Writing the college essay is the most stressful — and arguably most important — part of the application process.
The essay is the only place on the Common App to tell admissions officers how you stand out beyond your GPA, activities and classes. But that shouldn’t be taken as a cue to try and write about an impossibly unique topic, said Dean of Admission Sue Corner.
“It’s not what you write about, it’s how you write about it,” said Corner, who also teaches workshops on essay writing. “It’s the way you tell the story that will help us remember you.”
Brainstorm
Start by posting any ideas, themes or reflections on sticky notes on your wall. Don’t be afraid to be far-fetched and aim for quantity, not quality. Examine each one individually then discard or amplify as you go. Revisit the wall a few times before you begin writing your essay.
Be authentic
Choose a topic that reflects you in a unique way and couldn’t be written by the majority of your peers. If you read back over your essay and find it doesn’t reflect your own story, reconsider the topic, Corner said.
Start early
If you underestimate how long it will take to write the essay properly, or don’t think it’s that important, it will show. Pay close attention to the essay prompts and try to achieve word economy. Eliminate throwaway words like “that” to maximize the word count.
Phone a friend
Don’t turn in your essay (or any other professional writing, for that matter) without someone else reading through it, Corner advises. Grammar and punctuation errors are the most unnecessary — and unfortunately common — mistakes that appear on The Common App. Every year, a student will address the essay to a specific school and not realize the application is sent to every school the student applied to, she said.
Remember: Essays matter
Essays are an important representation of a student’s academic preparation. In some cases, it's a pivotal piece of the admission decision. For students choosing a test optional route to admission, an essay can be the tipping point that determines admissibility.
At Willamette and other universities, “essays in many cases have become even more valuable than test scores,” Corner said.