What Makes A Great College Essay?

What Makes A Great College Essay? And then there’s this fantastic essay, evidence of an inventive and independent mind. You put her folder into a box marked “Admit,” and you look forward to discussing her with the Admission Committee tomorrow. Suddenly, a gust of wind blows through an open window, upsetting the pile of applications. As 400 essays flutter around the room, you notice a page with a recipe for cranberry bread. But you must, because the deadline for notifying applicants is just a few days away. When I entered the classroom, I immediately began imitating Ms. Kanfer’s style, greeting the students with great excitement but a note of authority in my voice. Reading takes place very early in the morning and well into late at night. So at some point there's a bit of weariness that sets in reading one good applicant after another. If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to acknowledge the magnitude of this essay and how capable it is of dictating your future. My English teacher, Mrs. McAdams, was the main person who helped me proofread my college essays. She was the one who reinforced my confidence in my essay as she commented on its originality and praised my delivery, while providing necessary constructive criticism with specific reasoning for her suggestions. She was impartial without being detached from the reality of my essay and race relations, which I truly appreciated. I decided to submit the essay that showed skin bleaching’s impact on me and how it molded me into a resilient person passionate about improving her community. I didn’t want the readers to feel bad for me or to feel as though I had been defeated by this former obstacle in my life. I wanted them to know that it happened, and that I not only overcame it but used it as the driving force for something positive â€" my subsequent community involvement and my passion for social justice. Because the student was willing to take a creative risk in how she revealed herself, she came across as an interesting person, somebody the admissions officer would want to greet. As you finish the “recipe” and read through the rest of her application, you start to feel much better. Decent grades, good test scores, solid recommendations â€" you’ve seen better, but it’s certainly respectable. The day of the presentation, I drove over to an elementary school I had never seen before, taking a few minutes to myself before exiting the car. When I entered the school, I suddenly had a rush of nostalgia as I pictured myself back in Ms. Kanfer’s classroom, transfixed by her unique style of teaching. The examples, tips, topics and prompts outlined above should help you rock your college application essay. And hopefully, this is an illuminating part of the process, one that not only helps you get into the college of your choice, but one that also helps prepare you for success once you get there. Speaking of future drafts, one of the best things you can do is run your essay by a trusted family member, educator, advisor, or friend. I initially shied away from writing about this topic because it’s so personal to me and because I’ve grown to be so proud of my skin color and all that it entails. I felt as though writing about it may invalidate my current confidence as I’d be forced to share one of the most vulnerable and insecure moments of my life. Frankly, it was also difficult to open up about skin bleaching because looking back, it’s something that I am ashamed of and work tirelessly to prevent others from doing. During our discussions, I would scribble down notes for common app essay on the corner of scratch papers and in iPhone notes. As soon as I left each session, I would write a sentence or two about the topics that popped in to my brain, but I’d never finish them. The student who’s able to cut through that, an interesting essay, an unusual topic, someone who makes us laugh, that's someone that stands out for us. And those two things â€" by themselves â€" made the admissions officer smile and made it an easy decision to place Ms. Bluestone’s “respectable” â€" but otherwise unremarkable â€" application in the “Admit” box. You’re facing yet another long night of reading vague, boring, pompous essays. You slowly bow your head and rest it in your hands, wishing for a different job. What does matter is what you say and how you say it, because you should have clear objectives, and we’ll provide you with advice on that matter in future blogs.” Here’s the first installment for you. Leave adequate time to develop your ideas but also to give your trusty confidant who’ll guide you during this process the time to truly focus on your essay and you. As you'll see here (with Mike's permission), he followed my suggestion with smashing success. This year's seven prompts offer a wide variety of approaches for you to display your writing skills. Each one has potential -- either obvious or hidden -- for you to make a meaningful impression on your admission readers.