As summer is nearing its end and college application time is looming, it would be a good moment to get the dreaded college essay out of the way. Although your impulse tells you to procrastinate until three days before the college application is due, I will side with your parents on this: do not wait until the last week. College essays take time to write and edit; plus you definitely want to sleep on it and read it again the next day or the next week with fresh eyes and see if you still like it. So here are some writing tips to get you started:
1. Think of your life as a scrap book (or get that scrapbook out that Mom made for you!) What pictures would you put into the album? Make a list. Then describe the three most important pictures and why they are important to you.
2. Think of your life as a movie. What are the most interesting, the happiest, saddest, loudest, funniest scenes? Describe the scenes and what they mean to you.
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3. Take a survey. Ask your family or friends how they would describe you. Write down the characteristics. How are they important to you? Find an event in your life to illustrate them.
4. What is your life’s dream? Write down where you want to be in 10 years. What are your values? What in your life or your personality prepares you for this future and will get you there?
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Do some uninterrupted and unchecked writing for each of the brainstorming exercises above. Which one do you like most? Which ones represents you best?
Then go to http://blog.commonapp.org/2015/03/31/2015-2016-essay-prompts/ to check out this year’s Common Application prompts and get started on your first draft. For more information about personal essay help visit me at www.collegearchway.com.
