Your ideas for your Common App essay suck. Or, maybe you don’t have any. Every year, prospective college students struggle with the daunting task of writing what could be the most important essay of their high school career: the writing portion of the Common App. And it’s hard. You’re somehow expected to flaunt your personality, but remain serious. Show off your accomplishments, yet you can’t come off too braggy. Oh, and you need to fit it all into a maximum of 650 words, because why would anyone want to waste more than five minutes reading about you?
In the face of all of this, it’s easy to see why students get discouraged with the process, why they doubt their ideas and writing ability. That’s where the pros come in; these people have read hundreds of personal essays, so they definitely know what they’re talking about. Here are their tricks, tips, and general good advice so you can have a one stop shop for all things Common App.
Before you even sit down to type, you need to pick a topic. This can be difficult for many students, as there’s this weird pressure to spill your darkest secret or exploit some traumatic event that happened to you. In doing this, many students default on one or two similar subjects.
“NO DEAD GRANDMAS,” said Kevin Finucan, Honors Language Arts teacher, “No ‘I went on a mission trip and looking at people who had less than me I learned more about myself’”
Patricia Berardi, an AP Lit teacher, agrees. “Avoid cliche topics or things that make you look like a victim. Everybody’s suffered. But they’ve seen too many essays where someone is overdramatizing somebody else’s story,” said Berardi.
It’s not that your trauma isn’t valid, but it may not be unique. Stay away from “classic” essay topics like coming back from a sports injury, dead/dying family members, or being bullied for bringing in cultural food for lunch. This is not the Trauma Olympics. It seems harsh, but when you consider that admissions officers read essays 24/7, a unique topic that stands out in their mind might be the difference between an acceptance and a denial.
So what should you talk about?
“This essay should not necessarily be about what people taught you, but what you figured out by yourself. How you grew as a person,” Finucan said, “How an event/experience/thought changed the way I, not just view things, but move on, kind of grow”
“The best essay topics are ones where you had an epiphany. A moment where you grew, or learned something, or found out you didn’t know everything. Another good one is to show a moment where you persevere, where everyone else might have given up,” Berardi said.
Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable in this essay, in fact teachers and readers encourage it. Brainstorm about a time that you’ve made a mistake, or your viewpoint changed, or if you really have nothing, think of something you love to do and turn it into a metaphor about your personality. A good rule of thumb is that if you can find a fully-fleshed example of your topic online, then you need to get a new one.
Okay, so now you have a subject. It’s time to start writing. For this, it’s important to remember this is a personality piece, not just a brag sheet. The reason your transcript and activities are sent to colleges is so you don’t have to spend your 650 words going over them (again).
“You don’t want to brag,” Finucan reaffirms, “Just try to be as honest as possible. This essay is about you and not necessarily how great you are [all the time].”
“Don’t brag without proof. Instead of just saying what quality this shows about you, let the reader infer,” Berardi said.
Basically: be yourself! It’s easier said than done, sure, but so are most things in life. This essay is not the time to whip out a thesaurus or pretend to be someone you’re not. If a college doesn’t accept you for you, then maybe it’s not the right fit.
As you finish your essay, show it to a trusted adult, preferably someone who knows you well and who holds you accountable. Finally, just click send. Do not let this essay ruin your day, week, or year. They’d be lucky to have you.