Top 5 Reasons to Start Your College Essay in July

#1. There will be less stress. Not just for you, but for your mothers too. No one will love you as much as your mother, not now, not ever. Be kind to her when she asks you when you’ll start working on your essay. She is very wise and can see into the future. What she sees includes a lot of tears (some of them hers), snarky attitudes, closed doors and late nights. This fourth of July – honor your mother and your country by giving her the gift of an early start to your college essays. See how she retreats from her crystal ball and gives you all the space you need to do your own thing.

 #2. There is more time to be lazy … I mean thoughtful. Even writers who have a daily practice must leave space between drafts to gain a fresh perspective and added inspiration to carry their work forward. It’s much more pleasant to write when a deadline isn’t looming, than when it is. However, if you work best under pressure, I give all of my students a three-week time frame to get a solid draft in shape before they put it down for a breather.

 #3. Not every idea is a gem. Let’s face it, some things are important to us “just because,” and don’t have the kind of details that will make a successful college essay. That’s okay, but don’t wait until the last minute to change course! In a successful personal essay you have to share anecdotes, dialogue and sensory descriptions which are the pearls that will make an admissions reader want to jump for joy.

 #4. It’s easier to get feedback. No one appreciates being asked for feedback the day before your application is due. Feedback is a critical part of the writing process, especially for personal essays. Ask an outsider (and I don’t mean a felon, I mean a trusted family friend or teacher who you will actually listen to) to tell you if they are moved by your story; they may ask for more description or background or analysis. Importantly, they’ll inspire you to go a little deeper when you’ve begun to tire out.

#5. Because I said so. So there! Trust me, I’m a nice person. I much prefer working with students over the summer than in October, November or December. They are much more, how shall we say … open. A student from Briarcliff I started working with last July said, “Starting early gave me time to progress from a rough draft to a developed essay with depth and meaning. Now my essays brings out my unique qualities and shows sides of me not expressed elsewhere in my application.

My personal essay has really come a long way since July!” He will be attending Middlebury this fall. July is three weeks away, book now by visiting www.naomivladeck.com for upcoming events or to schedule individual coaching sessions in July and August.