THE PERSONAL ESSAY

JUNIOR YEAR

The personal essay

The personal essay is an opportunity to show the admissions office who you are and how you see the world around you. For those of us who enjoy writing, it’s a chance to flex those muscles. Of course, not everyone feels at home in front of a blank piece of paper, and the importance of the college essay can add to that sense of pressure and anxiety – so here are some tips to get the ball rolling on an essay that will really shine and make your application stand out.

Know your deadlines

While it may be true that some natural procrastinators thrive under pressure, even they would agree that knowing the deadline is better than not knowing it. With that in mind, when are your essays due? Are there word count limits / recommendations you need to be aware of? Some schools may also request supplemental essays, so will you be submitting any of those? Figure out these top-level logistics, and keep them all written down somewhere so you don’t lose sight of the big picture.

Preliminary brainstorming

Even before you sit down with a pen in your hand, spend a few weeks, (or even a few months, if you’re ahead of the game) contemplating the essay abstractly. What kind of story would you like to tell about yourself? What are the qualities that people tend to admire most about you? Are there specific experiences that have shaped your personal development? Exploring these types of questions will help you figure out the basic parameters of what your essay is going to be about.

You don’t want to try and write up your whole life story. Sometimes, the best essays are about small and intimate topics, because there is gravity in those little moments, like a powerful poem or short story.

If you’re having trouble coming up with a topic, don’t fret. There are usually several essay prompts to choose from on a college application. Look around at those options, explore different suggestions online to see if any of them jump out at you.

Time to put words down on the page

Conventional wisdom says you want that first sentence to really pop out and grab the reader. This is true, but that should be the least of your concerns at the outset of your first draft. The task for now is to just let the story pour out of you and onto the page. It might be messy, it might be missing some key parts, it might be full of bad grammar and misspelled words, and all of that is just fine. What you’re doing now is creating the stone slab that your masterpiece statue will ultimately be carved from.

Some people like making an outline of their story first. It really depends on the writer and what they’re most comfortable with, but the key is to resist the urge to over-edit yourself before you’ve even had a chance to say anything.

Finding your voice

Now that you’ve got this (mostly coherent?) blob of words in front of you, it’s time to start making it tell a story. Read what you’ve written and look for parts that can be improved. Does one word work better than another? Should you add more specific details to a character or a setting? Are there elements of your storytelling that become repetitive? Think about rhythm too — does the story flow nicely?

Writers like to use the expression “show, don’t tell” and that can apply to your essay. For example, rather than telling the reader, “I’m someone who thinks outside the box,” show them this is true by illustrating it with words.

After that first round of edits, put the essay away for a while and try not to think about it. Several days later, read it again with fresh eyes and see what else can be improved. Obviously, this is a luxury you can only afford with time on your side, but it will allow for a stronger essay in the long run.

Recruiting editors

Congrats! By now you should have a fully formed essay. All that’s left to do is solicit feedback from trusted friends, family, teachers or online resources that will help you polish up that final draft. At this stage, obliterating those previously mentioned misspelled words and grammatical errors is the top priority, but you may also get constructive advice on the actual substance of your story.

If you find yourself receiving feedback that is critical of elements of your essay, try to be receptive to the person and their point of view but also be aware that they might be wrong! At the end of the day, this is your essay. Nobody knows how your story should go better than you do. CB