Self Reflective College Application Essays

Self Reflective College Application Essays If you have a high school senior or junior who has plans to attend college, you know that they need to be practicing now to perfect their essay writing skills. Almost every college requires one or more different essays from prospective students, and if your child applies for college scholarships, that means even more essays. College essays need to be descriptive, technically perfect and self reflective, which is a tall order for any high school student.

A self-reflective personal essay is sort of like a snapshot. When you look at a picture of a person rappelling, there’s a story behind the picture: the size of the mountain, the training that went into it, the feeling of falling backward, the fear and exhilaration. This is what a self-reflective personal essay is like: an opportunity to tell a short story about yourself that is true.

If you start with one specific moment in mind, your writing will be more organized. Recently I talked with a mom and daughter who hiked in the wilderness in the middle of a tremendous thunderstorm.

She told me how scared her daughter was, how they had crouched in their lightning strike positions so they wouldn’t be struck, and how they stayed in that position for hours. A moment like that is a moment to remember when you begin writing.

Each essay your student writes for a particular college provides a different snapshot of the student. For example, a picture of a teenager rappelling down a mountain may give a different perspective than a picture of the student playing his piano or doing his economics. Each picture shows a completely different aspect of the student’s personality, which is what you want to provide to the colleges.

One of the most important aspects of writing is to not just say what you did, but also show it. In order to do this, it’s vital to use vivid details and specific facts. Try to avoid using the words ‘were’ or ‘was,’ and instead use action words. Instead of simply saying “It was horrible,” try “The weather was stormy.

Thirteen lightning strikes. I could feel the fear in my bones.” Avoid general ‘were’ or ‘was’ verbs, and use specific action verbs and facts.

Once we edited our child’s essay by circling each ‘was’ or ‘were’ verb. This highlighted how passively he wrote, and presented quite a challenge to him. I do the same thing in my own writing. It’s a struggle for me to use an active voice instead of a passive one. Work with your student to help them write in the active voice, and their writing will be far more interesting and compelling to the colleges. Still if you feel to ask any questions on how to get financial aid for college you can refer through internet or even ask some of the homeschooling experts.

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