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Essay Writing Service Online: Get Help 24/7

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Getting College Essay Help: Important Do's and Don’ts

College Essays

If you grow up to be a professional writer, everything you write will first go through an editor before being published. This is because the process of writing is really a process of re-writing —of rethinking and reexamining your work, usually with the help of someone else. So what does this mean for your student writing? And in particular, what does it mean for very important, but nonprofessional writing like your college essay? Should you ask your parents to look at your essay? Pay for an essay service?

If you are wondering what kind of help you can, and should, get with your personal statement, you've come to the right place! In this article, I'll talk about what kind of writing help is useful, ethical, and even expected for your college admission essay . I'll also point out who would make a good editor, what the differences between editing and proofreading are, what to expect from a good editor, and how to spot and stay away from a bad one.

Table of Contents

What Kind of Help for Your Essay Can You Get?

What's Good Editing?

What should an editor do for you, what kind of editing should you avoid, proofreading, what's good proofreading, what kind of proofreading should you avoid.

What Do Colleges Think Of You Getting Help With Your Essay?

Who Can/Should Help You?

Advice for editors.

Should You Pay Money For Essay Editing?

The Bottom Line

What's next, what kind of help with your essay can you get.

Rather than talking in general terms about "help," let's first clarify the two different ways that someone else can improve your writing . There is editing, which is the more intensive kind of assistance that you can use throughout the whole process. And then there's proofreading, which is the last step of really polishing your final product.

Let me go into some more detail about editing and proofreading, and then explain how good editors and proofreaders can help you."

Editing is helping the author (in this case, you) go from a rough draft to a finished work . Editing is the process of asking questions about what you're saying, how you're saying it, and how you're organizing your ideas. But not all editing is good editing . In fact, it's very easy for an editor to cross the line from supportive to overbearing and over-involved.

Ability to clarify assignments. A good editor is usually a good writer, and certainly has to be a good reader. For example, in this case, a good editor should make sure you understand the actual essay prompt you're supposed to be answering.

Open-endedness. Good editing is all about asking questions about your ideas and work, but without providing answers. It's about letting you stick to your story and message, and doesn't alter your point of view.

Think of an editor as a great travel guide. It can show you the many different places your trip could take you. It should explain any parts of the trip that could derail your trip or confuse the traveler. But it never dictates your path, never forces you to go somewhere you don't want to go, and never ignores your interests so that the trip no longer seems like it's your own. So what should good editors do?

Help Brainstorm Topics

Sometimes it's easier to bounce thoughts off of someone else. This doesn't mean that your editor gets to come up with ideas, but they can certainly respond to the various topic options you've come up with. This way, you're less likely to write about the most boring of your ideas, or to write about something that isn't actually important to you.

If you're wondering how to come up with options for your editor to consider, check out our guide to brainstorming topics for your college essay .

Help Revise Your Drafts

Here, your editor can't upset the delicate balance of not intervening too much or too little. It's tricky, but a great way to think about it is to remember: editing is about asking questions, not giving answers .

Revision questions should point out:

• Places where more detail or more description would help the reader connect with your essay
• Places where structure and logic don't flow, losing the reader's attention
• Places where there aren't transitions between paragraphs, confusing the reader
• Moments where your narrative or the arguments you're making are unclear

But pointing to potential problems is not the same as actually rewriting—editors let authors fix the problems themselves.

Bad editing is usually very heavy-handed editing. Instead of helping you find your best voice and ideas, a bad editor changes your writing into their own vision.

You may be dealing with a bad editor if they:

• Add material (examples, descriptions) that doesn't come from you
• Use a thesaurus to make your college essay sound "more mature"
• Add meaning or insight to the essay that doesn't come from you
• Tell you what to say and how to say it
• Write sentences, phrases, and paragraphs for you
• Change your voice in the essay so it no longer sounds like it was written by a teenager

Colleges can tell the difference between a 17-year-old's writing and a 50-year-old's writing. Not only that, they have access to your SAT or ACT Writing section, so they can compare your essay to something else you wrote. Writing that's a little more polished is great and expected. But a totally different voice and style will raise questions.

Where's the Line Between Helpful Editing and Unethical Over-Editing?

Sometimes it's hard to tell whether your college essay editor is doing the right thing. Here are some guidelines for staying on the ethical side of the line.

• An editor should say that the opening paragraph is kind of boring, and explain what exactly is making it drag. But it's overstepping for an editor to tell you exactly how to change it.
• An editor should point out where your prose is unclear or vague. But it's completely inappropriate for the editor to rewrite that section of your essay.
• An editor should let you know that a section is light on detail or description. But giving you similes and metaphors to beef up that description is a no-go.

Proofreading (also called copy-editing) is checking for errors in the last draft of a written work. It happens at the end of the process and is meant as the final polishing touch. Proofreading is meticulous and detail-oriented, focusing on small corrections. It sands off all the surface rough spots that could alienate the reader.

Because proofreading is usually concerned with making fixes on the word or sentence level, this is the only process where someone else can actually add to or take away things from your essay . This is because what they are adding or taking away tends to be one or two misplaced letters.

Laser focus. Proofreading is all about the tiny details, so the ability to really concentrate on finding small slip-ups is a must.

Excellent grammar and spelling skills. Proofreaders need to dot every "i" and cross every "t." Good proofreaders should correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. They should put foreign words in italics and surround quotations with quotation marks. They should check that you used the correct college's name, and that you adhered to any formatting requirements (name and date at the top of the page, uniform font and size, uniform spacing).

Limited interference. A proofreader needs to make sure that you followed any word limits. But if cuts need to be made to shorten the essay, that's your job and not the proofreader's.

A bad proofreader either tries to turn into an editor, or just lacks the skills and knowledge necessary to do the job.

Some signs that you're working with a bad proofreader are:

• If they suggest making major changes to the final draft of your essay. Proofreading happens when editing is already finished.
• If they aren't particularly good at spelling, or don't know grammar, or aren't detail-oriented enough to find someone else's small mistakes.
• If they start swapping out your words for fancier-sounding synonyms, or changing the voice and sound of your essay in other ways. A proofreader is there to check for errors, not to take the 17-year-old out of your writing.

What Do Colleges Think of Your Getting Help With Your Essay?

Admissions officers agree: light editing and proofreading are good—even required ! But they also want to make sure you're the one doing the work on your essay. They want essays with stories, voice, and themes that come from you. They want to see work that reflects your actual writing ability, and that focuses on what you find important.

On the Importance of Editing

Get feedback. Have a fresh pair of eyes give you some feedback. Don't allow someone else to rewrite your essay, but do take advantage of others' edits and opinions when they seem helpful. ( Bates College )

Read your essay aloud to someone. Reading the essay out loud offers a chance to hear how your essay sounds outside your head. This exercise reveals flaws in the essay's flow, highlights grammatical errors and helps you ensure that you are communicating the exact message you intended. ( Dickinson College )

On the Value of Proofreading

Share your essays with at least one or two people who know you well—such as a parent, teacher, counselor, or friend—and ask for feedback. Remember that you ultimately have control over your essays, and your essays should retain your own voice, but others may be able to catch mistakes that you missed and help suggest areas to cut if you are over the word limit. ( Yale University )

Proofread and then ask someone else to proofread for you. Although we want substance, we also want to be able to see that you can write a paper for our professors and avoid careless mistakes that would drive them crazy. ( Oberlin College )

On Watching Out for Too Much Outside Influence

Limit the number of people who review your essay. Too much input usually means your voice is lost in the writing style. ( Carleton College )

Ask for input (but not too much). Your parents, friends, guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers are great people to bounce ideas off of for your essay. They know how unique and spectacular you are, and they can help you decide how to articulate it. Keep in mind, however, that a 45-year-old lawyer writes quite differently from an 18-year-old student, so if your dad ends up writing the bulk of your essay, we're probably going to notice. ( Vanderbilt University )

Now let's talk about some potential people to approach for your college essay editing and proofreading needs. It's best to start close to home and slowly expand outward. Not only are your family and friends more invested in your success than strangers, but they also have a better handle on your interests and personality. This knowledge is key for judging whether your essay is expressing your true self.

Parents or Close Relatives

Your family may be full of potentially excellent editors! Parents are deeply committed to your well-being, and family members know you and your life well enough to offer details or incidents that can be included in your essay. On the other hand, the rewriting process necessarily involves criticism, which is sometimes hard to hear from someone very close to you.

A parent or close family member is a great choice for an editor if you can answer "yes" to the following questions. Is your parent or close relative a good writer or reader? Do you have a relationship where editing your essay won't create conflict? Are you able to constructively listen to criticism and suggestion from the parent?

One suggestion for defusing face-to-face discussions is to try working on the essay over email. Send your parent a draft, have them write you back some comments, and then you can pick which of their suggestions you want to use and which to discard.

Teachers or Tutors

A humanities teacher that you have a good relationship with is a great choice. I am purposefully saying humanities, and not just English, because teachers of Philosophy, History, Anthropology, and any other classes where you do a lot of writing, are all used to reviewing student work.

Moreover, any teacher or tutor that has been working with you for some time, knows you very well and can vet the essay to make sure it "sounds like you."

If your teacher or tutor has some experience with what college essays are supposed to be like, ask them to be your editor. If not, then ask whether they have time to proofread your final draft.

Guidance or College Counselor at Your School

The best thing about asking your counselor to edit your work is that this is their job. This means that they have a very good sense of what colleges are looking for in an application essay.

At the same time, school counselors tend to have relationships with admissions officers in many colleges, which again gives them insight into what works and which college is focused on what aspect of the application.

Unfortunately, in many schools the guidance counselor tends to be way overextended. If your ratio is 300 students to 1 college counselor, you're unlikely to get that person's undivided attention and focus. It is still useful to ask them for general advice about your potential topics, but don't expect them to be able to stay with your essay from first draft to final version.

Friends, Siblings, or Classmates

Although they most likely don't have much experience with what colleges are hoping to see, your peers are excellent sources for checking that your essay is you .

