This essay could work for prompts 1 and 7 for the Common App.
The headlines about college admission are dominated by stories about artificial intelligence and the college essay. Let’s set some ground rules–to allow ChatGPT or some other tool to do your work is not only unethical, it is also unintelligent. The only worse mistake you could make is to let another human write your essay for you. Instead of preoccupying yourself with whether or not colleges are using AI detection software (most are not), spend your time focused on how best to express yourself authentically. Rick Clark is the executive director of strategic student success at Georgia Institute of Technology, one of the first institutions to clearly outline their AI for applicants. He says, “Much of a college application is devoted to lines, boxes, and numbers. Essays and supplements are the one place to establish connection, personality, and distinction. AI, in its current state, is terrible at all three.” He adds, “My hope is that students will use ChatGPT or other tools for brainstorming and to get started, but then move quickly into crafting an essay that will provide insight and value.”
Maybe your essay is about your love of rock climbing, but on your first day, you found yourself stuck at the top of the wall unable to come down. By opening with this scene, you’re creating tension—of course, the reader knows that you eventually made it back down, but they don’t know how or when, and they’ll keep reading to find out. While this process may be daunting, scary, or hard to begin, believe in yourself! You can make a list of the topics you are interested in writing about and see if they align with any prompts. This may be a great starting point. The first draft, most likely, will not be the final draft! You will go back to the drawing board so many times, so do not be discouraged. Now that I’m essentially done with the college application process, I’m extremely excited for admissions decisions over the next couple of months. But in the short term, I face the alarming, perennial beast: senioritis. I’ll take my time to address it after one … more … episode … of … “Suits” on Netflix. Beatrice Atkinson-Myers, associate director of global recruitment at the University of California at Santa Cruz tells students, “Do not use the same response for each university; research and craft your essay to match the program at the university you are interested in studying. Don't waste time telling me things I can read elsewhere in your application. Use your essay to give the admissions officer insights into your motivations, interests, and thinking. Don't make your essay the kitchen sink, focus on one or two examples which demonstrate your depth and creativity.” Her UC colleague, Jim Rawlins, associate vice chancellor of enrollment management at the University of California at San Diego agrees, saying “Answer the question. Not doing so is the surest way we can tell you are simply giving us a snippet of something you actually wrote for a different purpose.” As I started writing my essays, I struggled a lot with procrastination because I worried that no matter how artistic or beautiful the essays I wrote were, I’d still be rejected from a school. Over time, I’ve learned that this is a natural emotion. But once you fall into the trap of thinking this way, you’ll waste so much time that the quality of your work will suffer. Thankfully, I got around these thoughts by staying off social media, taking consistent, relaxing breaks, and practicing mindfulness. For example, I found it to be particularly helpful to take a “mental reset” every few hours; I did this by jogging along the East River, getting boba with friends, and going to the gym. After my brain and body took a break, I found it to be a lot easier to pour my thoughts onto paper and discover prior flaws or mistakes in my writing. You may be scared to approach this essay because you feel you do not have a story to tell, or a big event that happened in your life, or a role model to speak of. That is ok! There are so many things that make you, you! You can write about your favorite food, activity, or your passion for trains! This is where we get to see your interests and voice shine through. This is why many say the essay in college admissions is so important. These essays can truly be about anything that addresses the prompt! As a counselor, I’ve read essays about pets, grandparents, parents, leadership in organizations, Legos, books, and many more topics! Just like we do not have preferred activities when it comes to your resume, we don’t have a preferred essay topic. Just be authentic, tell the admission office what you want us to know, and, most importantly, tie it back to the ‘why’ of the writing.
This essay could work for prompts 1, 2, 5 and 7 for the Common App.
After writing so many essays about my experiences, interests, and desires, I realized that my supplemental essays were emblematic of what I wanted out of life and my college experience. For example, after I began writing about my intended major (economics), it occurred to me that what I’m truly passionate about is policy’s intersection with economics and mathematical modeling. After I began writing about my most treasured extracurricular experiences, it became clear to me how much I valued using my voice as a tool to impact my community and effect change. I believe that writing about your genuine interests is more valuable to you than simply trying to present something that you think will appeal to colleges.
How many paragraphs should a college essay be?
A surprising essay hook can take many forms, and this deviation from the typical opening line of an essay—a dull, explanatory sentence—is what makes this hook so surprising. Quotes, dialogue, jokes, and shocking facts or statistics can surprise and delight the reader. For example, another surprising hook for this essay might be: The likelihood of a pigeon pooping on you is less than 1%—so if it happens, consider yourself lucky!
How long should my college essay be?
Applying to so many schools is not for everybody. In fact, if you don’t truly love a school, don’t feel pressured to apply for the sake of prestige or name value. Without a genuine interest and passion for these institutions, it’ll only be a matter of time until you burn out and the quality of your applications suffers. For instance, I wanted to attend college in the Northeast or California, so I made the difficult choice to take great schools, such as the University of Texas at Austin and Vanderbilt, off my list.
How (and why) to outline your college essay to use a good structure
It’s important to remember that a good hook and a thesis statement are two different sentences. Ideally, your essay should have both, but while the thesis statement is the road map of your essay, the essay hook is only responsible for grabbing the reader’s attention. Your essay’s hook and thesis statement should still be aligned, however.