The “Fine Art” of College Essay Writing

The Point• The essay is your opportunity to tell the admission

committee who you really are!• Write about what you want to write about NOT

what you think the admissions committee wants to hear!!!

• Reveal Yourself– Your personality– Your values– How you think– Why you’d be a good fit for that particular school– How you’d be a student who would enrich their school

with everything that you have to offer.

Ten Things Admissions Committees Want

• Self-revelation• Honesty• Organization• Directness• Clarity

• Concision• Candor• Sincerity• Originality• Good syntax

Ten Biggest Essay Turnoffs

• Boasting• Shameless flattery• Begging• Spelling errors• Cliches

• Big, clunky words• Generalizations• Insincerity• Vagueness• Failed attempts at

humor

The Topic

• Deciding what to write about can seem like a daunting task, but it is possible…– Narrow your focus– Write about something that is close to your heart– Make a list of possible topics– Brainstorm long before you actually try to start

writing your essay• Think about issues that matter to you• Consider important moments in your life• List people, places, and experiences that left an

impression on you

Ten Ways to Get Started

• The 10 coolest places you’ve visited

• Your 10 most memorable high school experiences

• The 5 most difficult moments in your life

• The 5 most exciting moments

• The 3 most awkward moments

• Your 5 best accomplishments

• The top 5 words your parents, friends, or teachers would use to describe you

• The 5 most important influences on your life

• Your 5 favorite books• Your 10 favorite activities

Ten Brainstorming Questions• What was your most

frightening experience?• Whom do you love? Why?• What books have changed

your life? • What is your favorite season?

Why?• Have you ever had a sudden

realization about yourself? What was it?

• What has been the biggest disappointment in your life so far?

• What kind of art inspires you? • What is the kindest thing

you’ve ever done for someone else?

• If you could change anything about your life, what would it be?

• In what accomplishment do you take the most pride?

Ten Worn Out Topics*

• The Big Game• My Trip Abroad• Outward Bound• Death of a relative• Comparing oneself to

food

• Volunteering• Poverty• Racism• Equality• World Peace• *Worn out doesn’t

mean don’t use these topics. You have to take a different approach.

Ten Dangerous Topics You Should Avoid

• Sex• Suicide• Anorexia• Depression• Drugs

• Alcohol• Vandalism• Theft• Violence• Terrorism

The Structure

• When writing the personal essay, you don’t and shouldn’t follow the rigid 4-5 paragraph structure learned in your English class.

• Write in first person!!

Structure of Your Essay• Narrative- most common, most effective

– Use Flashback (Good for usage for essay prompt asking for you to reflect on an experience that changed you.)

– Cause/Effect (Same)– Anecdotal Evidence (Describe “stories” of your life)– Focus on single event

• Before you structure your essay, think about how you want the reader to experience your essay and view your material.

Ten Tips for Writing a Narrative Essay

• Use vivid descriptions.• Start and end with

action, if appropriate. • Keep the story moving

forward.• Be clear about the

chronology of events. • Don’t give too many

details.

• Include dialogue where appropriate.

• Use active verbs.• Explain why you are

telling this story. • Be specific. • Don’t repeat yourself.

Ten So What Questions• Why is your topic

important to you?• Why did you chose your

details?• Why should you keep

these details in your essay?

• How do your anecdotes enrich your essay?

• What do your descriptions say about you?

• How are the people you discuss meaningful to you?

• Why are you focusing on a particular moment in time?

• How did you form your opinions?

• Will your readers understand the connections you make?

• What more can you say to dig deeper?

How you should sound:

• Confident• Relaxed• Reflective• Genuine• Friendly• Self-aware• Optimistic• Natural• Direct• engaging

What you should avoid: • Trying too hard to sound

sophisticated by using big words• Recycling brochure copy• Sense of entitlement: make sure

your essay doesn’t make it sound like you think you deserve to get in just because of who you are

• Boastfulness: consider the fine line between confidence and boastfulness.

• Simplistic writing: don’t oversimplify.• Bleached personality- be human• Inappropriate humor• Flippancy- avoid sarcasm• Overstatement- passionate not

phony• Close-Mindedness- be careful not to

sound judgmental or biased.

Organization- intro tips

• Make an interesting observation.

• Start in the middle of a scene, with an action.

• Be concise. • Provide direction. • Be original.

• Grab the reader’s attention.

• Make a confession. • Don’t excessively set

up the scene. • Give a glimpse of the

main idea. • Set the tone for the

rest of the essay.

Organization- Conclusion tips

• Don’t repeat the same points.

• Tie up loose ends. • Don’t summarize. • Don’t introduce a new

topic. • Leave a strong

impression.

• Match the rest of the essay in tone and content.

• Expand to broader context.

• Keep it brief. • Make your strongest

point. • Create a feeling of

completion.

Ways to Stand Out

• Show don’t tell.

• Use an anecdote.

• Be specific.

• Set a scene.

• Elicit emotion.

• Use strong verbs and nouns

Words to avoid

• Very• A lot• Really• Cool• amazing

• Wonderful• Basically• Definitely• Deal with it (as in the

verb, to deal with something)

• Hopefully

Cliches to Avoid

• What goes around comes around.

• Live and learn. • Good things come to

those who wait. • There’s no such thing

as a free ride. • When life gives you

lemons, make lemonade.

• If you can’t beat them, join them.

• Beauty is only skin deep.

• You can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

• No pain, no gain. • When it rains, it

pours.

Don’t forget

• Leave yourself enough time to PROOFREAD!!!

• Read your essay out loud.

• Give your essay to a friend, parent, or teacher to read for feedback and proofreading.