Summer Finale - College Essays

While your family is debating whether to spend Labor Day Weekend at the Lake or at home, you are savoring the last moments of summer’s sweetness.  However, seniors are beginning to gear up for college essays, as more and more guidance counselors request essays early in the fall. 

Here are five tips to give you a head start on those essays.

1.  Make yourself stand out in the supplemental essays.

Colleges really want to know why you would fit well into their campus/academic life. Help them out. Learn particulars about the college from the college newspaper, and  from reading online.  Match the school’s strengths with your own passions/interests .(i.e., They have a great debate society, and  are a champion debater.)

2. Authenticity in the Common Application.

Essays that stand above the rest are personal, well-written, and tell the reader something he/she didn’t already know from your application.  A former student of mine wrote, “I enjoy listening to and sharing secrets with my younger cousin who has a learning disability.”  Do we know more about you, after having read your Common Application?

3. Pay attention to details.

    Eliminate clichés and worn phrases, such as “An amazing summer job” or “He was as cool as a cucumber.”  They are far too tired for a college admissions reader to slog through.

  And avoid redundant passages.  You’ll hear them when you read your essays aloud.  Instead, use rich details to make your piece come alive.

4. Experts share tips.

Try reading a classic, On Writing the College Application Essay, by Henry Baud

Or purchase Ashley Baker’s Six Weeks to Success: College Admissions Secrets Revealed.  Popular with students, Baker teaches you how self-branding, selection, and well-crafted college essays contribute to admissions success.

Ask an expert for tips! You can hire a college essay coach to read your essay, giving you the reassurance that your essay puts you above the crowd.

5. And some tips for last minute interviews.

Be prepared. Before the interview, develop a few good questions to ask. Do basic research so you won’t ask about things that can easily be found on the college’s website. Pose questions to admissions officers concerning specific programs, or internship/ research opportunities. You might ask an alumni interviewer what s/he liked best about the school and what s/he would change. An admissions director recently told me that one of the best questions he’s received is “What is the most pressing issue on your campus right now?”  Impress your interviewer with your insight and pre-research.

Finally, for interview savvy:  Look the interviewer in the eye. Give a firm handshake. The only appropriate cell phone mode is OFF!  Send a thank you email afterwards.