At this point in your education, you’ve written dozens, if not hundreds of essays. But the college admissions essay is different from most pieces of writing you’ve done for school. For one thing, it asks for storytelling and personal narrative, which is a lot different than academic papers. And for another, it has some seriously high stakes. This little 650-word piece of writing plays a big role in your college application.
To help you through the process, we’ve outlined the eight key steps of crafting an effective college essay. It might sound like a lot of work, but as long as you start early, you’ll totally be able to handle it. Read on to learn how to write a college essay you’ll feel confident sending to your prospective schools.
1. Take a few deep breaths
Let’s be real. The college essay is S-T-R-E-S-S-F-U-L.
There’s a lot riding on those 650 words. You’re somehow supposed to be honest and engaging, casual and deep, thoughtful and a good storyteller. And this essay is supposed to sway admissions officers to accept you into college.
That’s a lot of expectations to deal with. It’s enough to give anyone major writer’s block.
So before you even start writing, take a few deep breaths. Try to put aside some of that pressure and stress. It’s not helping you be a better writer. In fact, it’s only getting in your way.
Maybe you can forget about what this essay is for and treat it like a journal entry. Let yourself play and experiment. Scribble a bunch of ideas, stream of consciousness style, and try not to evaluate if they’re good or bad.
There’s plenty of time for revision later on down the road. Maybe you’ll even scrap your first few drafts and start over before you find the right one. For now, take a few deep breaths. Trust the process. You’ll get there eventually!
“I don’t write easily or rapidly. My first draft usually has only a few elements worth keeping. I have to find what those are and build from them and throw out what doesn’t work, or what simply is not alive.” — Susan Sontag
2. Brainstorm a bunch of ideas
Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the Common App essay prompts, it’s time for some free-form brainstorming. Grab a pen and notebook or open up a Google doc, whichever mode helps you think better. Take each prompt in turn and write down some memories that come to mind.
Maybe you’ll think of some challenges you experienced in the past five years. Or focus in on some failures that taught you a lesson or achievements that fill you with pride. Try to sift through your memories and locate specific instances and events that stand out.
Again, try not to judge your ideas or reject them before they’ve had a chance to breathe. Even the most ordinary event can make a great college essay topic if you present it in an unusual way.
You might time yourself for half an hour and write down every idea that pops into your head, whether it’s about a tough class, sports game, childhood friend, your favorite pet, a summer job, a road trip, traveling, community service, or a tough situation with friends or family.
When the timer goes off, step away from your list for a bit and go do something else. Let the ideas settle in the back of your head. Then you can revisit them again in a few hours or the next day and look at them with fresh eyes.
“I’m all for the scissors. I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.” Truman Capote, Conversations With Capote, by Lawrence Grobel, 1985
3. Choose an idea that packs a punch
Once you’ve come back to your list, read it over and see which ideas stand out. The best college essays have a narrow focus. They take one event or series of events and describe them in detail. They often draw big lessons from small occurrences.
For example, I remember a student’s essay who wrote about his summer job as an office assistant. When the office manager asked him to fax something, he felt too intimidated to admit he didn’t know how. He lingered in the back room, and the customer didn’t get the fax until a lot later.
From this experience, this student realized how important it was to ask questions when he didn’t know something. He wouldn’t let his fear of looking foolish get in the way of learning new things. And he realized that if he has a question, a lot of other people probably have the same one. From a summer office job — and his failure to send a fax — this student drew meaningful lessons and grew as a person.
If you can hone in on an idea that taught you something important, you have the makings of a great personal essay. Hopefully the topic is also one that will make an engaging story for your reader.
If you’re having trouble deciding, you might ask for feedback from people you trust. But you should also trust your instincts here. When it comes to how to write a college essay, the important thing is sharing something that’s important to you. So only you can truly know what topic rings true.
