Crafting a College Essay That Captivates: Tips to Stand Out

The college application process can feel overwhelming, and the essay often looms large as a significant hurdle. It goes by many names-the personal statement, personal essay, college admission essay, etc.-and is a major source of stress for many applicants. But it's also a unique opportunity to showcase your personality, experiences, and aspirations to admissions committees. With acceptance rates at selective colleges becoming increasingly competitive, a compelling essay can be the key to setting yourself apart from other qualified applicants. This article provides advice to help you shape your essay into a standout part of your application.

Finding Your Authentic Voice

One of the most crucial aspects of writing a successful college essay is to write in your own voice. We’re not looking for the next winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Use your own words and way of speaking when writing your essay. Write how you typically would to a friend, parent, classmate, teacher, etc. Be sure to be professional but stay true to your personal writing style. We’re expecting your writing to sound like that of a high school student or any other seventeen- or eighteen-year-old.

Admissions officers aren't looking for perfectly polished prose or overly sophisticated vocabulary. They want to hear your story, told in your unique way. Don't try to emulate someone else's writing style or use language that doesn't feel natural to you. Colleges are simply looking for thoughtful, motivated students who will add something to the first-year class.

Choosing the Right Topic

Many students struggle with selecting a topic for their college essay. A 17-year old me is sitting at my basement computer, fingers lightly touching the good ol’ Gateway keyboard from yesteryear and…nothing. I’m blank. I’m here to write my college essay, and I’m straining not only on the first sentence, but the topic itself. Your topic is not OSFA (One Size Fits All). Ask yourself this question: can anyone else write this essay? If the answer is yes, it’s back to the drawing board.

The key is to write about something that's important to you. Don’t write about what you think we want to read.Sometimes applicants think we want to hear about a specific experience, hardship, involvement, etc. There’s no preferred story we want to see or read. We want to hear about what is truly important or integral to who you are. We want to learn about your story. Just about anything goes! Colleges will usually give you a choice of different prompts for your personal essay. This lets you pick a topic that truly speaks to you.

Read also: Creating a Strong Student Resume

Your essay doesn't have to be about a grand achievement or a major life event. It can be about simple things like your hobbies, your strengths, or the struggles you’ve overcome. You may have some nerves about the essay because you feel you don’t have a story to tell, or a big event that happened in your life, or a role model to highlight, etc. That’s ok! There are so many things that make you, you! You can write about your favorite food, activities, or your passion for a niche subject! This is where we get to see your interests and voice shine through-which is why many say the essay is so important in the college admission process. Your essay can be about anything that addresses the prompt! As a counselor, I’ve read essays about Costco, Legos, siblings, pets, lunchboxes, and grandparents. You name it, and I’ve probably read an essay about it.

Consider exploring a different topic from the common ones. Common personal statement topics include extracurricular activities (sports or musical instruments), service trips to foreign countries (aka the “mission trip” essay where the author realizes their privilege), sports injuries, family illnesses, deaths, divorce, the “meta” essay (e.g., “As I sit down to write my college essays, I think about…”), or someone who inspired you (common mistake: This usually ends up being more about them than you). While I won’t say you should never write about these topics, if you do decide to write about one of these topics, the degree of difficulty goes way up. What do I mean? Essentially, you have to be one of the best “soccer” essays or “mission trip” essays among the hundreds the admission officer has likely read (and depending on the school, maybe the hundreds they’ve read this year). So it makes it much more difficult to stand out.

Uncommon Connections

How do you stand out? A cliché is all in how you tell the story. So, if you do choose a common topic, work to make uncommon connections (i.e., offer unexpected narrative turns or connections to values), provide uncommon insights (i.e., say stuff we don’t expect you to say) or uncommon language (i.e., phrase things in a way we haven’t heard before). Or explore a different topic.

The more common your topic is … the more uncommon your connections need to be if you want to stand out. What do I mean? For example, tons of students write doctor/lawyer/engineer essays; if you want to stand out, you need to say a few things that others don’t tend to say. How do you figure out what to say? By making uncommon connections. They’re the key to a stand-out essay.

For example, if your thread is “food” (which can lead to great essays, but is also a really common topic), push yourself beyond the common value of “health” and strive for unexpected values. How has cooking taught you about “accountability,” for example, or “social change”? Why do this? We’ve already read the essay on how cooking helped the author become more aware of their health. An essay on how cooking allowed the author to become more accountable or socially aware would be less common.

The Power of "Why"

While recounting events or experiences is important, the most impactful essays delve into the "why" behind them. When writing, students will spend most of their essay on the lead up or backstory to set the scene for the reader. While this is helpful and can provide some important context, we want to know the ‘why’! Why is writing about this important to you? What did you learn from this experience, person, etc.? How did it shape you as a person, sibling, child, or student? We want to get to the core of who our applicants are. This is the time to be introspective!

Let the reader know how winning the soccer game helped you develop as a person, friend, family member, or leader. Make a connection with your soup kitchen volunteerism and how it may have inspired your educational journey and future aspirations.

Colleges look for essays that authentically represent your values, demonstrate personal growth, and reflect a clear understanding of your goals. They want to know about your journey, the challenges you have faced, and how you've overcome them. A standout essay should clearly express that you can think critically and communicate effectively. Above all, it should reflect your eagerness to learn and be part of the academic community at the college you're applying to.

