Student brainstorming his main college essay. Photo Credit: Getty
Getty
August is when my team and I spend the most time working with our seniors on their college essays. Our goal for all of them is to at least get the main Common App personal statement—the 650-word essay most people think of when they say “college essay”—over with before their senior year begins. Ideally, they’ll also be mostly done with the supplemental essays for the schools on their list, but even getting that main essay out of the way puts them ahead of many of their peers and removes much of the stress and pressure that leads many students to spend senior fall stressing out over, and subsequently procrastinating on, their college essays. It’s an incredible thing to see their relief and excitement when they realize they’re done with each stage—when they realize they have a great rough draft, when they realize they’re done writing, and when they realize they’re done editing and it’s finally under the 650-word limit.
Unfortunately, often that moment is overshadowed when, the next morning, they say: “Hey, I showed my parents the essay and…” followed by something like, “now I’m not sure about it” or or “they don’t like the topic” or “they think it makes me sound immature/nerdy/flawed” or “they think I’m oversharing/too casual/not talking enough about my accomplishments.” Luckily, we’ve helped enough students succeed in their college applications to know how to interpret this: as a sign that the student’s essay is probably really good. Here’s why:
With Top Schools, Risks Are Necessary
The essays that get students into the most selective schools often raise concerns from parents, teachers, and other well-meaning people not well-versed in the current college admissions landscape (there’s nothing wrong with that, by the way—that’s what we’re here for). But what those concerns are really saying is, “this seems like a risk.” But your college essay should be a risk, to some extent. Elite college admissions isn’t a matter of being generically good enough to avoid getting rejected—it’s about standing out enough to get accepted. When it comes to top schools, playing it safe is the riskiest move of all.
Essays About Flaws & Failures Show A Growth Mindset
The goal of the college essay is to come across as a real human being, someone who is likable and has the mindset, values, and personality traits to succeed in college. Those mindsets and personality traits include a growth mindset, strong intellectual curiosity, empathy and friendliness and strong emotional intelligence. The mindsets and personality traits to avoid are a fixed mindset, an inflated ego, a patronizing or dismissive attitude, and low emotional intelligence. One of the best ways to demonstrate a growth mindset and low ego is to write an essay that shows your growth and isn’t afraid of mentioning times you weren’t perfect. People with growth mindsets are proudest of times they overcame challenges, while those with fixed mindsets tend to focus on times when something came easily to them.
Parents Know Their Child. Admissions Officers Don’t.
It may seem like the best college essay would be about a major success—winning the big game, etc.—but the college essay can’t be the triumphant finale of a movie. It has to be the whole film—we have to become invested in the character first before their victories mean anything to us, before we begin rooting for them. Parents have already seen those struggles—but the college admissions officers need a clearer picture of who the student is before they begin to like that person. That means introducing the student: nerdiness, casual tone and all. Luckily, this is a situation we’ve dealt with many times, and we’re able to talk both the parents and the student through any concerns. Writing a truly stand-out essay is a risk—because standing out is always a risk. It won’t work for every school—but it will work for the school you’re meant to go to. At the end of the day it’s far more risky to play it safe and risk not standing out at all.
