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Why College Essays MatterSince many other students have similar GPAs and test scores as you (if not better, eek!), one powerful way to stand out from the crowd is to draft compelling and insightful essays. The personal statement and other supplemental essays are your chance to “be in the room” with admissions and introduce yourself as an eager candidate who has everything they’re looking for in a future community member on their campus. This is your opportunity to speak to them in your unique voice and share the person behind the grades and accolades. Sure, they know you received special recognition for community service from your Activity List, but do they know the journey that got you there? Yes, they know that you took four years of French in high school, but do they know that you have braised and broiled your way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking?
If you put applicants in a row on paper based solely on grades and test scores, there isn’t much that differentiates them, so thank the admissions gods that you have this chance to shine! The prompt you choose for your Common App Essay matters a lot less than what you choose to share, so work backward, focusing on the story you want to tell; then select the prompt that works best for you. Don’t stress too much over impressing them and focus, instead, on digging deeper into what makes you tick and what you’ve overcome or learned during your life’s journey thus far from people, places, or taking risks that others may not have. Personal growth is a great quality, and admissions will take note of students who are self-aware and willing to share who they are and what they have to offer a diverse campus community.
Now that we’ve established why college essays matter, let’s explore the most common college essay mistakes and how to avoid them!
Clichés, also known as “truisms,” are statements that nearly anyone can make to any audience and they’ll still make sense. They are “it is what it is” with more words (blech) and leave your reader wondering why they are wasting their time reading what you’ve written at all. The purpose of these essays is for admissions to learn something new about you, so why use up your precious word count on something they already know?
“I want to make the world a better place.” Do you, Miss. Congeniality? Phrases like this smack of beauty pageants (no shade) because speeches like those are historically aimed at a generalized audience with little to no nuance. Reader, beware: that is NOT the same as your admissions readers, who are a specific audience with a keen eye for “filler phrases.” The folks reading your essays have seen it all and will be seeing a lot more as they size you up against other applicants, so it is in your best interest to get detailed, get real, and use your natural voice as much as possible to stand out.
Beyond being inherently biased and often faulty, utilizing AI is immoral and misleading for an endeavor that’s intended to put your skills on display. Admissions wants to get to know you and your level of communication intelligence!
Furthermore, there are other reasons why relying on AI is NOT in your best interest. Although, to the untrained eye, AI copy can seem intelligent and smooth, it is often chillingly vague and rote. (And admissions officers are some of the most trained eyes out there!) Sure, it can spit out 500 words quickly, but are they 500 words anyone wants to read? After even a couple sentences, admissions will know that the copy is not from the heart of a student, especially when it describes their time in high school as “an enriching four years of learning new skills and academic practices that were achieved with hard work, determination, and dedication.” See what’s going on there? The vagueness can be cut with a butter knife. It will leave admissions wondering, who is this robot and why did they let them go to school among other human teenagers? Sure it sounds “smart” with four and five-syllable words, but it’s actually very redundant and leaves a lot to be desired in terms of actual storytelling.
We know the application process can be daunting, but we promise, you have a story to tell and the words to tell it in you already. Give yourself time and space to brainstorm and come up with a sincere story, and you’re sure to stand out.
This pitfall is similar to our AI warning in that your unique voice is your biggest asset in the college essay. Admissions doesn’t want to feel like they’re reading The Declaration of Independence or Shakespeare when they’re learning about a young adult who was born after cell phones were invented. It’s just unnatural and can derail your story. As a writer, your job is to lure the reader in with a narrative, and word choice is an integral part of that.
Here’s an example of overreaching with word choice:
“As a student of the world, I seek to imbue my life with the vastness of global culture, inspired to inquire of populations yet unknown and cuisine yet unsavored.” Okay, we get it, you want to travel and eat great food! That’s great, but would you ever say this to a friend over a boba tea at the mall? We’re not saying that you should chuck grammar and appropriate phrasing out the window, but going out of your way to thesaurus-ize your essay will take the reader out of it and make them wonder how you actually speak in real life.
Rather than trying to impress admissions with 5-syllable words and your use of “myriad” and “plethora,” impress them with your candor. Paint a picture and bring them with you to a memory.
Among thousands of essays, stories can blend together if they lack specifics. And the trick to standing out during this process? Being memorable!
