English Teachers And College Essays

English Teachers And College Essays The fact is that most of us have not had such a life changing situation before the age of 18 (so don’t make one up either!). Even if you have had such an experience, don’t write about it. These types of pieces can come off negatively, and sometimes a teenager’s perception of a life changing event is much different than that of a college admissions reader. I once had a student who wrote about how he observed a water droplet while on vacation. I would encourage students to think about how participating in Outward Bound impacted them, specifically. Anyone who completes an Outward Bound expeditioncould say that they were challenged, that they weren’t sure they could do it, but on looking back, they feel proud of what they’ve accomplished. Sharing that you participated in an Outward Bound program will help colleges understand how you’re spending your time outside the classroom. But you also have the opportunity to articulate to colleges why this experience is worth mentioning. This seemingly insignificant event caused him to think about why he loved art and philosophy over science and math. Evaluating a college essay, much like any piece of writing, is highly subjective. Two people might both like the same movie or song, but for totally different reasons. Your narrative, along with your academic record and test scores, will complete your application. As college application deadlines near, students across the country are hoping that their essays will earn them a spot at their dream school. You can help students by sharing these four college essay myths and facts before they write their essays and click send to the schools of their dreams. We’re experts at helping students craft stellar college admission essays. From coming up with ideas to organizing your thoughts to drafting and revising, our writing tutors know how to help you create top college essays to boost your chance of admission at your dream school. With a January 1 application deadline racing toward us, now is a great time to be brainstorming, creating, polishing and revising those essays. In September we published a blog post that provided a basic framework for how to write a killer college essay â€" and offered tips on how to incorporate the Outward Bound experience into the application. This month, we’re giving you another nudge â€" and a slightly different perspective from yet another expert. Contrary to popular belief, students should not write about a horrible life event that changed their life forever. If you’re applying to schools that request supplemental essays or do not accept the Common Application, you may have several different essays to write. The college essay is your personal touch â€" an opportunity to demonstrate your writing and communications skills and prove your readiness for college-level work. Remember that writing a college essay reveals a glimpse of who you are and your unique personality â€" it’s your voice. Expressing yourself through this written exercise adds a three-dimensional quality to your application and conveys your personal qualities. The problem is when a student seeks so many opinions from trusted adults. It's highly unlikely that any of these people have actually read college essays before â€" and certainly not as a member of a college admissions committee. For most students, it takes about 10 hours to write a good college essay. Talking about how helping people feel good isn’t original; everyone experiences that. It’s just that admissions officers learn nothing new about you when you write something that anyone could claim. A lot of students feel anxious about this because they don’t feel like anything unique has happened to them. But everyone has a different perception of their experiences, and the more you can share that, the more you’ll stand out in that stack of applications. Nothing has more impact than just being yourself. I worked with a student last year who had played in the marching band all of high school, which is something thousands of students can claim. Even if I happened to read another essay about being a drummer in the marching band, there’s no way I could confuse it with this one. These details belong only to this student, and they show us her leadership qualities rather than just telling us. The real questions to ask are, why was it challenging for you, personally? What about this makes you feel proud, and how will you carry this into the next part of your life? Whether you write about it in your essay, or just list it as one of your activities, sharing the influence it has had on you, personally, will be much more impactful. Talking about how being in marching band taught you the value of hard work isn’t your story; that could be anyone’s story.