Friends and siblings are perfect for the read-aloud edit. Read your essay to them so they can listen for words and phrases that are stilted, pompous, or phrases that just don't sound like you.

You can even trade essays and give helpful advice on each other's work.

If your editor hasn't worked with college admissions essays very much, no worries! Any astute and attentive reader can still greatly help with your process. But, as in all things, beginners do better with some preparation.

First, your editor should read our advice about how to write a college essay introduction , how to spot and fix a bad college essay , and get a sense of what other students have written by going through some admissions essays that worked .

Then, as they read your essay, they can work through the following series of questions that will help them to guide you.

Introduction Questions

• Is the first sentence a killer opening line? Why or why not?
• Does the introduction hook the reader? Does it have a colorful, detailed, and interesting narrative? Or does it propose a compelling or surprising idea?
• Can you feel the author's voice in the introduction, or is the tone dry, dull, or overly formal? Show the places where the voice comes through.

Essay Body Questions

• Does the essay have a through-line? Is it built around a central argument, thought, idea, or focus? Can you put this idea into your own words?
• How is the essay organized? By logical progression? Chronologically? Do you feel order when you read it, or are there moments where you are confused or lose the thread of the essay?
• Does the essay have both narratives about the author's life and explanations and insight into what these stories reveal about the author's character, personality, goals, or dreams? If not, which is missing?
• Does the essay flow? Are there smooth transitions/clever links between paragraphs? Between the narrative and moments of insight?

Reader Response Questions

• Does the writer's personality come through? Do we know what the speaker cares about? Do we get a sense of "who he or she is"?
• Where did you feel most connected to the essay? Which parts of the essay gave you a "you are there" sensation by invoking your senses? What moments could you picture in your head well?
• Where are the details and examples vague and not specific enough?
• Did you get an "a-ha!" feeling anywhere in the essay? Is there a moment of insight that connected all the dots for you? Is there a good reveal or "twist" anywhere in the essay?
• What are the strengths of this essay? What needs the most improvement?

Should You Pay Money for Essay Editing?

One alternative to asking someone you know to help you with your college essay is the paid editor route. There are two different ways to pay for essay help: a private essay coach or a less personal editing service , like the many proliferating on the internet.

My advice is to think of these options as a last resort rather than your go-to first choice. I'll first go through the reasons why. Then, if you do decide to go with a paid editor, I'll help you decide between a coach and a service.

When to Consider a Paid Editor

In general, I think hiring someone to work on your essay makes a lot of sense if none of the people I discussed above are a possibility for you.

If you can't ask your parents. For example, if your parents aren't good writers, or if English isn't their first language. Or if you think getting your parents to help is going create unnecessary extra conflict in your relationship with them (applying to college is stressful as it is!)

If you can't ask your teacher or tutor. Maybe you don't have a trusted teacher or tutor that has time to look over your essay with focus. Or, for instance, your favorite humanities teacher has very limited experience with college essays and so won't know what admissions officers want to see.

If you can't ask your guidance counselor. This could be because your guidance counselor is way overwhelmed with other students.

If you can't share your essay with those who know you. It might be that your essay is on a very personal topic that you're unwilling to share with parents, teachers, or peers. Just make sure it doesn't fall into one of the bad-idea topics in our article on bad college essays .

If the cost isn't a consideration. Many of these services are quite expensive, and private coaches even more so. If you have finite resources, I'd say that hiring an SAT or ACT tutor (whether it's PrepScholar or someone else) is better way to spend your money . This is because there's no guarantee that a slightly better essay will sufficiently elevate the rest of your application, but a significantly higher SAT score will definitely raise your applicant profile much more.

Should You Hire an Essay Coach?

On the plus side, essay coaches have read dozens or even hundreds of college essays, so they have experience with the format. Also, because you'll be working closely with a specific person, it's more personal than sending your essay to a service, which will know even less about you.

But, on the minus side, you'll still be bouncing ideas off of someone who doesn't know that much about you . In general, if you can adequately get the help from someone you know, there is no advantage to paying someone to help you.

If you do decide to hire a coach, ask your school counselor, or older students that have used the service for recommendations. If you can't afford the coach's fees, ask whether they can work on a sliding scale —many do. And finally, beware those who guarantee admission to your school of choice—essay coaches don't have any special magic that can back up those promises.

Should You Send Your Essay to a Service?

On the plus side, essay editing services provide a similar product to essay coaches, and they cost significantly less . If you have some assurance that you'll be working with a good editor, the lack of face-to-face interaction won't prevent great results.

On the minus side, however, it can be difficult to gauge the quality of the service before working with them . If they are churning through many application essays without getting to know the students they are helping, you could end up with an over-edited essay that sounds just like everyone else's. In the worst case scenario, an unscrupulous service could send you back a plagiarized essay.

Getting recommendations from friends or a school counselor for reputable services is key to avoiding heavy-handed editing that writes essays for you or does too much to change your essay. Including a badly-edited essay like this in your application could cause problems if there are inconsistencies. For example, in interviews it might be clear you didn't write the essay, or the skill of the essay might not be reflected in your schoolwork and test scores.

Should You Buy an Essay Written by Someone Else?

Let me elaborate. There are super sketchy places on the internet where you can simply buy a pre-written essay. Don't do this!

For one thing, you'll be lying on an official, signed document. All college applications make you sign a statement saying something like this:

I certify that all information submitted in the admission process—including the application, the personal essay, any supplements, and any other supporting materials—is my own work, factually true, and honestly presented... I understand that I may be subject to a range of possible disciplinary actions, including admission revocation, expulsion, or revocation of course credit, grades, and degree, should the information I have certified be false. (From the Common Application )

For another thing, if your academic record doesn't match the essay's quality, the admissions officer will start thinking your whole application is riddled with lies.

Admission officers have full access to your writing portion of the SAT or ACT so that they can compare work that was done in proctored conditions with that done at home. They can tell if these were written by different people. Not only that, but there are now a number of search engines that faculty and admission officers can use to see if an essay contains strings of words that have appeared in other essays—you have no guarantee that the essay you bought wasn't also bought by 50 other students.

• You should get college essay help with both editing and proofreading
• A good editor will ask questions about your idea, logic, and structure, and will point out places where clarity is needed
• A good editor will absolutely not answer these questions, give you their own ideas, or write the essay or parts of the essay for you
• A good proofreader will find typos and check your formatting
• All of them agree that getting light editing and proofreading is necessary
• Parents, teachers, guidance or college counselor, and peers or siblings
• If you can't ask any of those, you can pay for college essay help, but watch out for services or coaches who over-edit you work
• Don't buy a pre-written essay! Colleges can tell, and it'll make your whole application sound false.

Ready to start working on your essay? Check out our explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications and then explore our step-by-step guide to writing a great college essay .

Using the Common Application for your college applications? We have an excellent guide to the Common App essay prompts and useful advice on how to pick the Common App prompt that's right for you . Wondering how other people tackled these prompts? Then work through our roundup of over 130 real college essay examples published by colleges .

Stressed about whether to take the SAT again before submitting your application? Let us help you decide how many times to take this test . If you choose to go for it, we have the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs of the best ways to study.

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Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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Articles & Advice > College Admission > Articles

Top College Essay Tips From Admission Insiders

The college essay can help your application, or it can hurt it. You want to stand out in a good way...and these admission experts know how you can do just that.

by Kim Lifton President, Wow Writing Workshop

Last Updated: Apr 6, 2023

Originally Posted: Mar 20, 2019

As admission to the nation’s most selective schools has become increasingly competitive over the past decade, Gregory Sneed has seen the college essay rise in significance.

“From my perspective, unless a student interviews (which is not always an option or a requirement), the personal statement is the only place where an applicant can inject some personality into the application,” says Sneed, Vice President of Enrollment Management at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. “Teachers and counselors can write about the applicant, but only the applicant can provide such an intensely personal bit of character. I’ve seen plenty of perfect SAT scores, and straight A’s are straight A’s, but a personal statement can truly be one of a kind—in a good way.”

Sneed is not alone. Admission professionals at top universities across the country tell me time and again exactly what they are looking for in a personal statement. One thing is certain: the personal statement provides an opportunity to show people who may never meet you in real life just what kind of person you are.

Be careful when you start writing your college essays. There’s a lot of information on the web and in books, and many well-meaning adults try to help. But unfortunately much of that information is confusing, gimmicky , or simply inaccurate. You need to make sure you get the right information so your essay can help you, not hurt you.

Related: 15 Mind-Blowing College Essay Tips

What is a college essay, anyway?

Simply put, a college essay refers to any piece of writing that a college requires as part of the admission process. You might hear them referred to as personal statements, personal insight questions, or short-answer questions. There are supplemental essays too, but the hardest one is arguably the personal statement, the first one you will likely write as part of your college application.

As Sneed implies, most schools do not conduct interviews, so the college essay may be the only opportunity you have to share your unique voice with the people who get to decide your fate inside the admission office.

“The college essay is your interview,” says Kim Bryant, Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor . “Let me know who you really are.”

Amy Jarich, Associate Vice Chancellor of Admissions & Enrollment and Director of Admissions at the University of California, Berkeley , wants to know what you care about.

“What would you tell me in an elevator? Let me know that you’re active and alive in the world you live in.”

Related: Moments and Memories: How to Write Your Best Common Application Essay

How do I make my essay stand out?

Colleges will use your essays to help select a diverse class from among the hundreds or thousands of applicants whose grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities can make all of you look alike.

Have you considered how to make yourself stand out? Do you know what colleges want and why? I asked admission officers from a diverse group of schools across the US for their insight. Selective schools like Denison, Michigan, UC Berkeley, and others each look for a glimpse of who the applicant is as a writer but more importantly as a person. They use the essay to help determine what an applicant can offer them and what they have learned from their life experiences—the things that are not easily captured on a transcript or activities list.

According to Katie Fretwell, who just retired as Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid from Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, you “don’t want to get caught in the ‘what do they want to hear?’ trap. The essay is about what you want to say.

