Lesson Six: What To Look For When Revising 

Try to write a complete first draft before you worry too much about editing. Otherwise you might find your creativity hampered by your analytical side. Once you have a first draft finished, set it aside for a few days—or more, if you have that luxury. When you return to it with a fresh perspective, you will probably notice many problems that did not occur to you before and recognize better ways of handling various points.

Do not hesitate to edit at all levels, even if it means you will be doing a lot of rewriting. Throw out entire paragraphs if you cannot recall what purpose they were serving. Replace boring passages with vivid details and banal generalizations with sharp insights. Cut and paste until you have achieved the optimal structure. Fine-tune every sentence until it is clear, concise, and graceful.

Is there such a thing as over-editing? If you begin to lose sight of your goals and can no longer distinguish between constructive and destructive changes, then you may have begun to detract from the freshness and strength of your essay. At that point, the only course you can take is to set the essay aside again until you can read it with a clear mind.

The following checklist will help you assess your essay's readiness for submission.

Content

• Are you answering the actual question given in the prompt?

• Have you been sincere and personal?

• Is your essay within the word limit?

• Will your reader find the essay interesting?

• Are you showing rather than telling?

• Does your introduction grab the reader’s attention?

• Do you explore your experiences in sufficient depth?

• Does your essay contain a high level of detail and concrete evidence?

• Have you avoided unsubstantiated claims?

• Do you offer specific, personal insights rather than trite generalizations and clichés?

• Does your essay reveal anything meaningful about your character?

• Do you avoid summarizing information that can be found elsewhere on your application?

• Will your essay make you stand out?

• Does your conclusion leave a lasting impression?

Structure

• Can you identify an overarching theme? Have you articulated that theme in the essay?

• Does your theme have multiple layers and genuine depth?

• Do you have a reason for placing every paragraph where it is?

• Do your paragraphs flow smoothly? Are there any gaps or jumps?

• Does each point build upon previous points, or does your essay sound like a list?

• Have you written insightful transitions and resolutions that highlight your key themes?

• Are your stories well integrated into your essay?

• Is the essay clear and coherent? Have you strengthened its impact by using the optimal structure?

Style  

• Have you achieved a simple, straightforward style?

• Have you varied your sentence constructions?

• Have you avoided unnecessarily fancy vocabulary?

• Have you avoided passive voice?

• Have you achieved active writing through the use of strong verbs?

• Have you avoided overusing adjectives and adverbs?

• Does your tone avoid becoming either too casual or too formal?