Top 7 Tips for Writing a Winning College Essay
A few years ago, we shared The 5 Best Ways to Help Students with College Essays (Parts 1 and 2) to help fellow tutors guide students through the college essay writing process without sliding down the slippery slope of offering too much help.
Recently, we shared a few out-of-the-box ideas for traditional and nontraditional college essays (part of our Building A College Portfolio series) that may help your more creative college applicants showcase their creativity and get their applications noticed.
In this post, we want to unpack the key elements that make a solid college essay that will be attractive and memorable to college admissions officers.
The Importance of the College Essay
The college essay, often called a personal statement, is a core component of a college application. It’s not just an essay; it’s a prime opportunity for applicants to present their true selves beyond grades and test scores.
Personal essays allow admissions committees to evaluate intellectual and personal qualities that are hard to observe elsewhere. They offer an account of a student's lived experience(s) in their own words, revealing growth, self-reflection, and awareness of the world. A well-crafted personal statement can showcase an applicant's personality, values, and interests, leaving a lasting impression on admissions officers.
In an increasingly competitive admissions landscape, the college essay has become a crucial tool for differentiating between strong candidates. It offers students a unique platform to highlight their individuality and provide context to their achievements.
A compelling personal statement can significantly enhance college applications, especially for those with weaker academics or extracurriculars, by offering a glimpse into the student's unique perspective and experiences.
By capturing the applicant’s true ethos, the personal statement can help admissions officers see beyond the numbers, making it an invaluable part of the application process.
Key Qualities Evaluated in College Essays
College and university admissions committees evaluate personal statements for a range of qualities. The most important characteristics they are looking for in a candidate include:
Leadership: Admissions officers look for applicants who can demonstrate the ability to lead and influence others. This could be through formal positions, such as a team captain or club president, or through informal roles, such as organizing community events or spearheading group projects. Examples of effective leadership often include instances where the student has motivated peers, driven positive change, or shown initiative in challenging situations.
Creativity: Creativity isn't limited to artistic endeavors. It encompasses the ability to think outside the box, approach problems from new angles, and develop innovative solutions. Students can showcase creativity through projects, hobbies, or unique personal experiences. Highlighting creative thinking and originality can help students stand out by demonstrating their capacity for original invention and design.
Community Service: Commitment to public service and charitable works illustrate a student’s dedication to helping others and making a positive impact. Admissions committees value applicants who have engaged in volunteer work, service projects, or initiatives that benefit their communities. Detailed accounts of meaningful community service experiences can highlight a student's compassion, empathy, and sense of social responsibility.
Resilience: The ability to overcome challenges and grow from experiences is highly valued. Resilience can be demonstrated through personal stories of adversity, whether academic, personal, or familial. Examples might include overcoming a significant obstacle, recovering from a setback, or managing difficult circumstances. Showcasing resilience reveals a student’s strength of character and determination, which are critical for success in college and beyond.
A personal essay that demonstrates these stellar qualities offers valuable insight into the student's potential contributions to the college campus community and their capacity for personal growth. By showcasing their leadership, creativity, commitment to community service, and resilience, applicants can present a comprehensive picture of who they are and how they will thrive in a collegiate environment.
7 Tips for Clients: Writing a Unique and Engaging College Essay
Here are seven essential tips to help your clients write compelling college essays:
1. Read the Essay Prompts. Understanding the prompts is crucial. Whether the prompt is about personal identity, challenges faced, or an open topic, it's essential to comprehend and reflect on the questions thoroughly.
2. Start Early. Sometimes the most challenging part of writing a college essay is simply getting started. Starting the essay writing process early allows time for research, writing, revising, and seeking feedback, which will improve the quality of the final draft.
Pro Tip: Pre-writing essays can save time and prevent burnout, especially for students applying to multiple schools.
3. Craft a Strong Opening. The opening of the essay, just like most writing, needs a strong hook. The intro should grab the reader's attention. Using an anecdote or a personal story can create curiosity and engage the essay reader from the start.
4. Answer Prompts Directly. It's crucial to answer the essay prompts directly and thoroughly. If there are limited word counts, students need to be concise and to the point, focusing on one or two solid examples to address the question effectively.
5. Tell a Personal Story. Encourage your students to connect their personal achievements to their future goals. Sharing personal stories and experiences makes the essay more relatable and memorable. Authenticity is key, so students should focus on what makes them uniquely deserving candidates rather than what they think the committee wants to hear.
Remind your clients that honesty is critical; it’s perfectly acceptable for an applicant to prop themself up for real accolades and experiences but lying is never acceptable.
6. Include Important Traits and Qualities. Students should mention the character traits and qualities they want admissions officers to notice such as leadership, creativity, community service, and resilience. These traits should be unique and not obvious based on their academic records or resumes.
As we mentioned, highlighting these key qualities and reflecting on specific instances where these traits were demonstrated can help create a really compelling narrative and help their college essay stand out from the rest of the application pool.
7. Seek Outside Perspectives. Encourage your students to talk to people who know them well. Parents, friends, coaches, and mentors can offer valuable insights, perspectives, and memories that the student may have overlooked, contributing to a richer, more detailed essay.
By following these tips, your students can craft distinguishing and engaging personal essays that feature their unique qualities and leave a lasting impression on admissions officers.
Key Takeaways
Importance of the College Essay: Personal essays showcase a college applicant's true self beyond grades and test scores; they are crucial for differentiating candidates.
Evaluated Qualities: College admissions look for leadership, creativity, community service, and resilience.
7 Essential Tips:
Read the Prompts: Understand and address them directly.
Start Early: Allow time for research, writing, revising, and feedback.
Craft a Strong Opening: Use a hook to engage the essay reader (i.e., college admissions officer).
Answer Prompts Directly: Be concise and focused.
Tell a Personal Story: Connect achievements to future goals; be authentic.
Include Key Traits: Highlight unique qualities with specific examples.
Seek Outside Perspectives: Gather insights from others to enrich the essay.
Step into the Digital Age of SAT® Prep!
The SAT® made the switch to all-digital testing—and so has Clear Choice Prep!
We’re ready to equip your tutoring business with top-tier, fully digital test-prep courses. Our white-label, all-digital, adaptive Digital SAT® practice tests come with accurate, algorithmic scoring, granting your tutors and students access to the vital data required for custom instruction and score enhancement.
Ready to upgrade your test prep? Schedule a free demo and experience it yourself!