“Think about what the rest of your application will already reveal,” Fretwell says. “Don’t waste the opportunity to let your personality shine by stating the obvious or being redundant in your essay content or message.”

Related: Admission Officers’ Secrets to Standing Out in Your College Essay

When he reads a good essay, Calvin Wise, the Director of Recruitment for Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, gets excited and will share it with colleagues. He doesn’t see any reason to share grades and test scores. Just like admission officers at other highly selective schools, Wise expects strong GPAs and top scores on the ACT, SAT, and AP exams.

At its core, the college essay is all about reflection.

“We need to dig deeper,” Wise says. “That’s where the essay comes into play. That’s where we find out more about the student. We are looking for your story. Academically, we are glad you’ve done well. We want to know who you are. What did your experience mean to you? How did it shape you?

“I never run into a colleague’s office and say, ‘Look at this 4.0 GPA,’” Wise adds. “I will run into an office with a good essay to share; that excites me.”

Does the experience you choose to write about have to be earth shattering? No. Does it have to illustrate an “aha!” moment? Not at all. It is a reflection on something that has meaning to you. It doesn’t matter what that is.

There’s no magic answer, no secret sauce, no shortcut. The essay is one (very important) piece of a holistic admission process.

Related: Engaging Ways to Open Your Personal Statement

What makes a good admission essay?

The best essays are often simple and personal. Admission officers tell me time and again they like all types of stories as long as they are genuine, show reflection, and answer the prompt. While small, focused stories get their attention more than anything else, colleges are often less critical of student essays than you or your worried parents might assume.

“Life is truly lived in the smaller moments, and that can make a powerful essay,” says Jan Deike, Assistant Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. “But sometimes students feel that because they haven’t found the cure for cancer, they have nothing to share.”

There is no rubric for a “good” essay, but admission officers agree the ones that stand out all share a few common features. Regardless of the prompt, they:

• Answer the question;
• Showcase a positive trait or characteristic;
• Sound like a high school student;
• Illustrate something meaningful about the student; and
• Demonstrate reflection.

What should I write about?

What do you want colleges to know about you beyond your grades, transcripts, and test scores? Consider your best traits and characteristics, not your accomplishments and experiences. Always remember that colleges want to know who you are, not what you did. They want genuine stories that illustrate positive characteristics and insight that reveals something meaningful about you.

What are the traits you want to share with colleges ? Are you resourceful? Dependable? Curious? A hard worker? Shy? Funny? Competitive? Determined? How are you going to find a story that illustrates your choice trait and use it to answer the essay prompt?

Shawn Felton, the Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, reviews thousands of applications each admission cycle. What delights him? A story that rounds out an applicant’s package and an essay that helps him understand who the person is.

“We want to put a face to the pile of paper,” Felton explains. “It is part of a number of identifiers that deliver who you are as a person.”

What turns him off ? Stories that are not genuine, don’t answer the prompt, or fail to give him any insight into the applicant’s character. He doesn’t like it when students try too hard to impress him or write essays that seem forced or inauthentic. “The essay is not something to be cracked,” he cautions.

Christoph Guttentag, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, has worked inside the admission office for many decades. He, too, is disappointed by essays that appear to be inauthentic or over-edited.

“By the time [the application] comes to us, many of them have gone through so many hands that the essays are sanitized,” Guttentag says. “I wish I saw more of a thoughtful voice of a 17-year-old.”

Related: Top College Admission Essay Myths Debunked

Why are college essays so important?

Try to look at every essay you are asked to write as an opportunity.

“The essay is a student’s best opportunity to speak directly to an admission committee that’s making a decision,” explains Peter Osgood, Director of Admission at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. “It carries significant value in terms of the impression it communicates.”

Personal statements are very important in adding context to an application file. “Quantitative factors such as transcripts and test scores only tell part of the story,” says Tamara Siler, Senior Associate Director of Admission at Rice University in Houston. “A personal statement can provide context and truly show why a certain student is a better match than other clearly capable students. Sometimes an essay can be the conduit for a student to reveal something to the admission committee that we would never have thought to ask.”

Related:  Why Your College Application Essay Matters  

Any last advice?

Most colleges don’t want to be too harsh on students’ writing abilities. They often look for content over grammar but hope applicants have a healthy respect for the rules of written English. Osgood at Harvey Mudd agrees. He doesn’t like to be too harsh on 17-year-olds who have had little or no experience with this type of reflective writing, nor do others. But Osgood does tire of reading essays that don’t share anything meaningful, like “really dry descriptive things and telling us what happened without being reflective.”

The college essay can help, and sometimes it can hurt. Jim Cotter, the Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Michigan State University in East Lansing, has worked inside the world of admission for more than three decades. The essay, he explains, can help a student who is on the cusp get into MSU. “At a highly selective school,” he says, “a poor statement can make the difference between being admitted or not.”

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•   How to Write an Effective, Powerful Personal Statement
•   Don't Use Your English Paper as a College Essay
•   6 of the Worst College Admission Essay Myths You Shouldn't Listen To
•   What NOT to Do in Your College Application Essay
•   How to Write About Yourself the Right Way in Your College Essays

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How to Write a College Essay: The Personal Statement and Writing Supplement

March 31, 2021 (updated november 13, 2023) | estimated read time: 8.5 minutes.

By Rachel Blakley

Whether you are applying to college through The Common Application or directly from the college’s website, you will be asked to write a college essay, sometimes called the personal statement. Here, we will explore how to write a college admission essay you feel proud of by exploring tips from college admissions counselors and looking at college essay examples for admission.

The Basics: How to Write a College Essay

Before we talk about how to write a college admission essay, let’s take a step back and talk about the process and how to set yourself up for success.

Start early

It may be intimidating to sit in front of a blank computer page and start writing, so think about gathering your thoughts in a different format. Before you sit down to write, consider taking notes on your phone or on sticky notes around your room as ideas come to you. When you do sit down to write, try laying out your ideas in an outline first and then draft it into complete sentences later. Breaking down the process in this way can be less daunting and will allow you to focus on the topic and the most important part of the essay—YOU!

Schedule time to write

No matter how hard you try, there will always be something that seems more pressing than sitting down to write your essay. As you prepare for your college application process, schedule time into your day to write. Find a quiet, distraction-free space, and write your thoughts down. Whether you just work on a few sentences or you’re able to write the bulk of your essay, you’ll be glad you set time aside once it comes time to submit your applications.

Read the instructions

This is the most simple yet possibly the most important part of the essay-writing process. You want to read each part of your application carefully, including the essay prompt. If you submit something that doesn’t follow directions, the admissions counselors may assume you won’t know how to follow directions, and it could affect your chances of getting into your desired school.

The Common Application

The Common Application, known as Common App, is accepted by more than 900 schools , and helps streamline the tedious process of applying for colleges. Information, including your name, address, grades, extracurriculars, and parental employment, will just be entered one time so you don’t have to spend extra time inputting this in multiple applications.

It’s a good idea to start your Common Application around August 1, when applications open up. This will give you enough time to get all of your background information in and explore any questions you have before you get ready to start your senior year. The essay you will write in the Common App will be used by all colleges you choose to apply to, so it’s important to keep your essay broad but specific to yourself.

When you apply via the Common Application you will be asked to write an essay responding to one of seven prompts . Be sure to read each prompt carefully and choose the one that speaks to you the most or the one you feel you have the most to write about.

Editing the College Essay: Dos and Don’ts

Before we get into tips for college application essays, we want to make sure we don’t skip over an important step in the writing process. It is essential that you go into your essay-writing process with the expectation that you will write multiple drafts of your essay. Admissions counselors are expecting your best work, so you don’t want to submit a first draft.

There are many options when it comes to editing your essay. You can have a parent or guardian read your essay if you feel they are capable of giving good feedback, you could seek outside help from a paid service, and you can ask peers or teachers to help edit your essay. Any of these choices can be a good option, but just be sure to not let anyone overedit your essay. You still want it to sound like yourself.

Things to look for when editing your essay

Edits can be done in a couple of rounds, and while you want to make sure your essay is perfect, that doesn’t mean each draft needs to be perfect. Your first draft should get all of your ideas onto paper. Your second draft should sharpen up your ideas and focus on your content. Show, don't tell. Your third and final draft should be checked for grammatical errors, spelling, and punctuation.

When you receive feedback from someone editing your essay, take each suggestion for what it is—a suggestion. The important things to remember are to keep the essay in your voice, the way you would say it, and not to let someone rewrite your essay for you.

College Essay Tips from Admissions Counselors

When you’re learning how to write a college essay, it can be helpful to hear directly from the source who will be reading your work. We talked to two Babson College Admissions Counselors: Jared Pierce, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, and Eric Laboissonniere, former Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions. Here are their top tips for college admissions essays.

• “ Keep it simple. My favorite essays have consistently been those essays that are about the seemingly most mundane and ordinary aspects of an applicant’s life—it is these topics that often showcase a student in the best light.”
• “ Don’t write what you think we want to hear, write about YOU —your passions, what excites you, life experiences that have shaped you into the young adult you’ve become.”
• “ Use the essays as an opportunity to share something about yourself that you may not already have shared in the rest of your application.”
• “ It’s all about the hook! A catchy opening line, when used properly, can do wonders for an essay, baiting the reader to hang on the edge of every sentence.”
• “Don’t restrict yourself with the traditional three- or five-paragraph essay. This is a great opportunity to express yourself creatively and take some risks. Structure your essay in the way that you feel will best tell your story!”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
• “Choose a topic that might not be as easy to see in your application.” Maybe you have a hobby that doesn’t show up on your transcript. Your essay is the place to talk about that passion and show your authentic self.
• “Don’t stress.”

Babson College essay examples for admission

If you’ve read all you can about how to write a college essay but you still can’t seem to get your writing juices flowing, check out some college essay examples for admission from our recent graduates.

“When it comes to defining yourself, no one knows you better than yourself, so don’t be afraid. You don’t have to package yourself into an ideal student, because there isn’t one; you just have to tell them who you are.”​

Writing Prompt:  Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

“...everyone believes the world’s greatest lie.” A boy asked, “What’s the world’s greatest lie?” “It’s that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie”  –The Alchemist.

