Even the most skilled high school writers are apprehensive about representing themselves in a mere 500 words. What does one say about oneself that makes it clear that they are different, a standout? With thousands of college essays flooding the reader, everything becomes a blur of soccer team captains, class presidents, and “character-building” after-school jobs. Trust me on this; I’ve freelanced as an editor for a couple of college prep schools. The irony is that this daunting task, this stress-inducing 500 words of self-aggrandizement, is the simplest part of the college application process.
Think about it. A 4.0 GPA takes four years of hard work and studying to achieve. A diverse collection of extracurricular activities takes almost as long. However, a good essay can be pumped out in a few hours. There isn’t a single topic that could be more intuitive for a person to write either! “Tell us about yourself in 500 words!” The writer has had almost eighteen years to work on this answer!
On that note, the readers are not expecting biblical stories of accomplishment and heroism. Of course, surviving high school in this day and age requires a brand of bravery that even as a mother of teenagers I do not possess, but beyond that, we know you haven’t cured cancer, performed impromptu heart surgery in a taxi cab, or travelled the world in a hot air balloon. (But if you have done these things, kudos!) Instead, readers are looking for a simple story told well. Readers don’t need entire paragraphs stacked with fifty-cent words or flowery alliterative sentences (e.g., It was upon the second fortnight of my fifteenth year that I discovered my propinquity to the climbing gym and, subsequently, my affinity for the burgeoning sport) to see that you are a good writer. Instead, they look for clarity of message and persuasive, thoughtful content. A great way to do this is by using a few well-chosen vocabulary words correctly and creatively (e.g., When I was fifteen, my father took me to the rock climbing gym near our house. The experience was an epiphany.).
To get to this point, the writer should start off slowly. They can begin by brainstorming for twenty minutes (set a timer), listing every word that describes them. Include nouns, adjectives, and verbs. They should think about their activities in terms of the personal characteristics they demonstrate, not just affinity for certain hobbies (e.g., being an Eagle Scout shows that a person is dependable while working their way from junior varsity to varsity tennis shows that they are determined). This process can be difficult, so it is smart to ask others what they think of you (I know I see my children’s strengths better than they do sometimes!).
Next, the writer should group the ideas that appeared in their brainstorm to highlight possible themes. For example, my daughter displayed her creativity and entrepreneurial spirit when she outsold the rest of her school in magazine subscriptions by setting up a booth at a community holiday fair and decorating it with pictures from the magazines she was selling. From here, the student should be able to see an outstanding theme on which to base their essay.
Now the outline. It always amazes me as an editor that even some professional writers skip the most important part of the writing process: the outline. Even if the outline consists of nothing more than a scribbled list of ideas that should make it into the essay, it will lead to a more successful essay than skipping the outline altogether. For an even easier writing experience, the students should organize and order the ideas to determine the flow of the essay.
Once the essay has been written, the writer should take a break. Give the essay time to settle while further ideas marinate in the writer’s mind. This could take hours or days, so don’t let your children try to write their college application essays the night before they are due! It is the ultimate recipe for disaster. Revisiting the essay later will expose underdeveloped thoughts as well as typos and grammatical errors. Revisions and new eyes will improve the essay further. Although it is certainly the responsibility of the child to craft the essay by herself, it would be foolish to send it off unchecked. Just don’t let your edits overwhelm your student’s voice and style, as those will ultimately do the most to make him or her stand out.