A Crash Course in the College Admissions Essay

The college admissions essay: even for expert writers, this essential part of the college application process can be excruciating. For less than rockstar writers, it can seem downright impossible. But by exploring the ins and outs of the essay, teens can not only become comfortable with writing about themselves: they can also learn a lot about who they are, and what they want out of the next four years of their lives. Here’s an engaging writing activity that will get your teen ready to tackle the task!

Step 1 Topic Choosing a topic is the Trojan Horse of the admissions essay: it sounds simple, but once you get started all sorts of ideas will come flooding out to confuse you. Should it be serious or quirky? Should it recount a story or read more like a letter? How do I sum up all the things that I am in one short essay? In short, you can’t. And there are dozens of great admissions essays for each person. But you have to choose. To get started, try answering these questions about yourself:

1. What is the weirdest thing about you?
2. What is something no one knows about you?
3. How do you think the outside world perceives you? Are they right, or wrong?
4. What gets you up in the morning (yes, your answer can be “Mom")?
5. Describe a strong memory you have. Why do you think that moment stuck with you?
6. Choose five words to describe your high school experience (be honest).

Step 2 Voice Now that you have six topics to work with, you can start to think about the voice you will be using. Often, it depends on your topic. For instance, if the weirdest thing about you is that you like the smell of dirty socks, a casual, funny tone would be most appropriate. If you are writing about a sad memory, a more serious tone might be more appropriate (but not necessarily).