I was in Mr. Franklin’s World Literature class as he brought Paulo Coelho’s words to life. For me, there was no one point in which my life became controlled by fate. Instead I believed my life was shaped by my ethnicity and the world I grew up in. Mr. Franklin prompted me to take control of my life rather than let fate, and the world’s greatest lie, control who I am.

I had believed fate was the only thing that could explain the near impossibility of my parents falling in love. My dad from Taiwan and my mother from Korea, they traveled separately to Australia to learn English. Neither’s English was very good, but they met and found common ground speaking Japanese. A few years later, my mom was wondering what to call her next baby and “Demi” stood out, mainly because Demi has no “l,” “n,” or “f,” so it was easy for both my parents to pronounce.

Demi fits me in so many other ways too. Demi represents how my Korean and Taiwanese sides meet in the middle of the American culture in which I study. As I learned how others saw me, it seemed impossible to find a definite answer for who I am. Half did not mean one foot in two cultures; it meant each foot stepping quickly over the hot coals of each culture; I never fit in anywhere.

In Korea, I am often made aware that I am not Korean “enough.” While shopping, store clerks seem to intuitively understand I am not entirely Korean—speaking English to me or turning to my mom to answer questions I had asked. I speak fluent Korean and wondered what “gave me away” as a foreigner; looking in the mirror, I suspected my undyed black hair in a sea of trendy brown hair was the culprit. Surprisingly, once I dyed my hair, I was more accepted as Korean.

Yet, the minute I started to find my bearings in the Korean half of my life, my grasp of the other eluded me. When I returned to Taiwan where jet black hair is fashionable, people negatively viewed my lightly colored hair—leading to the surreal feeling of being treated as an outsider in my hometown. Even my fluent Mandarin was not enough to shake the assumptions of some. Demi, cutting across two cultures, left me with two seemingly incompatible halves.

Eventually, doodling helped me understand how artificial boundaries are. I saw how my creativity often went beyond borders, something instinctive inside me that resisted limitations. During my summer internship with the Bach Institute, a Taipei-based music conservatory, my ability to cross cultures through art found expression in the commemorative T-shirt I designed for performers of the Chelsea Music Festival to mark their trip to Taipei. Uniting the imagery of Taipei and New York in my design allowed me to explore how the cultural forces of Taiwan, Korea, and my American education have shaped my creative expression.​

Growing up between two borders in a world in which everyone else tried to define who I am, Demi has come to represent the whole of me; two sides that may not always be in harmony, but the tension inherent in my identity has empowered me to assert my independence. Mr. Franklin’s speech reminded me that half of life is where you come from and the other half is finding who you want to become. When Mr. Franklin finished reading, I realized that I’m the writer of my story—someone who does not believe the world’s greatest lie.

“More often than not, seemingly insignificant events or experiences can best exemplify your passions and personality. Instead of just asking ‘how’ an event has shaped your life, try asking ‘why’ you have become the person you are today.”

Writing Prompt:  Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.​

My mother was 15 years old when I was born.

My father has been in prison since my first birthday. He is not coming home.

When I was younger, I would go on the long drive with my father’s family to visit him. At first, I enjoyed the two hour long rides; they were adventures. Soon enough, however, those two hours began to feel like two years—I did not want to see him anymore. I did not want to deal with the awkwardness of pretending to be a family and ignoring the fact that he had killed another human being. He was the hero in their stories, but from my mother’s tears, I knew soon enough he was much less than the courageous hero they made him out to be.

My father’s family could not accept that I wanted to be as far away from their world of ignorance and verbal abuse as possible. I put up walls to keep them out. It seemed everyone did what they thought was best for me, but never once did they ask how I felt. Eventually, I decided I did not want to exhaust myself trying to care for my identity against their expectations. I closed myself off from the world in order to save myself from drowning in the confusion, manipulation, and emotional drama I battled every day.

Over time, this became too difficult. The mental torture of feeling lost in my own mind was worse than what awaited outside of the walls. This past September, I faced one of the tallest and widest walls: my name. For nearly 17 years, I lived with my father’s name—“Reyes.” I was Angellica Reyes. I am now Angellica Diaz. More aware of my past and the realities of my life, I chose to sever off the only connection to my father I had left, his name. I was now the “villain” of his family’s stories. Yet, I believed this action would finally release me from my walls because it would erase my past. I wanted to forget that I had wasted 17 years shutting myself away. All my life I had believed I found strength in silence and reservation. Now, I am deeply ashamed that it took me 17 years to realize vulnerability is the truest measure of our strength and character.

I regret my silence.

I understand now that a name can not fix the void I have created for myself. I know these walls will hold me for years to come, but today I acknowledge that I will always be a product of the past. What matters is I am still searching for that place that exists free from the walls. Today, I do not allow spite or hate to faze me or my visions for the world. I am grounded and balanced. From living in the shadow of ignorance I am now driven to change the lives of others, to inspire with peace and compassion. I am fighting hunger and food waste in my community, I will soon start teaching yoga classes to underprivileged children, and I hope to start a healthy lifestyle education program at my local youth center.

My confidence stems from the understanding that as an active agent, the world I envision is the world that will be. I am still breaking through a world blocked behind walls but no longer do I wait for the world to change. Every day I challenge my family’s categorization of my place in the world.

Today, I will not wait for anyone’s approval. I am not coming home.

“If your essay is taking you awhile to write: stop. Your brain is letting you know that you have selected the wrong topic to write about. The essay should flow, from your mind to your fingertips, with ease.”

Writing Prompt:  Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.​

My name is Oussama. Yes, it is pronounced Osama. Growing up with this name, especially post 9-11, was not easy. Although it’s spelled differently, the reaction produced is still the same. I will always remember the painful first days of every new school year, but I particularly recall my first day of eighth grade. I dreaded morning attendance. As the teacher moved down her roster, past the L’s and the M’s, my heart thumped furiously. With the O’s looming closer, I wanted to grow smaller. When she got to my name, she paused for what seemed like an eternity. A look of confusion crossed her face, and then her mouth writhed in a feeble attempt to say my name: Oussama Ouadani. I meekly mumbled a “here.” Shocked, all of the students swiveled in their seats to gawk at me, and a few muffled snickers arose from the edges of the class. Eyes probed my Algerian features, and I sat with cheeks ablaze, wondering what they made of me. I remember going home and crying, wishing that I had a “normal” name, or at the least, a middle name I could use. It became so unbearable that I even questioned my parents’ choice to name me Oussama. Looking back, I realize that these awkward days of school have revealed a great deal to me about human nature.

My name in Arabic means the lion, the brave. To others, I’ve found out, it may mean a whole host of things. I work at Staples, where I wear a name badge that openly states who I am. I get different reactions to it each day. Some people get nervous as a result of my nametag. They glance at it surreptitiously, and then delicately look back at me. Some people are more blatant about it and stare, shamelessly, at my nametag. Some question it, curious about its pronunciation and its roots. Some try to sympathize with the troubles my name has brought me. But then there are those, a very select few, who simply call me “Oussama.” Even though it is such a basic form of respect, it always catches me off guard. It makes me feel normal. I don’t want people to be afraid of my name, or falsely sympathize with me. I simply wish to be me.

Although my name has been an object of hardship, it has also been my greatest teacher. It has put me in positions characterized by emotions ranging from irritation to humiliation. However, I believe these situations have served as the catalyst for my growth in character, and as result, I am a more resilient person. The fact that I no longer want to change my name proves this. My name also acts as a portal through which I can empathize with others. I grasp what it means to truly respect someone, to the core, so they feel important. I appreciate what it means to feel ostracized. I know what it’s like to be shamed by others, and how it feels to reject your own name, your sole identifier, your individuality. Being laughed at has taught me not to laugh at others. Being shunned has taught me to open my arms to others. Being pitied, I’ve learned not to pity others. I try my best to consider the struggles of others, and why their actions and words may be the product of a storied past. I sympathize with the shy, the loud, and the attention seekers. It has allowed me to acknowledge that potentially everyone has a secret fear or personal struggle that I might not know about. My name is an integral component of who I am, for not only does it reflect my cultural heritage and lend me a visionary quality, but it also represents an eternal gift from my parents.

“My advice to prospective students is to really think about what your application is missing—​what you can write about that brings personality to all the parts the evaluators have in front of them. The essay is your chance to give evaluators some insight of who you are, not only as a student, but as a person.”

Christmas has always made me happy. The mountains are glossed by snow as the nearby branches hang low from the weight of the recent blizzard. The smell of fresh Maine pine trees and burning wood fill the crisp air. My family decorates the tree humming along to James Taylor’s Christmas album. But above all else, at the focal point of every Sheehan Christmas, is my favorite Christmas movie,  It’s A Wonderful Life .

The movie follows the life of George Bailey, who, after many years of selflessness runs into a financial crisis. As George begins to act out, family and friends ask God to help him through his tough times. In response, God sends an angel named Clarence to sort out the issue. George asks to see a world in which he was never born to which Clarence reluctantly obliges. In this new George-less world, George witnesses a dreary, alternative universe in which all of his family and friends lead miserable lives. Seeing this allows George to see how important his life actually is and he begs God to let him live again. The story is meant to show people what is truly meaningful in life—that, whether they realize it or not, one person’s actions can cause a positive ripple effect in the lives of so many.

To say this movie is my personal Bible is an understatement.  It’s A Wonderful Life  has been the centerpiece of many dinner conversations and family gatherings. I try to bring it up as often as possible because it gives me an appreciation for the lives of those around me. Each person’s life touches so many, and when that person isn’t around, there’s an awful hole that can’t be filled.

Certainly there are other influences in my life, but none have quite affected my definition of what it means to live well. I have the choice to be an integral part of everyone’s life. The movie particularly made me curious about people’s passions and caused me to do a lot of self-reflection. I couldn’t remember the last time I asked the people closest to me what it was that made them happiest; I couldn’t tell you their favorite things, or much about their personal lives. These were some of the most important people in my life and I couldn’t even understand why they were the way they were. There’s a difference between knowing someone on the surface and truly knowing who they are.  It’s A Wonderful Life  encouraged me to delve into the lives of those around me.

