Writing Your College Essay

It’s funny, the title of this article is “How to Write Your College Essay”, and yet there will be no list of tips here, no source, just me. Sorry to disappoint, but what you might not realize is that I’ve given you all the tips you need to begin.

I’ve told you what to avoid, what to approach, and how to go about brainstorming. Actually writing the essay is entirely up to you, no one else can tell you what works best for you besides yourself. There are so many different essay formats and styles of writing, so start anywhere and go with the flow.

I recommend not letting anyone else see your essay until it’s complete, because you don’t need any outside sources bringing their opinion into your personal statement. You’re the one that has to attend the college, not them.

Once you do finish, your parent(s), any family members who are good with writing, mentors, that one cousin in grad school, your English teacher… everybody needs to read this essay.

I am not saying they need to read it for editing & revision. Honestly, besides your English teacher I wouldn’t ask anybody to look over your essay for that purpose. Your teacher can look at it without bias and simply tell you what errors should be fixed, leaving it at that.

You want to know if your story sticks with people, how it impacts them. Ask them to picture themselves as a stranger, and tell you if they feel as if they know you better. Ask them if they were entertained, because if you do nothing else, entertain the reader. Admissions officers have to read thousands of essays, and 90% of them are bland. Be the 10% that’s interesting.

Ask them to sum up your subject in one sentence. If you branded yourself correctly, their answer should satisfy you.

Okay… I think we’re all done here.

I feel like we’ve grown so close since the beginning of this article. You’re all ready to go now, oh my goodness I’m going to cry. I’ll miss you so much.

The biggest thing to remember is to trust yourself. You have to trust yourself. If it’s any consolation, I trust you.

I’m going to go finally start my essay as well now, I’ll see you on the other side. Best of luck to us!

Love, Zenobia

(Psst, I’m back. If this still wasn’t enough, I thought I’d mention that I edit finished essays for $10!

If you prefer to recieve guidance on the way, I understand. $15 and I’ll walk you through each step, counseling you until it’s finished. My email is [email protected].)