College essays are my favorite part of the entire college application process, but for most students they are often the aspect they least enjoy.
I have been itching to write this blog post for several months now, but it did not make sense timing-wise because I believe quite strongly that no one should write a college essay before the end of the summer of their Senior year. You would be surprised how often something that happens during the summer ends up being a part of the essay!
In my opinion, college essays are the most important part of a student’s application, because they are the one thing totally under the student’s control. You can’t do anything about grades that you got as a sophomore, and while you can prepare for the SAT or ACT you can’t really control the questions you’ll be asked. But, the college essay is almost entirely under your control, and gives you an opportunity to stand out, not just as a writer, but as a person the school might be interested in accepting.
The aspect of life to which I most often compare college applications is dating. There are some things that you are looking for in a boyfriend or girlfriend, and some things that they are looking for in you. Applying to colleges is the same. You know the criteria you want in a college, the same way you know what type of person you’re attracted to. So, if you want a smaller school, you’re not going to be applying to Penn State or Texas A&M, the same way that I, as a short guy (I’m 5’3 on a good day) couldn’t realistically think about dating a girl who was 5’10. We all say that looks are superficial, but we also all have preferences, whatever they are, and we often eliminate people, or colleges, because of them. Sure, MIT might have a totally great personality, but you don’t like the Red Sox and you want to major in History, so you’re not expecting a future together. Colleges like specific qualities in applicants too. Your grades, test scores, athletic ability, geography, and the like make you a more or less attractive candidate.
But, just because you find someone attractive doesn’t mean that a relationship is going to work out, right? So too with college. A student with a perfect 1600 on the SATs and a 4.3 GPA might look great on paper, but that does not necessarily mean that the student is a good fit for any particular school. Harvard might be a 10 and Purdue might be a 6, but if you want to study aviation, Purdue is the better choice for you. The college essay, then, is where you - and colleges - move past basic attraction and start to look at if a relationship can actually work.
So, what is a college looking for in your college essay? The best answer is YOU. Not your resume, not the person you most admire (honestly, how many essays can an admissions officer read about how someone has the best mother or father in the world, who inspires them everyday, before they tear their hair out and run screaming from the room?), but YOU. And, what they’re looking for in you is the same thing that you are looking for in a prospective boyfriend or girlfriend. Not just looks, or common interests, but that right fit. Would you want to date someone who did everything for you and never asked for anything in return? It might sound nice at first, but eventually you’d feel like you had nothing to offer. Similarly, you wouldn’t want to date someone who was always mooching off of you, but never providing anything, because you’d feel undervalued.
The trick in the college essay is to demonstrate who you are, both in terms of strengths and, more surprisingly, weaknesses, so that they get a sense not only of what you have to offer to them but also what you have to gain from them. A college does not want a student who thinks he or she is perfect, anymore than you want a boyfriend or girlfriend who does. Thus, avoid the temptation merely to brag about how great you are (even if you are really, really great), because a college won’t like you for the same reason you would not like to date someone like that. At the same time, don’t look like you’re desperate either. After all, do you really want to date someone who feels like they have to beg? You want to hit the sweet spot in between, recognizing that you have an important and unique perspective to add to a campus, but that you also know that the school to which you are applying is going to have a positive effect on you. Dating, after all, is largely a process of mutual improvement - you are better together than you are apart. And that is what you want to show colleges about yourself.
How do you do this in 650 words or less? Well, I hate to leave you on a cliff-hanger, but if you check back next week, my post will provide some basic answers to this question. If you’re looking for something more in-depth before then, feel free to reach out for one of my free, half-hour sessions for more information.
Mr. K
Y O U M I G H T A L S O L I K E :
These three things will help you figure out the introduction of your college application essay.