Writing Effective Essays



Writing Effective Essays

Why Do Colleges Ask for Essays?

College admission committees read thousands of applications, and most of the content reduces the applicant to mere numbers: GPA, test scores, class rank, etc. Even extra curricular activities become impersonal and repetitive lists that don’t really tell them who you are. As such, colleges that ask for essays are extending you an invitation – an opportunity to let them get to know the real you. This is an invitation you should graciously accept and take very seriously.

When they read essays, admission committees are looking for several things:

• Can you write? You will write a lot in college, regardless of what you major in. So a well written essay lets the college know that you can handle the challenge. It also shows that you took the time to do a meticulous job.

• Will you contribute? Every college is unique in its vision and culture. As such, they are looking for candidates that fit in some way. The essay is one way a student can connect with the institution and indicate that their ideals and values are a match.

• What are your personal qualities? What about you is unique or interesting? Absent an interview, the essay is the closest the school may come to meeting you. Through the essay, they hope to see how you will add value and diversity to their incoming class. Hopefully your qualities will come through in your essay.

So What’s the Goal?

When developing your essay, you should have several goals in mind:

• Demonstrate that you’ve mastered the English language. Prove that you can write clearly and well, as this is a strong indicator of college success.

• Personalize your application – give the inside view of you. Ensure that the admission staff gets to know you a bit by telling a story that only you could tell.

• Show something else about you and/or how you see yourself.

• Present a vivid portrait of you that will help you stand out and be unique, and thereby reveal what you will contribute to the college.

• Reveal your preferences, your aspirations, your values and how you think.

• Show what is important to you, what has impacted you, and what makes you YOU.

Accomplishing those goals may seem daunting at first, but the hardest part is just getting started. Here is some general advice to help get you on the right track.

General Advice

To develop a really compelling essay takes time, because you’ll want to come back to it after letting it “rest” a few times; so the most important rule is to start early.

• Research application deadlines and essay questions for your colleges early. Sometimes the colleges post their applications on line early so you can get a jump start.

• Give yourself plenty of time to develop your essay(s) – weeks, not days.

• Read examples of successful college admission essays found in books or on the internet.

• Do the work yourself. Others can help by proofreading and critiquing.

• Be mindful of essay length requirements and other specific instructions.

• Remember, the goal is to tell the admissions officers something about who you are through the essay.

• Don’t try to do too much. Keep your focus narrow and personal – be specific.

• Use your own voice. Don’t try to say what you think they want to hear and don’t try to be someone you aren’t.

• Be cautious if you are trying something risky – poems, humor, gimmicks and taboo topics don’t often work.

So with those points in mind, let’s get you started.

Types of Essays

Colleges approach the essay in different ways. Some want it to be open ended so that you’ll select what is important to you. Others want to test your skill in responding to a specific prompt.

Of course, you must pay close attention to the instructions in either case, but fortunately most of the same techniques work for either type. In general, you essay will probably be one of these:

• The personal statement – this is the general “Tell us about yourself…” type of essay;

• Specific topic or prompt – respond to a quote or write about an individual, event, situation etc. Sometimes you are given a choice among several alternatives.

Once you’ve determined which type you’re dealing with, you’re ready to begin the process.

The Four Steps to Effective Essays

We believe that writing effective essays is a four step process and that each step is essential. Though you can use different words to describe them, the steps really boil down to the following:

1. Brainstorming or Pre-Writing

2. Rough Drafting

3. Editing and Critiquing

4. Polishing

Don’t worry – we’ll talk about each of the steps individually so you’ll know what to do for each. The important thing is not to skip any steps.

Brainstorming or Pre-Writing

Regardless of whether your essay is the general, open ended type or a specific assignment, the brainstorming step is critical for success.

a) Brainstorming for a Personal Statement Type of Essay

• Make a list of your strengths and positive personality or character traits – not what you’ve done but what you are

• Time this for 15 minutes if you wish – that works for some, but is not required.

• You can use post it notes if you wish – one idea or thought per note.

• Get input on your list from others who know you well.

• Next to each trait, list several things that you’ve done that illustrate that trait.

• Organize, sort and group your list(s). Look for threads or stories that tie your list together.

• Develop a theme if one hasn’t already emerged.

Still not satisfied? Try a different approach – ask yourself these questions and jot down whatever comes to mind:

• What am I passionate about?

• What sets me apart from others?

• How do I view the world?

• What are my aspirations?

• What major life lesson(s) have I learned and how? From whom?

• What about a revealing moment, turning point, epiphany, encounter or a life changing event?

• How have I grown and from what experience(s)?

• Where or when have I made a difference? What were the circumstances?

• Did I overcome a hardship? (Don’t just say what happened – show how it felt and what it taught you.)

• Do I need to explain something about my academic record? (like a dip in grades)

Like these ideas better? Then go back and develop the best one.