Do you know how many kids were scared on their way to sleepaway camp for the first time? (So many!) But do you know how many overcame their fear by singing “Defying Gravity” at the top of their lungs while holding a mop when they thought they were alone and then were overheard by another camper and made a new best friend from it? (Just us?) It’s the details—even silly or embarrassing ones—that will draw your reader in and make you memorable.
It’s not just a soda, it’s a Fanta. It’s not just the mountains, it’s the Sierras. It’s not just your sister, it’s the person who taught you to blend smokey eye makeup, your partner in crime for all time. Dive into the details to be remembered.
Sharing challenges is a great way to tell the story of who you are. They let the reader know what you’ve been through and why you are the way you are. However, focusing too much on the negative can drag the narrative down and leave your reader bummed out instead of hopeful that you have what it takes to join their ranks. We do recommend sharing difficult stories, but we also recommend pairing that with a swift uphill shift of “can we get to the good part.”
You can tell a story about how your late-diagnosed dyslexia impeded your ability to excel in school and contributed to your fear of public speaking, but we recommend balancing the sadness of the experience with the elation you felt upon receiving the diagnosis, the hard work you put into improving grades, and the lessons you learned along the way that you are already putting into practice. Don’t dwell in your disappointment or indulge too much in the negative, but rather, lift your story into the positive outcome or lessons learned that have made you resilient and a great candidate for college.
Nothing is more distracting to a reder then grammar, and punctuation errors in you’re essay. (See what we did there?) Failing to proofread your work or ask a trusted family member or expert to give it a once over may ruin your chances at a fair assessment. Form matters even when the content is compelling, and you will quickly lose credibility if you don’t have both in good shape. We also warn students to not solely rely on software or AI to catch errors; those tools are not perfect and can offer inaccurate advice.
College essays are not the place for your “hot takes” unless you can handle them responsibly. If you have opinions about politics, economics, or cultural movements, we recommend writing them out and then taking the time to ask yourself: why do I want to share this and what does it say about me? At the end of the day, the purpose of these essays is to help the reader get to know who you are and where you come from. Controversial topics can be part of that story if they relate to you directly, but they need to have context in order for your reader to follow along without losing trust in you as a storyteller.
One purpose of essay prompts is to see how well you can comprehend what’s being asked of you, so if you miss the mark there, your admissions reader already knows something about you as a student. This is an “own goal” and you can avoid it by re-reading the prompt after your first draft of the essay.
Many supplemental essay prompts ask about your background or community, but some have more nuanced follow-up questions (e.g., How has your background informed the way you interact with your community? How do you see yourself pursuing these interests in college? Who do you have to thank for teaching you that lesson?) Be sure that you’re covering all the ground they’re asking you to and have thoroughly answered their questions. Additionally, make sure you’re actually answering the question they asked and not the question you wish they asked.
These essays are about you, so don’t be afraid to say who’s doing what in your story. Passive voice is when a writer uses an object and a verb, but doesn’t indicate the subject (who or what is doing the action).
For example:
If you don’t identify who/what is doing the verb, you end up sounding like a lawyer trying to get a client off of a courtroom charge: “Okay, so we know the bank was robbed.” Furthermore, you’re robbing your reader of a full experience and knowledge of the story. Get all your whos, whats, whys, and wheres, then round them out with sensory details and you’ll be sure to draw your reader into the story.
This pitfall is a lot like the AI warning above. If it sounds like anyone else could have written your essay, you most likely will not stand out from the crowd. There are known tropes that have been used in example essays, and guess what? Other students are Googling those and finding them as well. Odds are, your essay will end up sounding quite similar to those of other candidates. Although it’s tempting to think that reading a few will get your juices flowing, you’re probably better off avoiding them and coming up with an organic opening, a realistic retelling, and a compelling conclusion on your own. Copycats are easy to spot when you’re an admissions reader who’s seen it all, and a sincere voice is what they’re looking for.
We at College Essay Advisors have been guiding students one-on-one through the college application essay writing process for over twenty years. We take a holistic approach to admissions essays, considering each student’s application package as a whole and identifying their strengths to highlight. Our Advisors accommodate each student’s scheduling needs to virtually brainstorm, draft, and revise winning essays. It’s incredibly important to us that each student’s voice is preserved, and we pride ourselves in helping students to write successful admissions essays that differentiate them from similarly qualified applicants. For more information, submit a contact form below or review our one-on-one advising services or list of student acceptances.