There’s a line from another great movie,  Patch Adams , that says: “Our job is to improve the quality of life, not just delay death.” The message resonates well with what  It’s A Wonderful Life  did for me. It’s easy to get caught up in our personal lives and not worry about the surrounding world. But what’s easy is not always what’s best. My biggest fear is to have the opposite effect that George Bailey had—If I were to not be a part of the world, that nobody’s life would be different. So I’ve dedicated my life to making sure that every day I seek to improve the quality of life of those around me.

Every person I’ve met, every relationship I’ve had, every hello I’ve said, my actions stem from the lessons I’ve learned in  It’s A Wonderful Life . I now realize that I can have a serious impact on the lives of those around me. I’m more curious, I’m more engaging, I’m more positive in my relationships with other people all because of a two hour and fifteen minute Christmas movie. Every year, as the snow begins to fall, as the temperature drops, as I set up my family’s nativity scene, I can’t help but feel excitement knowing that it’s time to watch  It’s A Wonderful Life  again, the movie that changed my life.

The Babson Writing Supplements

When you apply to Babson with The Common Application you will be asked to submit two writing supplements in response to the following prompts:

The Babson education prepares students for all types of careers across business, entrepreneurship, social innovation, and more. Tell us about your interest in this area of study and in Babson specifically.

You are invited to respond with either a traditional essay (500 words maximum) OR a one-minute video. Whichever you choose, no preference is given to either format in admission decisions.

A defining element of the Babson experience is learning and thriving in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives and interests. Please share something about your background, lived experiences, or viewpoint(s) that speaks to how you will contribute to and learn from Babson's collaborative community.  

Please respond to this prompt with an essay (250 words maximum).

Good Communication Skills Are Critical to Your Success

Whether you’ve come here to learn about how to write a college essay or to learn more about Babson College’s admissions process, we encourage you to check out Babson’s one-of-a-kind education that balances action, experimentation, and creativity. From day one, students learn by doing through immersive, hands-on experiences that complement our innovative, rigorous academic curriculum.

Effective communication is critical in business. Babson offers highly regarded courses in writing and public speaking to prepare our students for the challenges of the business world so that they are best equipped to lead.

Learn more about Babson College admission requirements .

Take the Next Step Today!

Interested in learning more about Babson College admission requirements ?

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ED vs EA vs RD: What is the Best Way to Apply?

College and Career Advice for High School Students

Looking for more guidance? We’ve compiled our best advice on college admission, career planning, and more to help you get your questions answered and start your journey. 

U.S. News & World Report

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/how-to-write-a-college-essay https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/common-app https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2019-04-24/college-essay-examples-how-to-write-your-story

https://admissions.tufts.edu/blogs/inside-admissions/post/the-only-four-college-essay-writing-tips-youll-ever-need/

About the Author

Rachel Blakley is a copywriter and digital marketing professional. An alumna of Purdue University, she has worked with startups, associations, direct-to-consumer businesses, and B2B brands across the country to improve their content strategy.

Like this article? Have a suggestion? To contact our team with comments or article ideas, send us a note at [email protected] .

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Tips for Writing a Winning College Application Essay

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• Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania
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Nearly all colleges rate application essays as either important or very important in their admissions process. A poorly executed essay can cause a stellar student to get rejected. On the flip side, exceptional application essays can help students with marginal scores get into the schools of their dreams. The tips below will help you win big with your essay.

Avoid the List on Your Application Essay

Many college applicants make the mistake of trying to include all of their accomplishments and activities in their application essays . Such essays read like what they are: tedious lists. Other parts of the application provide plenty of space for you to list extracurricular activities, so save your lists for the places where they belong.

The most engaging and compelling essays tell a story and have a clear focus. Through carefully chosen detail, your writing should reveal your passions and expose your personality. A thoughtful and detailed narration of a difficult time in your life tells far more about you than a list of competitions won and honors achieved. Your grades and scores show that you’re smart. Use your essay to show that you’re thoughtful and mature, that your personality has depth.

Reveal Your Character

Along with the essay, most colleges rate "character and personal qualities" as extremely important in their admissions decisions. Your character shows up in three places on the application: the interview (if you have one), your involvement in extracurricular activities , and your essay. Of the three, the essay is the most immediate and illuminating to the admissions folks as they read through thousands of applications. Remember, colleges aren’t looking solely for straight "A"s and high SAT scores. They are looking for good citizens for their campus communities.

From the Admissions Desk

"The best personal statements are about the student, not the event, person, or situation that they are describing. The more we can learn about what they value in their lives, the better."

–Kerr Ramsay Vice President for Undergraduate Admissions, High Point University

Add a Touch of Humor 

While it's important to be thoughtful and mature, you don't want your college application essay to be too heavy. Try to lighten up the essay with a clever metaphor, a well-placed witticism, or a little self-deprecating humor. But don't overdo it. The essay that is filled with bad puns or off-color jokes will often end up in the rejection pile. Also, humor isn't a substitute for substance. Your primary task is to answer the essay prompt thoughtfully; the smile you bring to your reader's lips is just a bonus (and a tear can sometimes be effective too). Many students have been rejected for failing to take the prompt seriously and writing essays that end up being more foolish than clever.

Focus on Tone

Not just humor, but the overall tone of your application essay is remarkably important. It's also difficult to get right. When you are asked to write about your accomplishments, those 750 words on how great you are can make you sound like a braggart. Be careful to balance your pride in your achievements with humility and generosity towards others. You also want to avoid sounding like a whiner; use your essay to show off your skills, not to explain the injustices that lead to your low math score or failure to graduate #1 in your class.

Mechanics Matter

Grammatical problems, punctuation errors, and spelling mistakes can hurt your chance of being accepted. When excessive, these errors are distracting and make your application essay difficult to understand. Even a few errors, however, can be a strike against you. They show a lack of care and quality control in your written work, and your success in college partly depends upon strong writing skills.

If English isn't your greatest strength, seek help. Ask a favorite teacher to go over the essay with you, or find a friend with strong editorial skills. If you can't find expert help, there are many online essay services that can provide a careful critique of your writing.

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• Common Application Essay, Option 1: Share Your Story
• Tips for an Admissions Essay on an Influential Person
• Sample Short Answer Essay on Running
• Tips for Writing an Essay on an Event That Led to Personal Growth
• How to Write a Great College Application Essay Title
• College Application Essay - The Job I Should Have Quit
• Striking Out: Sample Common Application Essay
• Should an Application Essay Be Single-Spaced or Double-Spaced?
• 5 Tips for a College Admissions Essay on an Important Issue
• "Gym Class Hero" - a Common Application Essay Sample for Option #3
• How to Write an Outstanding College Application Essay

5 Things to Remember About your College Essay

How to make a remarkable college essay: tips.

• Each story is unique. You don't have to be a genius, find cure from cancer or get a Nobel prize to have a remarkable background. There's something interesting in everyone;
• Remember about your strengths. An essay writer can help to make you best qualities shine like a diamond. You have skills, he has abilities to make a good story about them;
• Doing everything alone is a bad idea.
• Stick to the format. You should know the proper length of the essay, correct format of format, choose your words wisely and show your personality from the best possible angle. That's what essay writing service can do for you.
• Don't lie and don't copy. The aim of the writing is to tell the story of yourself, not use someone's background or thoughts.

Advantages of essay writing service

First, it makes things faster. The first aim of essay help is to prevent you from hard and mostly pointless job - looking how to make a correct piece of writing instead of expressing your ideas.

Second, you'll be surprised how precise an essay rewriter can rephrase your own ideas into a remarkable writing! Why choose the complicated and unknown words, why spending countless time over a couple of sentences? Get your essay done!

Third, and it's typical for every best essay writing service: you get a flawless result. Proper introduction, necessary length, fonts and even format. No need to look everywhere how to make it right.

Services for making essays are widely used by applicants. Statistics show that the search "write my essay for me" is one of the most popular. Still want to do everything yourself? Be ready to compete with real professionals, because modern students avoid unnecessary workload when there's an easy way.

An important recommendation for each student

Before sending file to college admission committee you should proofread the work. It would help to find mistakes and correct them. Try to look at the work with the easy of another person. What do you like in this essay? What could have been better? Ask yourself questions to decide whether this idea or a thought is necessary here. That will add more chances!

SAT Myths vs Facts

The SAT is valued globally by K–12 and higher education. Nearly 2 million students in the class of 202 3 took the SAT, more than any other standardized assessment.   

Myth #1: The SAT is a barrier for students in the college admissions process.    

Fact: SAT scores help many students show their strengths to colleges and scholarship providers.    

The SAT measures the math, reading, and writing skills students are learning in high school—the same skills and knowledge needed for success in college and career.       

In 2023, 1.3 million U.S. high school graduates had SAT scores that validated or exceeded their high school GPAs—meaning their scores were a point of strength in their college applications ( College Board, 2023 ) . Among these students, 440,000 were African American and Latino, 350,000 were first-generation college students, and 250,000 were from rural communities.        

Students can opt in to Student Search Service TM when they take the SAT on the weekend. Students who participate in Search receive 29% more college admissions offers than those who don’t, and when colleges reach out through Search college outcomes are improved—especially for underrepresented student groups ( College Board, 2022 ; Howell et al., 2021 ).  

Myth #2: The SAT is biased against socioeconomically disadvantaged students.    

Fact: SAT performance differences are not a product of test bias but reflect genuine inequalities in K–12 education.    

In all academic measures, including grades, students from wealthier backgrounds have advantages long before taking college admission exams ( Reardon & Portilla, 2016 ).  

Research shows differences in family wealth only slightly affect SAT scores (  Chetty et al., 2020 ).  