Structuring Your Essay

Creating a carefully planned outline can improve your essay-writing process. When crafting applications essays, be sure your writing is engaging, authentic, and conveys your unique perspective. Think of your application essay as an in-person interview. As you write your essay, imagine you’re sitting in the room with the admissions official. You’ve given this person your transcript and resume. Keep this question in mind as you are forming your essay.

Start mapping out your college application essays in the spring of your junior year of high school or during the summer before your senior year. Besides a primary essay, some colleges may ask for supplemental essays or additional writing samples. These are meant to give a deeper look into who you are. They might ask how you connect with the college's values or culture.

Read also: Creating a Strong Brag Sheet

Narrative Structure vs. Montage Structure

In Narrative Structure, story events connect chronologically. In Montage Structure, story events connect thematically. Here’s a metaphor to illustrate a montage approach: Imagine that each different part of you is a bead and that a select few will show up in your essay. They’re not the kind of beads you’d find on a store-bought bracelet; they’re more like the hand-painted beads on a bracelet your little brother made for you. The theme of your essay is the thread that connects your beads.

Making a Strong Impression

When it comes to college admissions, officials read countless essays. It's important to grab the reader's attention right from the start. How you begin your essay makes the first impression, and a strong opening can make your essay stand out. Therefore, start your essay with an opening sentence or paragraph that immediately seizes the imagination. Starting your essay in a powerful way with a clear thesis statement can often help you along in the writing process. Admissions officers value sincerity and want to see a true reflection of who you are - your voice, your experiences, and your views. Admissions committees are trying to get to know the real you through your application. It's not about showing a flawless version of yourself or what they see on your transcript.

Here’s how to do it:

Start with a Story: Begin your essay with a personal anecdote. Share a meaningful experience with sensory details and perhaps some dialogue. This approach not only engages the reader but also sets the stage for the main theme of your essay.
Explain the Importance: In the second paragraph, provide context for your story. Explain why it matters and what it reveals about you. This will help tie your narrative to the overall theme of your essay.

Addressing Challenges

At the start of the essay process, I ask students two questions: Have you faced significant challenges in your life? Do you want to write about them? Because here’s an important qualifier: Even if you’ve faced challenges, you do not have to write about them in your personal statement. I mention this now because, in my experience, many students are under the impression that they have to write about challenges-that it’s either expected, or that it’s somehow better to do so. Neither is true. (And to be sure it’s clear: you do not have to write about trauma in your college essay to stand out.)

I’ve seen many, many incredible essays-ones that got students into every school you’re hoping to get into-that had no central challenge. If your answer is “Maybe … ?” because you’re not sure what qualifies as a challenge, it’s useful to think of challenges as being on a spectrum. On the weaker end of the spectrum would be things like getting a bad grade or not making X sports team. On the strong end of the spectrum would be things like escaping war. Being extremely shy but being responsible for translating for your family might be around a 3 or 4 out of 10. (Check this out if you want to read more about college essay topics to maybe avoid.) It’s possible to use Narrative Structure to write about a challenge anywhere on the spectrum, but it’s much, much harder to write an outstanding essay about a weaker challenge.

Beware of pushing yourself to write about a challenge merely because you think these types of essays are inherently “better.” Focusing myopically on one experience can sideline other brilliant and beautiful elements of your character.

Staying Focused and Concise

A powerful essay answers the prompt directly and sticks to the topic. Admissions teams use these prompts to learn specific things about you, including facets of your character, experiences you've had, or what you hope to achieve. By staying on topic, you make sure your essay clearly covers what the college wants to know, helping them see how you fit into their academic community. If you wander off-topic, your reader might not get a clear picture of what you're trying to say.

Instead of trying to share your entire life story in 650 words, concentrate on one or two key aspects of yourself that you want to convey. Remember, the activities section of your application will showcase your accomplishments and interests.

Polishing Your Essay

Before you submit your essay, thoroughly read it over to see if it's clear, makes sense, and gets your point across. Your essay should look polished and professional. Check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Proofreading your essay by reading it aloud is an effective way to review what you've written. Hearing your words can highlight clarity or flow issues you might not catch when reading silently. This helps to ensure your writing is coherent and easy to understand. It also helps you notice grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, or typos.

Also, this essay will be sent to every school you apply to through the Common Application, so unless you want every school to know you applied to USC, do not mention specific colleges in this part of the application!

Seeking Feedback

Get a second opinion. Please have someone else look at your essay! You don’t need a million different opinions but getting input from one or two other people will help you see your essay from a different perspective. Make sure you pick someone you’re comfortable receiving feedback from, whether that be a teacher, friend, counselor, etc. Ask them what they took away from your writing and what they think the highlights of your essay were to see if their notes align with what you wanted the reader to notice. If your message isn’t clear, you need to do a bit more editing! As you're working through your essay drafts, it can be helpful to have someone you trust - like a parent, counselor, or teacher - take a look at them. They can help spot grammar or spelling errors and provide a second pair of eyes.

Embracing the Process

While this process may be daunting, scary, or hard to begin, believe in yourself! You can make a list of the topics you’re interested in writing about and see if they align with any prompts. Remember that your first draft won't be the final draft, so I recommend getting all your ideas on the page first, then polishing it up from there. You’ll probably go back to the drawing board several times, so take a deep breath and try not to stress yourself out too much. At the end of the day, it’s only 650 words! Start writing months before your essay is due to give yourself enough time to write multiple drafts.

Reeeelllllaaaaxxxx. Right now, you have time on your side. If you’re feeling wound up trying to organize your thoughts, just start writing and concern yourself with structure later. If writing in your bedroom makes you feel isolated and stuck, a change of scenery could help.

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