Essay Tips

Do:

• Start early: Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, write, and revise your essay. This will reduce stress and improve the final result.
• Be authentic: Write about your true self, your experiences, and your values. Authenticity resonates with readers.
• Address the prompt directly: Make sure your essay answers the question asked. Stay focused on the prompt throughout your writing.
• Show, don’t just tell: Use specific examples and stories that demonstrate your qualities and experiences instead of just stating them.
• Make it personal: Share your unique perspective and experiences that shaped who you are. Make it clear why you’re an ideal candidate for the college or scholarship.
• Proofread multiple times: Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. Ask teachers, family members, or friends to review it as well.
• Organize your essay: Structure your essay with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Make it easy to follow and compelling.
• Focus on one topic: Instead of trying to cover everything about your life, focus on one experience or theme that best reflects your character and growth.
• Be concise: Stick to the word or character limit. Use every word thoughtfully and avoid unnecessary filler.
• Revise, revise, revise: Don’t settle for your first draft. Take time to revise for clarity, flow, and impact.
• Use your voice: Write in a way that feels natural to you. Avoid overly formal or stilted language—let your personality shine through.
• Be honest about your achievements: Highlight your successes, but avoid exaggeration. Be proud of what you’ve done without overstating it.
• Demonstrate your future potential: Colleges and scholarship committees want to know what you plan to achieve. Discuss how you will contribute to the campus or community.
• Make a strong conclusion: End with a memorable thought that reinforces your main message and leaves a positive impression.
• Stay positive: Focus on what you've learned from challenges, not just the challenges themselves. Show growth and resilience.

Don’t:

• Recycle old essays: Avoid using an essay you’ve already written for another application or assignment. Customize each one.
• Write what you think they want to hear: Be genuine. Trying to guess what an admissions officer wants can result in a superficial, inauthentic essay.
• Use clichés: Phrases like “I want to help change the world” or “I’ve always been passionate about helping others” are overused and can seem generic.
• Repeat your resume: The essay should reveal something beyond what’s in your resume. Avoid listing accomplishments and instead focus on how they impacted you.
• Be overly modest: Don’t downplay your achievements or experiences. It’s important to convey your value and what you bring to the table.
• Write an essay that’s too long or too short: Stick to the required word or character limit. Excess length may annoy reviewers, and essays that are too short might seem underdeveloped.
• Use slang or casual language: Keep the tone professional, even if you’re writing about personal topics. Avoid slang or overly casual expressions.
• Use overly complex vocabulary: While it’s great to have a strong vocabulary, avoid using overly complicated words just to sound smart. Focus on clarity instead.
• Include irrelevant information: Stay focused on the topic. Avoid diverging into unrelated experiences or tangents.
• Plagiarize: Your essay should be your own work. Don’t copy from others, even if you think it’s a brilliant piece.
• Be negative or complain: Avoid focusing on negatives, such as how difficult things have been. Instead, focus on how you’ve overcome challenges.
• Write an essay that’s too formal: While the essay should be polished, it should also reflect your personality. Avoid sounding like you’re writing an academic paper.
• Write about trivial topics: Stay away from topics that are too small in scope (like your favorite hobby) unless you can make it deeply meaningful and relevant.
• Overthink it: While it’s important to be thoughtful, don’t get paralyzed by perfectionism. Just write, revise, and move forward.
• Forget to include a strong hook: The first few lines are crucial. Avoid starting with generic statements or dull openings. Make your introduction grab attention!

• Answer the Question, Don’t Repeat Your Resume: Make sure your essay responds directly to the prompt, but don’t just repeat what’s already in your application. For example, if the prompt asks you to talk about the activity that means the most to you, don’t just list every activity from your resume. Pick one, and explain why it matters to you.
• Avoid Being Too General: Instead of writing vague statements like “being involved in extracurriculars is important to me,” dive into a specific event or experience. Give concrete examples that show, not just tell, why something is meaningful to you. Show the admissions team what makes you unique through specific moments.
• Invest Time in Your Introduction and Tone: Admissions officers will likely only spend a couple of minutes reading each essay, so your introduction should grab their attention from the start. Make sure the rest of your essay ties back to that opening, and keep the tone engaging and consistent throughout.
• Be Original: Don’t write about the same things everyone else is. Even if your topic feels common, there’s always a way to make it stand out with a fresh perspective. Admissions officers read hundreds of essays, so you want to make yours memorable and different from the ones they’ve seen before.

Avoid the following:

• Writing about your relationship with a significant other.
• Sharing your political views.
• Focusing on how great you are or bragging about achievements.
• Discussing the importance of a college education in a general sense.
• Mentioning your SAT or standardized test scores.