Generally avoid controversial topics or the trite “eliminate world hunger” or “world peace” type of categories. Also avoid talking about your girlfriend/boyfriend or problems you’ve had with substance abuse or the law unless you can really pull a compelling life story out of it. If in doubt, avoid those risky areas. Be careful with humor unless you are VERY good at it. It often fails to have the intended result.

b) For a Specific Quote Analysis or Topic Essay

• Read the quote or question MANY times.

• Jot down whatever comes to mind as you read it – let your mind flow freely.

• Review your general brainstorming from above. Are there any ties to this specific quote or question?

• Can you tell a story or show the reader something about yourself while answering the question?

Have some good ideas? If not, set the project aside and come back to it a day or two later. Try the brainstorming technique again. Some times are just better than others for this sort of thing.

Have a Less Traditional Idea?

Some students find a way to do something unique with their essay. Whether it’s offbeat, funny, formatted in an unusual manner or whatever the case may be, just be cautious. When something unorthodox is attempted and works, it can be an essay that the admissions committee will remember. However, sometimes these attempts fall short and don’t have the intended effect.

The Rough Draft

Does your essay have a length requirement? If so, it might help to see your essay as one of these styles:

1. Standard Essay – pick two or three points about yourself from your brainstorming, devote a paragraph to each and prove your points with strong and specific evidence.

2. Less is More Essay – Focus on a single point or thesis but still show why it’s true. This style works for short essays.

3. Narrative Essay – Tell a short story with vivid detail. Grab the reader’s attention then show why the story provides insight about you.

Seeing your essay as one of these styles will help you to structure it to achieve the desired, or required, length. But during the rough draft stage, don’t count words or worry too much about exact length. That will come during a later step.

For all but the very short type of essay, the following structure works well:

• Look at your theme and use a couple of sentences as an introduction that grabs the reader – make them want to read on. Try to state or allude to your theme. Capture their interest and intrigue them. Try not to give everything away in the opener.

• Develop supporting paragraphs that are well organized and develop your theme or support your points. Generally there might be 3-5 paragraphs depending on the essay length.

• Develop a concluding paragraph that circles back to your theme and provides a strong wrap-up. Demonstrate that you learned, you changed, you grew – whatever your theme implies. Tie everything up nicely.

Write somewhat freely at this point, without focusing on spelling, grammar, or the perfect words. As you write, show the reader how you felt, how you were impacted, how the quote speaks to you – whatever it is you’re trying to demonstrate. Avoid just telling the reader what you want them to get from the essay. Instead, reveal it so clearly that they have no choice.

The first sentence is important, but don’t let it bog you down. Some recommend skipping the first sentence while drafting, then adding it later. Others believe you need to nail it up front because it sets the tone and direction for what follows. There is no right or wrong, so choose which works best for you. But in either case, do review your first sentence at some point because you want it to grab the reader. We’ll show you some examples later.

Editing and Critiquing

When done with your rough draft, you may wish to set it aside for a day or two. In any case, the next step is to critique it looking for the common pitfalls. Here is a good list of things to avoid:

• Don’t use the essay to list accomplishments. There are other places for that on the application.

• Don’t use slang or “I” too much.

• Don’t repeat yourself and don’t include extraneous (non-useful) words. Be clear and concise.

• Be sure the essay flows logically and with proper grammar.

• Does it sound contrived or superficial? Trite? Boring? Try to demonstrate depth and intellectual curiosity.

Be sure it SHOWS the reader something about you rather than just stating it. What did the event, person, book, quote, trip etc. MEAN to you. Demonstrate with vivid and specific examples, quotes, facts, events etc. SHOW - don’t TELL! Showing appeals to all the senses and can make even a dry topic come to life.

• Related to the point above, don’t stress the “what” but rather the “how” and “why”. Demonstrate what impact the person, event etc. had on you. How did you grow? How did you change?

• Be mindful if there is a strict word count – have you checked? Make adjustments as needed.

This stage is very important, so take the time to edit and critique your essay thoroughly. Have others read it over at this stage if you wish. Ask them what they get from it and be sure it’s what you intended. Ask them for suggestions. However, be sure to use people who will be candid with you and won’t just praise your work to be kind.

Polishing Your Essay

Finally it’s almost time to put on the finishing touches. You can make a good essay great simply by changing a couple of words or reworking your first couple of sentences.

• Give it a break. Put the essay away for a few days and come back to it.

• Look it over again and make adjustments. Review the pitfalls above and double check. Remove excess words that don’t add value.

• Don’t forget to be mindful of the length requirement. Most word processors have word count features which makes this easy. Don’t worry about getting an exact word count match. Being over or under by a few words is not a problem. If they give a page length, assume they mean double spaced.

