a question of underachievement, you should find a spot somewhere else in the application (or use a separate sheet of paper) to explain why you had not been working to your ability.

Don't use clichés.

Don't go to extremes: too witty, too opinionated, or too "intellectual."

Remember:  The personal statement is yours. If it looks too professional, the admissions committee will assume it is not yours.

A "gimmick" essay rarely goes anywhere. The committee is amused, but unimpressed with your candidacy.  Write a serious essay, from the bottom of your heart, in the most mature manner possible.

• Proofread your essay twice.
• Read your essay backwards. This will prevent you from skimming the text and force you to look at each individual word.
• Have someone else proofread your work.
• Put your essay aside for a few days, then read it again with a fresh eye. 

Supplementary materials come in assorted sizes and shapes. This is certainly the case with creative writing and visual arts pieces. The main purpose of submitting supplementary materials is to document a portion of one's life that cannot be fully presented by means of regular application materials. Some schools request that these things be submitted.

Do not abuse the process. Proceed with caution as you attempt to stack the deck in your favor. Admission folk still believe in the old adage: “The thicker the folder, the thicker the student." They become a bit wary about a folder that takes up too much space in a file drawer or temporarily throws the entire applicant evaluation process into low gear.

Be wise in your selection of materials to be submitted and in the number of submissions.

What not to send:

More than the number of letters of recommendation requested.

Documentation of scholastic or extracurricular achievement. It is not necessary to send your varsity letter to prove your athletic prowess.

What to send:

A musical performance tape that features YOU, a piece of original poetry, a small sample of artwork or a photograph of a larger sample, a newspaper article about or by YOU, and a photograph that enlarges upon descriptive text about a special project.