While the SAT is a standardized, objective measure of achievement, other parts of a college admission application—like essays, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and availability of advanced coursework—are more skewed by income. (e.g., Alvero et al., 2021 ; Camara & Schmidt, 1999 ; Kim et al., 2024 ; Marini et al., 2018 ; O’Boyle & McDaniel, 2009 ; Park et al., 2023 ; Zwick, 2002 ).      

SAT questions are carefully developed and rigorously reviewed for evidence of bias and any question that could favor one group over another is discarded.        

Colleges consider SAT scores within the context of where students live and go to school, and an SAT score should never be a veto on a student’s plans or ambitions.       

Myth #3: Expensive test prep is the only way for students to raise their scores.    

Fact: Effective preparation for the SAT doesn’t need to be expensive.    

Students taking the digital SAT have access to 6 full-length practice tests in Bluebook—the same application students use on test day.       

One of the most widely used SAT practice resources is free, and come s from a yearslong partnership between College Board and Khan Academy®—now called Official Digital SAT Prep on Khan Academy.       

Research shows that students can achieve similar gains to expensive test prep just by retaking the SAT. (Becker, 1990 ; Briggs, 2005 ; DerSimonian & Laird, 1983 ; Powers & Rock, 1999 .)

References  

Alvero, A. J., Giebel, S., Gebre-Medhin, B., Antonio, A. L., Stevens, M. L., & Domingue, B. W. (2021). Essay content and style are strongly related to household income and SAT scores: Evidence from 60,000 undergraduate applications.  Science Advances,   7 (42). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abi9031 .  

Becker, B. J. (1990). Coaching for the Scholastic Aptitude Test: Further synthesis and appraisal. Review of Educational Research, 60 , 373–417.  

Briggs, D. C. (2005). Meta-Analysis: A Case Study.  Evaluation Review ,  29 (2), 87–127.     

Camara, W. J., & Schmidt, A. E. (1999). Group Differences in Standardized Testing and Social Stratification ( College Board Research Report No. 99-5 ). New York: The College Board.  

Chetty, R., Friedman, J. N., Saez, E., Turner, N., & Yagan, D. (2020). Income segregation and intergenerational mobility across colleges in the United States. The Quarterly Journal of Economics , 135 (3), 1567–1633.  

College Board. (2022). New Research Links Student Search Service Participation to More College Admission Offers (All Access). Retrieved from https://allaccess.collegeboard.org/new-research-links-student-search-service-participation-more-college-admission-offers .  

College Board. (2023). SAT® Scores and High School Grades: The Benefits of Multiple Academic Measures (College Board Research Note) . New York: College Board.  

DerSimonian , R., & Laird, N. M. (1983). Evaluating the effect of coaching on SAT scores: A meta-analysis.  Harvard Educational Review, 53 (1), 1–15.  

Howell, J., Hurwitz, M., Mabel, Z., & Smith, J. (2021). Participation in Student Search Service® Is Associated with Higher College Enrollment and Completion ( College Board Research Report ). New York: College Board.  

Kim, B. H., Park, J. J., Lo, P., Baker, D. J., Wong, N., Breen, S., Truong, H., Zheng, J., Ochs Rosinger, K., & Poon, OY. (2024). Inequity and College Applications: Assessing Differences and Disparities in Letters of Recommendation from School Counselors with Natural Language Processing . ( EdWorkingPaper 24-953). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/pmv2-r349 .  

Marini, J. P., Shaw, E. J., Young, L., & Ewing, M. (2018). Getting to Know Your Criterion: Examining College Course Grades and GPAs over Time ( College Board Research Report ). New York: The College Board.  

O'Boyle, E. H., Jr., & McDaniel, M. A. (2009). Criticisms of employment testing: A commentary. In R. P. Phelps (Ed.),  Correcting fallacies about educational and psychological testing  (pp. 181–197). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.  

Park, J. J., Kim, B. H., Wong, N., Zheng, J., Breen, S., Lo, P., Baker, D. J., Ochs Rosinger, K., Nguyen, M. H., & Poon, OY. (2023). Inequality Beyond Standardized Tests: Trends in Extracurricular Activity Reporting in College Applications Across Race and Class ( EdWorkingPaper 23-749). Providence, RI: Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai23-749.pdf  

Powers, D. E., & Rock, D. A. (1999). Effects of coaching on SAT I: Reasoning Test scores.  Journal of Educational Measurement, 36 (2), 93–118.  

Reardon, S.F., & Portilla, X.A. (2016). “Recent Trends in Income, Racial, and Ethnic School Readiness Gaps at Kindergarten Entry.”  AERA Open  2(3):1-18.  

Zwick, R. (2002). Fair game? The use of standardized admissions tests in higher education . New York: Routledge.  

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From Dr. Douglas Christiansen, Vice Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions at Vanderbilt University:

The essay is the one opportunity each student has to give a college or university insight into his or her innermost thoughts, aspirations, dreams, and personal realities. It is to the student’s advantage to use this opportunity to let admissions officers see beyond the test scores and grades. Students can explain why there may have been a lapse in grades or other important life events that have changed their high-school careers. More important than the experience is what the student reveals about how the experience has changed his/her life, how (s)he has grown and made different choices as a result of the experience, and how (s)he has improved his or her corner of the world as a result. Through the essay, regardless of the topic, it is possible to enlighten the reader regarding choices that have led to personal growth, involvement, and success or failure as a result. Through the essay, the admissions officers should be able to see more clearly the intangible characteristics of the applicant: honesty, integrity, commitment, ethical choices, perseverance, empathy, and leadership. When the number of applications is in the thousands, and the admit rate is only 10 – 15% of those applications, explaining why one student is different than all the rest is key – the essay is the opportunity to do just that!

From Stacey Kostell, Assistant Provost and Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Illinois:

When writing your application essays, it is vital that you answer the question asked and address any specific criteria noted. I’ve read thousands of essays and have realized that there are the five factors shared by all successful applicants.

Be prepared. Slow down and fully consider the questions and your answers. You should then create an outline, write a first draft, and edit multiple times.

Be personal. Provide specific examples of your experiences and goals. Generalizations do not help the admissions committee get a sense of who you are and why you’ll make the most of your time at the university.

Be direct. Choose your words wisely in order to clearly state your message. Many universities have a word limit on responses, whichmeans there is no room for fluff.

Be focused. There is no need to repeat your transcript. Instead, share how your qualifications will be a benefit to you at the university.

Be professional. Submit the best possible essays, free of spelling and grammatical errors. You should proofread and edit them yourself; however, request critiques from counselors, teachers, and your parents. It’s always helpful to have feedback from readers.

From Courtney McAnuff, Vice President of Enrollment at Rutgers University:

This is the one time it really is all about you; colleges want to know what makes you unique. The essay is a critical component for our holistic review. Express yourself honestly. Review the essay question, and jot down your immediate responses. Don’t Google the question to see what others have written for their essays. If you can’t resist, at least write your outline first, and stay true to yourself in the final version. The requested essay topics reflect each college’s interests in shaping their incoming class. Writing on the requested essay topic should interest you. Be sure you answer the specific topic; don’t just tweak a generic essay. If the topic doesn’t engage you, think about why that college is one of your choices. Do submit the essay exactly how the school requested it. The care you take in following directions can be seen by the school as an indicator of what type of student you are now. Try to do everything at least two weeks before the deadline to cover every computer crash/power outage/school closing possibility.

From James Nondorf, Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of Chicago:

For many colleges and universities, the essays are a crucial element of the application process. They provide you with a chance to let admissions officers get to know you beyond just your transcripts and test scores. The most important part of any college admissions essay, then, is to write something you believe truly represents your unique voice—something that, beyond demonstrating your competencies as a writer, also displays your ability to be a creative and critical thinker and to make unique contributions to an academic community. First and foremost, it’s important to respond directly to the prompt given (admissions officers can tell when you’re fudging and trying to write your way into a different essay topic), but beyond that, creativity is key. Don’t settle for the first idea that comes to mind or the first draft you put to paper. Keep revising until you feel you have an essay that reflects your original perspective. And, really, you should try to have fun with your essays—exercise your sense of humor, write about something you’re passionate about, and write in a way you find inspiring. The more you enjoy writing your essay, the more we’ll enjoy reading it.

From Kasey Urquidez, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at The University of Arizona:

Your statement gives you the opportunity to show the college or university to which you are applying a chance to learn more about you. While your academic preparation is very important, your statement will help you shine.

Taking time to write your best statement before submitting is important. Here are a few tips as you write your statement:

• Be yourself.
• Focus on one topic and making an impression. What will be remembered?
• Use appropriate, yet colorful, vivid language to express yourself.
• Be descriptive.
• Share new information. Reiterating what you already included in your application is not very helpful.
• Provide a strong opening and closing. You will want your reader to want to know more from your opening and remember you from your closing.
• Know your audience. Admissions representatives from diverse backgrounds of all ages will read your statement.
• Read the instructions carefully and pay attention to word limits.
• Write a rough draft.
• Do not rely on spell check.
• Read your statement aloud to help you “hear” what it will sound like to others.
• Select a few people you trust to proof read your work.
• Submit once you're completely satisfied!

From Jarrid James Whitney, Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at California Institute of Technology:

When applying to colleges, I often remind students that their responses to the essay prompts are, in essence, like a personal interview with the admissions committee. That is, they should open up about what’s important to them and cover topics that are meaningful, and specifically address important items that may not come up in the rest of the application or even stress other parts of the application.

The essays are really a reflection of who an applicant is, and thus the student’s voice is critical. Often times students get others to help them craft their responses, which is fine, but I also remind students not to lose the essence of who they are. The story still has to be their own.

It is also very important that the student make sure they tie the essay back to themselves. Students tend to get caught up in a great story about another person, place, or thing, and forget they need to bring it back to why that person, place or thing is important to them. Also, remember that the short answer responses are just as significant to an admissions committee as the long personal statements.

Finally, students need to take time in preparing their responses. Most essays will probably go through many drafts, which is expected, since writing is truly an art. Ultimately, colleges are looking for the right fit so hopefully those essays can help to confirm if the college, and the student, are a match.

