Writing a Great College Essay
Those of you applying to some selective or highly selective colleges and universities will be asked to write an essay or submit a personal statement. Chances are you’ve already started to write them. Don’t panic. The essay is your chance to bring your application to life.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Read first. What is the question? How many words can you use? This is one of the biggest mistakes an applicant makes by submitting an essay that doesn’t answer the question or fails to stay within the guidelines (relatively speaking).
Brainstorm. Think about what you want to write about. If you were standing in front of the admission officer or committee reviewing your application and you had only 3 – 5 minutes to share something unique about yourself, what would you say? What distinguishes you from others?
Stay away from the resume. You may be asked to submit a resume of activities as a part of your application. Do not use your essay as a chance to reiterate your resume by listing all of the sports, clubs, organizations you are a part of in school or your community. Think of the essay as a great cover letter to a great resume.
Be honest. Write from a source of truth and be passionate about your topic. Paint the story for the reader as if he or she is there. You don’t need to use a laundry list of adjectives, but take a moment and draw the reader into your life. Build the story by sharing something about yourself or your point of view.
Take a risk. Some of the best essays I ever read started with an unusual statement. To this day I still remember an essay starting with, “Old people are stinky.” The student brought to life his experience with some classmates volunteering at a senior living home where his initial bias was changed due to some great chess games with a war veteran named Charlie.
Remember the basics. Spell check. Read it out loud for grammar and transitions. Type it. Use a font size easy to read. If you used the same essay for a different school, take the name of that school off the top of the essay and/or check the body of the essay so it doesn’t appear there, either. If you e-mail the essay or upload it to your application account, put your name and address on it. Sending something from “girllovespink@hotmail.com” or the equivalent doesn’t help the admission office match it to you application.
As you prepare to apply to Loyola, I hope you include a great essay that will make me walk out of my office and share it with other admission officers. Each year we are amazed by the students who apply and take the time to share something unique about their own experiences. Likewise, we can imagine what they will bring to our Loyola community in the years to come.