• Give it the “So what?” test. Read your essay as if you are an admissions officer trying to learn more about you. Would they finish your essay and say “So what?” Be sure you have shown that you will make a unique and valuable contribution to their school.

• Does the real YOU come through? If not, refine until it does.

• Ask someone you trust to read your essay, if you haven’t already, and determine if your intended message/theme comes across. Consider a parent, teacher, counselor or adult friend. Discuss improvements with them.

• Proof it again and again looking for spelling and grammar errors. Don’t rely only on spell-checkers.

A Recap of the Essential DO’s and DONT’s

DO

• Allow weeks, not days, to work on your essay.

• Find a topic that is not too broad and narrow it further.

• Show, don’t tell. Use specific examples such as how you felt, how you changed, etc. Provide the evidence for your point or thesis. Avoid unsupported generalizations and clichés.

• Focus on yourself – make sure you don’t inadvertently talk about another person, group or place too much. Be sure it’s all about YOU.

• Have a strong first sentence or paragraph. Whether you write it first or last, just be sure the first part of your essay grabs attention. It’s the hook.

• Follow all the instructions. Answer the question, if applicable. Be accurate.

• Write in your voice, your style. The essay needs to sound comfortable.

• Watch spelling, grammar and punctuation. Don’t rely only on spell checker.

• Take the essay seriously - the admissions committee will.

DON’T

• Don’t be intimidated by the task – just start. That’s the hardest part.

• Don’t repeat information that is elsewhere on the application.

• Don’t try humor or risky topics unless you are very sure you can pull it off. Similarly, avoid topics that are too big for a 500 word essay, such as death, world hunger, peace, etc.

• Don’t use excess words – be concise and succinct. Remember - sharp, focused detail.

• Don’t use big, “impressive” words straight from your word processor’s on-line synonym or thesaurus function. Doing so destroys your own, individual voice and it shows.

• Don’t use videos, poems or other gimmicks.

• Don’t create a “McEssay” – like fast food, it’s predictable and often boring.

• Don’t have someone else do your essay. It will show.

Putting the Essay onto the Application

We have seen several methods by which your essay gets onto your on-line application. It’s unlikely that you’ll mail it. Some instruct you to cut and paste it into a particular box on the application. When this is done, we have found that it forces single spacing and sometimes removes paragraph indentations. If this is a problem, try saving your document as a text file (.txt) rather than .doc. But in any case, check to be sure that the entire essay made it onto the application. A third method we’ve seen is where you “browse” to find your essay on your computer drive, then press an upload button that converts the essay into Adobe .pdf. This is the nicest method, as it preserves all your nice formatting and presents your essay the way you intended it to look. Whatever method is offered or required, just check the result to be sure you got it all, and that nothing was corrupted, truncated, or mangled in the process.

Some Samples of Showing vs. Telling

We kept stressing “showing” as opposed to “telling”. Not sure what we mean? Here are some examples:

Telling (the bad)

I like to be surrounded by people of different backgrounds and with different interests.

Showing (the good)

That night I played charades with a Charlie Chaplain fanatic, discussed Communism with the baseball coach, and learned more than I ever wanted to know about a grandfather’s kidney stone procedure. Yet it revealed something very significant…

Telling (the bad)

In my early teen years, my mother was stricken with cancer and I was overcome with many emotions. I had to cope with the immense strain on my family, yet had to keep up my grades and activities so as not to fall apart. It was too much for any teenager and way too much for me….

Showing (the good)

It started with the whispered conversations that suddenly ceased when I entered the room. Then there were the late night phone calls after I was presumed to be asleep. Instead, I lay cold and motionless in my bed, straining to hear the words no one dared to tell me but that I already knew… my mother was dying.

Telling (the bad)

Last summer I was fortunate enough to go to Costa Rica on a community service project, where we helped rescue the nearly extinct Lora Sea Turtles. However, the trip had some unexpected results, for the late night hiking caused me to get horrible blisters all over my feet….

Showing (the good)

The pain was excruciating and I could barely walk. Mosquitoes found their way in, penetrating the netting surrounding my thin mattress. The air was motionless, exaggerating the oppressive heat and humidity in our open-air shack. As I watched the sun go down, I knew it would soon be time to make a decision about my last night in Costa Rica.

See the difference? Which ones grab you? Which ones evoke feelings or sensations?

A Note about Ethics

This booklet wouldn’t be complete without our saying something about honesty in the essay process. It is just as important here as in the rest of your application. Remember, the essay is intended to be a reflection of who you are. Purchasing an essay on line or having someone else write it for you certainly makes a statement about you – but is it the one you want to make? Like any other form of cheating, it will generally be discovered and is never worth the price.

Some colleges ask you to sign a statement indicating that the work is yours. But whether they do or don’t doesn’t really matter. Do your own work and don’t make things up. It’s about doing the right thing.

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