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Essay writing tips.

As a former English and Spanish major, I have written a lot of essays. A lot. And as an admissions counselor, I’ve had the opportunity to read more essays than I’ve written in my entire life.

I really enjoy reading and writing (and even editing) essays, so for this post I thought I’d give you all some essay writing tips. I was initially planning to specifically focus on college application essays, but since it’s the end of the school year and many of you are probably working on final essays for some of your classes, I thought I’d broaden my advice a little bit. Hopefully you’ll find each of these tips helpful, whether you’re working on an essay for an English class or for a college application!

• Make sure you actually answer the prompt. This piece of advice might seem very obvious, but it’s something that often trips people up. I’ve read several essays where people don’t actually answer the question that was posed. I’ve even been guilty of this at times. There are a lot of things you have to focus on when you write an essay: structure, gathering details, grammar, etc. Sometimes people get so focused on all of those things that they never end up actually answering the prompt, or they briefly address the prompt and then veer off to talk about something that’s only tangentially related. One way of tackling this problem that I’ve found helpful is making sure to write your thesis statement before you write any other part of the essay. Depending on the type of essay you’re writing, this thesis may be a little bit vaguer or a little bit more explicit; the important thing is that your essay does have a central “point.” Once you’ve done that, ask yourself: “Does this thesis statement answer the prompt?” If it does, you’re on the right track! From there, each time you finish a paragraph, come back to that thesis statement and make sure that what you’ve written supports it. You may end up needing to tweak your thesis as you write and examine your evidence more closely (this almost always happens to me), but each time you do, double-check to make sure that it still answers the essay’s prompt.
• Don’t skip the pre-writing process. Before I write an essay, I always take some time to outline. First, I try to come up with a rough number of paragraphs that I want my essay to be. From there, I make a note of the evidence I’ll be using for each paragraph and write a brief description for myself of how I’m planning to use that evidence in my argument. This may seem like extra work, but it actually saves a lot of time later on in the process. You don’t have to think about what you should be doing next while you’re writing, which saves you from having your writing flow interrupted. Outlining also helps you stay on track and keeps you from repeating points you’ve already used earlier in the essay or leaving important things out. No matter what kind of essay you’re writing, outlining is sure to make the overall process easier.
• Do at least one round of edits. It drives me absolutely crazy when people tell me that they submitted a first draft without even looking it over once. One time, I edited nine different drafts of a paper before I turned it in (my friends still make fun of me about this to this day). I wouldn’t recommend doing this, but there is a happy medium to be found between nine drafts and one draft. To state the obvious, giving an essay at least a second read will help you catch small errors like grammar mistakes. It can also help you notice problems with the content. Hopefully you won’t have to do a complete overhaul with your second draft, but even doing some light editing can make the paper a million times better.
• Start early. If you want to write a second draft, it’s important to give yourself enough time to do so. I know it’s easier said than done to start something early. I can procrastinate with the best of them, but starting an essay early makes things easier all around. In addition to having enough time to do a second draft, you’ll also be less stressed. One of my biggest regrets to this day is not starting my college application essays earlier. I could have saved myself a lot of stress and worry by starting them a bit earlier in the school year, or maybe even toward the end of the summer before my senior year. The same thing applies to essays for school. It’s unlikely you’ll start working on any essays for your classes months in advance (unless it’s something like an IB Extended Essay), but even just starting to brainstorm ideas as soon as you get the prompt for an essay can make a huge difference.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but don’t let your voice get lost. Getting help with your essays is always a great idea. Whether you ask a peer or a teacher to look at an essay before you submit the final version, getting a second pair of eyes on something you’ve written is always helpful. When you write an essay, you can get so entrenched in the material that you’re not able to see the mistakes anymore. Having someone else look at the essay can help you catch errors and see things that aren’t necessarily bad but could use some improvement. It’s also important to make sure that you ask the appropriate person for advice. Another way of putting that is to think about who is the most qualified to look at a particular essay. For example, teachers and counselors are both great resources, but the former is probably a better person to ask for help with essays for class, while the latter is definitely who you should go to for help with college essays. With all of that being said, you also need to stay true to your own voice when you’re writing an essay. Taking the advice of others can be helpful, but at the end of the day, it should be your work and your unique voice that is showcased in the final product.
• Have fun with it! This can be easier said than done at times, but you should try your best to have fun with whatever it is you’re writing. Sometimes you might have to write about something that’s not super interesting to you, but try to find some way to psych yourself up and get excited. And if you do have a choice between multiple prompts (like for our Uncommon Essay ), don’t just go for the one that sounds the easiest. Go for the one that most stands out to you! I can tell you that my writing was always miles better when I was working on something that I was excited about.

There’s a lot more that goes into essay writing, so this list of tips isn’t exhaustive, but hopefully they are a good starting point (or reminder!) for you. Best of luck to all of you essay writers out there, no matter what you’re writing your essay for! Now get writing!

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College Essay Prompts: What Admissions Officers Are Really Looking For

EssayEdge > Blog > College Essay Prompts: What Admissions Officers Are Really Looking For

The college admissions process is a real source of stress for college applicants, and essay writing is one of its most challenging aspects. These prompts are more than just writing assignments. They are an opportunity to get a glimpse into a student’s personality, interests, and potential.

College admission essay prompts are quite numerous, however, choosing one to reveal one’s personality is challenging and vague. Even though it may be your first time writing this type of application, it needs to be done perfectly to get into college. For elite colleges, this essay is often the deciding factor for getting an interview.

Source: ResearchGate

Your college admission essay can make a big difference in whether you get accepted. The admissions committee looks closely at your personality, which they find important in their decision.

So what’s important to a good essay? What is your admissions committee looking for in it?

Table of Contents:

What are Essay Prompts for College Admission ?

An admissions essay is a 250 to 650-word long text in which you answer a specific question. Most universities and colleges require one main essay. However, schools may also ask for additional ones, such as “Why did you choose our university?” or “Describe a time when you overcame a challenge.” Some selective colleges may require up to four or five essays on a variety of topics. 

College Admission Essay Prompts 2025

The overall college admission prompts for 2024-2025 remain unchanged: 

• Tell us about your unique characteristic: “Is there something in your life, like an experience, personal trait, hobby, or talent, that’s so important your application wouldn’t be complete without it? If so, share your story.”
• The impact of hardship on your path: “Important lessons often come from difficult situations. Describe an instance when you encountered a difficulty, setback, or problem. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?”
• Rethinking beliefs: “Recall a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to do so? What were the consequences of your rethinking?”
• Actions for which you are grateful: “Share a situation when someone did something for you that struck you as kind or unexpected. How did that feeling of gratitude affect or motivate you?”
• Personal growth and Insight: “Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that was the beginning of your personal growth and led to a new understanding of yourself or others.”
• An exciting topic or idea: “Describe a topic, idea, or concept that fascinates you so much that you lose track of time while engaged in it. Why does it fascinate you? What sources or people do you turn to when you want to learn more?”
• Essay on any topic: “Write an essay on any topic that interests you. It can be an essay you’ve already written, a response to another admission essay prompts for college , or a brand new paper of your choice.”

What does the admissions committee expect from you?

The committee wants to understand who you are as a person. It includes your values, beliefs, life priorities, and character. The application should show your uniqueness and what sets you apart from other applicants. Your life experiences, culture, background, and hobbies can play a key role in demonstrating your personality. It would seem that this is the end of it, but no. The essay requires you to address your experiences, culture, etc in some way, this information must have a purpose and opportunity to appear. What do we mean by that? 

The admissions committee wants to see you can analyze your past experiences, draw conclusions, and learn from them. This helps you grow and develop, not stand still, and adapt to different situations. Reflection allows the student to better understand their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the aspects of life that motivate them and shape them as a person. This approach is important as colleges strive to accept students who are capable of not only learning but also contributing to the community. 

Testing critical thinking is also quite important. Admission essay prompts that encourage candidates to analyze situations, problems, or solutions help reveal their ability to reason, consider different points of view, and formulate sound conclusions. 

Here is a very short example of such an essay: 

“In my sophomore year, I faced a belief that had long driven me: that perfect grades were the only path to success. When I failed a major math exam, it shook my world. I was overwhelmed with shame, convinced that I was a failure. However, this setback made me question the idea that academic excellence was the sole measure of my worth.

As I reflected, I realized my obsession with grades had drained the joy from learning. I decided to shift my focus—exploring subjects that genuinely interested me and engaging in activities outside of academics. This change not only rekindled my passion for learning but also taught me the importance of balance and self-compassion.

This experience has reshaped my understanding of success, which I now see as a blend of personal well-being, relationships, and growth, rather than just academic achievements.”

College Essay Admission Prompts : What to Focus On?

Writing such an essay is still difficult because you should keep many things in your mind simultaneously to succeed. Don’t forget that the essay should also include: 

• Clarity of goals and ambitions

It is important to show that you have specific academic and career goals. The committee wants to see how the college and program you have chosen will help you achieve these goals. It is a realization of why you have chosen this particular academic path and how it fits into your future.

• Academic Motivation and Interests

Your passion for learning and desire to learn should also be evident. The Board wants to see that you are genuinely passionate about your chosen subject and are willing to learn more and more. Tell us how you have shown interest in a subject outside the school and program and participated in projects, research, or other academic activities.

• Empathy and Social Responsibility

It is important to show your ability to interact with others, work in a team, and show empathy. Colleges are looking for students who can contribute positively to the campus community, treat others with respect, and actively participate in team life.

• Well-organized and Structured Text

Your application should be organized and logically presented. Structure, consistency of thought, and correct use of language are key. This not only demonstrates your communication skills but also your ability to think critically.

• Sincerity and Authenticity

The committee will immediately sense if your application is insincere or written to give a false impression. Your essay should reflect your genuine thoughts and feelings, don’t try to guess what they “want to hear”. It is better to be honest and sincere than to try to fit the stereotype of the perfect candidate.

You can find more successful examples of college admission essay prompts from us. 