“Your eloquence should be the servant of the ideas in your head. Your rule might be this: If a sentence, no matter how excellent, does not illuminate your subject in some new and useful way, scratch it out.” — Kurt Vonnegut, How to Use the Power of the Printed Word
4. Write an outline of your essay
In my opinion, outlining your essay before you start writing is a crucial step of the process. You don’t have to stick to the outline religiously, but it’s a great way to organize your thoughts and bring some structure to your ideas.
The college essay isn’t your typical academic paper, but it should still have a clear structure, including an introduction, two to three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The first paragraph should hook the reader with an intriguing anecdote or surprising statement.
There’s no one right way to structure a college essay, but the best college essays have some sort of clear structure. By creating an outline, you’ll have a good sense of how to order your ideas.
“Anyone and everyone taking a writing class knows that the secret of good writing is to cut it back, pare it down, winnow, chop, hack, prune, and trim, remove every superfluous word, compress, compress, compress…” —Nick Hornby, The Polysyllabic Spree
5. Write your first draft
Once you’re satisfied with your outline, it’s time to start drafting. Again, you might take some time between the outlining stage and writing stage. That way, your ideas have time to settle. When you get back to work, you might have renewed energy and new insights of what you want to say.
Make sure your first paragraph has a hook that grabs the reader’s attention. You could use dialogue or descriptive language and jump right into action. Then you could go on to discuss what lessons you drew from the experience.
Once you start drafting, let yourself get into a flow. Try to write without stopping; you can clean up any mistakes later. And don’t worry about the word count. It’s a lot easier to cut a piece of writing down than it is to make it longer.
6. Do a thorough edit
The idea that any writer sits down and writes a perfect first draft is a total myth. Even famous authors talk about how tough it is to get the words out at first. The art of writing lies in editing and revision. The best college essays are meticulously edited and proofread before they are submitted to colleges.
Interviewer: How much rewriting do you do?
Hemingway: It depends. I rewrote the ending of Farewell to Arms, the last page of it, 39 times before I was satisfied.
Interviewer: Was there some technical problem there? What was it that had stumped you?
Hemingway: Getting the words right.
— Ernest Hemingway, The Paris Review Interview, 1956
If you’re wondering how to write a college admissions essay, consider these editing tips:
- Look to eliminate wordiness. If you can say something more concisely, do it. When it comes to writing, less is often more.
- Replace adverbs with synonymous verbs. Don’t say “talked quietly” when you could say “whispered.” Verbs pack a stronger punch.
- Review your organization of ideas. Does each sentence follow logically, one after the other? Are there any spots where your reader could get lost?
- Make sure you have a variety of sentence structures. If three sentences in a row start with the word, “the,” mix up your word choice.
- Look for instances where you could add vivid language. Good storytelling is in the descriptive details. Maybe you could set the scene by appealing to the senses (see, feel, hear, smell, or taste).
These are just a few tips for how to write a college essay and edit your first draft. Don’t be afraid to get messy. Your final version is sure to look very different than your first one.
7. Elicit feedback from people you trust
Once you’ve created a version you feel good about, consider sharing it with friends, family, or teachers. Ask for feedback from people you trust. It’s tough to share personal writing with others, so make sure the people you ask will give you constructive feedback. And remember you don’t have to make any changes you don’t agree with. It’s your personal essay, after all.
“Writing and rewriting are a constant search for what it is one is saying.” — John Updike
8. Go through and revise again
Your essay should go through several rounds of editing and revision. Once you’re happy with word choice and sentence structure, make sure to comb through the words for any spelling or grammar mistakes.
One useful tool is the Hemingway App, a free editing tool that points out run-on sentences. It will also tell you if you used passive voice too many times. Once you’ve quadruple-checked everything on your college essay, you’re all set to paste it into the Common Application!
Celebrate all your hard work!
You’ve put the final touches on your college admissions essay — now go celebrate! Treat yourself. You deserve it.
The college essay is challenging, but hopefully you’ll also find it rewarding. In the end, you’ve created a beautiful piece of writing that is uniquely and authentically you.
Acton Essay Center 