Every year when I brainstorm about topics to write about on college application essays with rising seniors, I find the most difficult part is helping them find their own voices. Many think there is a formula that’ll get them into an Ivy League college or others make up stories with the intent of winning over the reader. For students who didn’t win a national award or cure cancer, they’ll need to do some soul searching to tell a story that reveals something interesting about themselves so the admissions officers get to know them a little better. If they did a project, their personal statements and main common application essays will focus on their experiences.
Because one essay worked for a student who got into Stanford, that doesn’t mean that a similar essay would do the same for you.
Don’t write:
- That you understand poverty because you saw it on a service trip (trust me, you don’t).
- About the amazing successes of your grandfather (unless you tie it back to how he influenced you)
- About your exclusive vacation at a resort (sounds like entitlement)