Another mistake: Trying too hard to appear creative.
This was the impetus for the College Board to eliminate the common application question: Choose your own topic. Students mistakenly viewed the essay as a creative writing exercise and proceeded to produce pretentious pieces of prose void of true personality. “How My Life is Like the Phrases of the Moon.” “Why these essays are meaningless.” “How I am viewed through the eyes of my dog.”
Once again…the point of the essays is to showcase the student as a person….not showcase how creative the student can be. This doesn’t mean the essay can’t be fun and entertaining. Obviously we don’t want boring. However, don’t force creativity….
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“Sweat dripped from my brow as the proctor meticulously handed out the nationally recognized assessment examination. My pulse raced and my heart pounded through my chest…”
“It was a cold and dreary night when I first arrived in London. I could hear the faint whispers of the Bard himself beckoning me to the Globe Theater….”
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“It was all up to me. Bases loaded with two men out in the bottom of the ninth. We were suffering a dearth of three runs. I dug my cleats into the dusty granules of dirt, held my bat firmly and watched for the pitch like an eagle watches for its prey….”
I will be presenting a FREE workshop on the Top Five Mistakes Students Make on their College Application Essays at each of the following libraries. (Pre-registration is strongly advised. Please call the library if you wish to attend) I am also available to speak at PTA meetings, JCC, etc....
Randy Levin is the ONLY college application essay expert asked to speak at the National College Fair- Nassau Coliseum – Oct 6th 2013. The vast majority of Randy’s clients are accepted to the Ivy League or other prestigious colleges. He has a MA in English and a MFA in Creative Writing. He is a published writer and was a high school English teacher in high achieving north shore Long Island school districts for close to ten years. For FREE information, go to his website: WriteToCollege.com
