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With college deadlines approaching, I am often asked for tips about how to write a ‘great’ college essay. Great is a word that doesn’t have much meaning without proper context.
What I often see are students who write essays that are laundry lists of achievement and lack compelling narratives. Or the complete opposite: a budding creative writer who produces a well crafted essay that is devoid of anything specific about the candidate.
An effective essay allows the average reader to get a glimpse into your mind, which will then serve as the basis for his or her evaluation of you on a personal level. This means that all-important glimpse needs to be succinct, poignant, and impactful. Here’s how you can put together a good linguistic first impression:
- Think about something you really love doing. It could be anything (playing an instrument, singing, writing, dancing, etc.)
- Now think about all of your academic/extracurricular achievements. How have you woven your love into these activities? Do you use musical cadence to help you study? Can you see the art that you love when you go about doing a math problem? Things like that really give readers a glimpse into your mind and thus a better understanding of YOU.
- If you don’t have something you love to do, think bigger. What’s the theme…
