by Geoff Cook of EssayEdge.com

Best-Kept Secret for College Admissions

For some students, the prospect of writing the admissions essay is so frightening that they wait until the night before deadline. Others are so confident in their application that they consider the essay extra credit. A quick look at the admissions process reveals that both sides are missing the point. Without the essay, a selection committee would have to arbitrarily choose between two (or even two hundred) candidates with almost identical profiles. Unlike every other means of evaluation, the personal essay is not multiple-choice, it is not timed, and it does not require auditions or tryouts. A student can re-write it hundreds of times and ask everyone they know to read it. Therefore, there is no excuse for submitting an essay that is not a student's best possible effort.

Some common misconceptions hint at why students put off writing this all-important statement of themselves. They worry about having to brag or to try extra hard in sounding intelligent. Consequently, they fill their essay with statements of their achievement, their wisdom, or the profound lessons that they have learned. In trying to create this exaggerated image of themselves, students do not realize that every other applicant is attempting the same thing. Instead of playing along with the crowd, a successful essay stands apart. It tells a unique story, one that is true to the writer, one that makes the admissions officer like and remember the applicant. It is difficult to reject a student who makes herself truly likeable.

Students tend to obsess over their choice of topic. "Should I write about the basketball team?" they ask, "or my love of piano?" However, one's choice of topic does not matter as much as one's approach. Almost any topic can work, if tackled in the right way. In most cases, an admissions officer is especially curious about how the student thinks and feels about a topic, and what this says about the student's creativity, sophistication, and personality.

It should be said, however, that some essay topics never work. Hopeless essays are ones that betray a student's lack of perspective. Nobody likes a 17-year-old who cannot imagine the world beyond high school. An essay about dating or arguing with a classmate over boys is not recommended. On the flip side, nobody appreciates a 17-year-old who thinks he knows everything. A 700-word essay was not meant to solve urban poverty or discuss the great themes of life and love. Likewise, students should steer clear of sounding preachy, for instance when condemning the evils of alcohol, eating meat, or regulating the sale of firearms. An essay should never risk offending the reader's sensibilities or beliefs.

That said, many possible topics remain, although some are used more often than others. It is common to read of a student's immigration to America, big loss in the soccer playoffs, or admiration for her father. Choosing one of these essay mainstays means working extra hard to make it special. It means concentrating on the details of a story, the facts that pertain only to that student, in order to make the story unique and revealing. This goes for even the most unusual subjects. Regardless of how original the topic, the essay needs to present authentic, vivid details in order to implant itself in the reader's mind and convey something memorable about the candidate.

An essay will succeed if it tells a good story. Too often, an essay will fizzle into a series of statements that "tell" rather than "show" the likeable traits of the writer. Students wrongfully assume that the reader will not "get it" if they do not spell out their main arguments. Thus, the essay succumbs to the usual clichés: "the value of hard work and perseverance" or "learning to make a difference" or "not taking loved ones for granted" or "dreams coming true" or "learning from mistakes." These statements are fine if used minimally, but the best essays do not use them at all. The worst essays are composed entirely of such statements.

Students should allow the details of their story to make the statement for them. An example helps elucidate the difference. A mediocre essay might say: "I developed a new compassion for those with disabilities." A better essay says: "Whenever I had the chance to help a disabled person, I did so happily." However, an excellent essay says: "The next time Mrs. Cooper asked me to help her across the street, I smiled and immediately took her arm." The first example provides no detail, the second example is still only hypothetical, but the final example evokes a vivid image of something that actually happened, thus placing the reader in the experience of the applicant. Of course, this technique works only insofar as it highlights the qualities of the writer. These larger points should always lurk in the back of the writer's mind. Once a good story is written, any details that distract from the overarching qualities of the applicant should be removed. 

In order to bring these points to the surface, feedback plays a crucial role. Students should give drafts to a variety of readers: relatives, friends, teachers, and if possible, to an experienced editor. Test readers should give their first, unadulterated opinion of the piece, answering questions such as: What is this essay about? Does it answer the question? What does it say about the applicant? And perhaps most importantly, is the essay memorable? Since there is no predicting who among the admissions staff will read the essay, any early feedback helps. 

The great value of a second opinion-or twelfth, as the case may be-means that a student has many chances at improvement. Therefore, the essay is the best possible reflection of the applicant. Depending on the rest of the application, the essay can be icing on the cake or a last desperate plea to the judge, but in any case, a fundamental part of the college application. 

Article Supplied by EssayEdge.com. EssayEdge's 100 Harvard-educated editors provide application essay help to college and graduate school applicants. Visit EssayEdge.com for more free tips and advice on writing successful application essays.