From deep inside the ivies to huge public institutions, we have crossed the country asking officers what they look for in an admissions essay, whether you’re applying to college or graduate school, whether you’re writing personal statements or supplemental pieces.
What do they say?
Happily, all a version of the same thing: They want to hear your voice.
That means telling your story by being as genuine and honest as you can. You don’t want to sound like your parent, guidance counselor, teacher or us. Your admissions essay needs to sound like you.
How to do this?
TIP NO. 1: BE AS CONVERSATIONAL AND PERSONAL AS POSSIBLE
Imagine you’re writing an entry in a journal or diary — something only you will read. You can dispense with 25-cent words. You can cut out long and formal phrases like “I demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of,” or “I have a profound appreciation for” or “I have strived to,” which can easily be replaced with “I get,” “I love” or “I try.”
Remember, don’t hide yourself behind what you think they want to hear. That is the number one way to produce a flat and cliché-laden essay. Instead, write what you really want to say.
TIP NO. 2: ISOLATE YOUR LENS
With under 1,000 words to tell your story, you must isolate one aspect of your life that informs the reader of who you are as a person. To do that, write down a list of what makes your life yours. Have you had a job since you were 14? Do you dutifully visit your grandmother every week? Are you a foster sister? A tutor? The translator of the family? From the middle of nowhere? From the inner city? The person who brings cookies to school at exam time? Is your idea of a good time going antiquing for Victorian tea cups?
TIP NO. 3: THERE IS MAGIC IN THE MUNDANE
Don’t feel like you need to go big in your admissions essay. For example, if the prompt asks you to share an accomplishment that sparked personal growth, don’t feel like the right “answer” is to talk about an award you received or a game you helped win.
Frankly, everyone writes about that.
Instead, consider writing about the details of your daily life.
For example, maybe you drive your siblings to school each morning and it takes you an hour to get to class as a result of it. Getting your siblings to school on time every day is a pretty important job, right? Especially at age 17? So your parents can get to work?
Write about that. That is much more interesting than writing about a trophy.
SWAY TIP
Remember, don’t hide yourself behind what you think they want to hear. That is the number one way to produce a flat and cliché-laden essay. Instead, write what you really want to say.
TIP NO. 4: PAINT A PICTURE
In order to write a great admissions essay, you must get specific. You can’t fake this part, so you must dig deep and think hard. Rely on all of the senses (sight, smell, touch, sound, even taste) and paint the picture as accurately as you can.
For example, if the essay question is “How do you contribute to your community in a meaningful way?” tell us about one experience (the lens you’ve isolated) that influenced you the most.
What did you have to wear? What kind of building were you in? What were your jobs? What time of day would you go? Was it cold in there? Was it bright and sunny? Who was the one person/animal/patient/student who influenced you the most and made you see things from a different perspective? What did you talk about? What did you realize after you talked about it? What did you learn? And what difference did that make?
TIP NO. 5: SHOW YOUR PERSONALITY
When you’re filling in your painting, admissions officers want to see how you choose to do it. If you’re funny, be funny. If you’re analytical, show us that part of yourself. If you’re poetic, offer a moving metaphor. If you’re not poetic, do NOT offer a moving metaphor.
As a bonus, when you share a specific detail or turn of phrase that is distinctly “you,” you’ll know it immediately. It will feel right and, for a second, you might even enjoy writing admissions essays. At the very least, it’s a little gift along the way.
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