Bottom Line 

The college application essay is essential to the final decision . Your grades play an important role, but your personality may hook the admissions officers so much that they will decide in your favor. 

It is quite a challenge and you will surely need help along the way. A person who can guide and support is invaluable at such times. EssayEditors of EssayEdge team can help you with overcoming difficulties. We don’t write essays for you but help you bring out your best sides so that others can appreciate your talent and willingness to learn instead. 

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What’s the Common App? Everything to Know for Senior Year

The Common Application, or Common App , is an online platform used by students to apply to multiple colleges and universities with one application. Over 900 institutions worldwide participate, saving students time applying to colleges during a hectic senior year . The application usually opens on August 1 each year. But be sure to verify the exact date.

Why Use the Common App?  

1. simplifies applications:  .

During your senior year, balancing academics, extracurricular activities, and college applications can be challenging. The Common App allows you to enter your personal details, academic history, and extracurricular activities just once, and then send this information to any  participating colleges you wish to apply to. 

2. Manages College Essays Efficiently:  

One of the key components of the Common App is that it eliminates the need for multiple  college essays . With the Common App, you write a single personal essay that’s sent to all the colleges on your list. This saves you time and effort. It allows you to focus on crafting a strong essay that highlights your unique experiences and strengths. Some colleges may require supplemental essays, which can also be managed through the Common App. 

3. Streamlines Recommendation Process:  

The Common App makes it simpler to submit  letters of recommendation . You can invite your teachers and counselors to upload their letters directly to the platform. It’s easy to track the status and be assured that all required documents are submitted.

4. Includes a Fee Waiver Option:  

Applications come with fees, but if that’s a concern, the Common App offers a fee waiver request option. If you’re eligible for  SAT fee waivers , you can have your application fees waived at many colleges. This makes it less burdensome for students from various financial backgrounds to apply .

5. Provides Deadline Management:  

The Common App lets you keep track of all your application deadlines in one place, which is especially useful during your busy senior year. This feature helps you stay organized so you won’t miss any deadlines. 

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Top 10 Tips for College Admissions Essays

In the admissions process, US colleges and universities generally use three criteria for determining which students to accept and which to reject:

• Previous coursework – your college preparatory work and grade point average (GPA)
• Standardized test scores – SAT and ACT are the two most respected.
• Admission/Entrance essays

Of the three criteria, the college entrance essay provides you with the greatest opportunity to distinguish yourself from your competition and show off the person behind the statistics. This article will help in writing a college essay and help you boost your chances of being accepted by an American university or college

Planning Your Essay »

• #1: Understand the Admissions Board Psychology
• #2: Determine Your Essay Goals
• #3: Distinguish Yourself from the Other Applicants
• #4: Contribute to the University
• #5: Understand and Answer the Essay Prompt

Writing Your Essay »

• #6: Write with Specific Details
• #7: Demonstrate College-Level Diction
• #8: Demonstrate College-level Style
• #9: Have Someone Proofread Your Essay
• #10: Pay Attention to Deadlines

Section 1: Planning Your Essay

Tip #1: understand the admissions board psychology.

When you have compiled all the pieces of your application and sent it to the college/university of your dreams, all of your hard work gets placed in a pile with hundreds of other applications. Then a small group of admissions officers will review each application, looking over the scores and coursework and reading the college application essays.

The key to convincing the admissions officers is in understanding what they are looking for. They want students who will:

• Succeed once they are admitted;
• Contribute to the educational experience of other students; and,
• Bring honor and prestige to the university once they graduate.

In your college admissions essay, you want to portray yourself as a student who will meet those needs. Of course, the specifics of what qualifies as “succeed” or “bring honor” will depend a bit on the particular university, but all admissions officers share these three goals.

Before you write your college admissions essay, take a few minutes and jot down some answers to the following questions:

• How can I reassure the admissions board that I will succeed in their school?
• How will I show that I am determined and ambitious; that I will not get poor grades or drop out?
• How can I contribute positively to the educational experience of other students?
• How might I bring honor and prestige to the university?
• What are my long-term goals? Might I win an award someday, or start a business, or improve a scientific process?

Your answer to these questions will help you frame the content of your essay .

Tip #2: determine your essay goals.

Along with the three questions above, you should contemplate how you want the admissions officers to perceive you. After reading your college admissions essay, what should they think of your personality and activities?

Most students want the college admissions board to view them as responsible, dependable, and academically ambitious. These are excellent essay goals, but you should also consider the essay in relation to your classwork. If your classwork already shows that you are studious and determined (because you have taken a wide variety of advanced classes), then you may want to highlight another feature of your personality.

Along with developing an image of your character, writing the college admissions essay allows you to feature other aspects of your life that are not reflected in your pre-college coursework. Some aspects to consider:

• Have I worked at an interesting or relevant job?
• Do I belong to any clubs or organizations?
• Have I demonstrated leadership or teamwork?
• Have I demonstrated compassion or community-responsibility?

Tip #3: Distinguish Yourself from the Other Applicants

This bit of strategic thinking should be fairly easy. As an international student, you by definition are different from the bulk of American citizens who apply to American universities. However, it is not enough to simply say, “Well, I’m not from around here.” Instead, you need to reference the strengths of your home culture. You don’t need to elaborate at length; a sentence or two should be enough to ensure that the admissions board pays attention to you.

Remember that you are more than just an international student from an interesting background; you are a complete person with a lifetime of experiences. You should take some time to think about what else makes you different from most the other hundreds of students writing college admissions essays. Add those features (plays piano, excellent at football, speak five languages) to your growing list of essay goals.

Tip #4: Contribute to the University

Remember that one of the goals of the admissions board when reading college admissions essays is to find students who will enhance the educational experience of other students. In other words, how can you contribute to other students’ learning? As with tip #3, you already have an edge by being an international student.

One of the general goals of education is to broaden people’s experiences, so that they come to realize the limits of their own intellect, and then grow beyond those limits. As an international student, you offer other students an opportunity for cultural diversity. As with Tip #3, it is not enough to assume the college admissions board will recognize this benefit. You need to highlight it in your essay. Again, a sentence or two should be enough to accomplish this goal.

Again, remember that you are more than just an international student. You have so much more to contribute to the campus social and learning environment than just your home culture. Take a few moments to consider what else you may contribute.

• Maybe you are excellent at study groups or other forms of collaborative work.
• Maybe you will join a student organization or athletic team.
• Maybe you will write for a student newsletter or blog.

Whatever you feel you can contribute, add that to your list of essay goals.

Tip #5: understand and answer the essay prompt.

At this point, you’ve come up with more ideas than you can possibly fit into one essay. Now you need to focus your goals to only three or four ideas – the ones that will make you the most attractive to the college admissions board. No matter what the prompt asks, you want to ensure you include those three or four ideas in your college admissions essay.

The concept is to present a few ideas very well, rather than list all your ideas poorly. A narrowly focused essay will be much more effective than a general, vague one.

Reading and answering the prompt may seem a bit obvious, but it’s often the obvious that people ignore. You should take the time to read and re-read the essay prompt, so you can answer it fully. Don’t be intimidated; unlike some college exams, the college application essay prompt is not designed to trick you. However, you must demonstrate that you can read and follow directions. Think of that great pile of applications. The admissions officers are looking for a reason to disregard candidates. Don’t let them reject you because you hastily overlooked a sentence in the essay prompt.

On the other hand, the prompt is designed to give you some freedom for creativity, which will allow you to work in those three or four key ideas that you have developed through tips 1 through 4. You are encouraged to find novel ways of answering the prompt, so long as you do indeed answer the questions provided.

If you need more help choosing a topic , you can find some tips on our Choosing a Topic for Your College Essay page.

Section 2: Writing Your Essay

At this stage in the college admissions essay writing process, you have considered the goals and psychology of the college admissions board. You have produced a list of ideas/attributes/details about yourself that colleges will find appealing. You have narrowed that list to the three or four most important ideas – the ones that will get you into your preferred college/university. Now it is time to actually write the essay.

Tip #6: Write with Specific Details

The key to excellent and memorable writing is to write in fine detail. The more specific your essay, the stronger an impression it will make on the admissions board. If you are trying to show that you are a dedicated scholar, don’t write: “I never missed an assignment deadline, no matter how poorly I was feeling the night before.” Instead you write: “In my junior year, I came down with a terrible case of pneumonia. Despite having a 103 degree fever and being required to stay in bed, I still completed my draft speech on the possible impacts of global warming on agriculture.” The latter will make a stronger impression; and people vote for the people they remember.

As you are writing your essay, ask yourself:

• Is there a specific instance or example that shows this?
• Can I add imagery (colors, shapes) to make it more interesting?
• Can I replace general nouns (“class” or “car”) with something specific (“Honors Geometry” or “Honda Civic”)?

You may be thinking, “I don’t really like to boast about my personality; I prefer to let my record speak for itself.” While you should try to avoid sounding too arrogant, the college application essay is not the time for modesty. The admissions officers are expecting you to celebrate yourself, to underline your strengths and personality, so they can make a quick, accurate judgment about you.

Tip #7: Demonstrate College-Level Diction

Diction (word choice) is the fundamental structure of writing. Your word choice reveals a great deal about your personality, education and intellect. Furthermore, as an international student, you want to reassure the college admissions board that you have an excellent command of the English language (remember: they want you to succeed; they need to know that you can actively participate in English-only instruction).

With this in mind, you should replace lower-level words (bad, sad, thing, nice, chance) with higher-level words (appalling, despondent, phenomena, comforting, opportunity). You might consider looking up SAT/ACT vocabulary words and working a handful of those into your essay.

You should also remove any slang or casual diction; the university is not interested in casual language in their admissions essays.

Tip #8: Demonstrate College-level Style

An American proverb states, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” In other words, you want to present yourself as being ready for the next job. In this instance, you want to show that you already have college-level writing skills. So, in writing your college application essays, you should write with the following features in mind:

• Write primarily in complex sentences, rather than simple or compound sentences;
• Include figurative language such as a metaphor, a simile, personification; and
• Include a trope or scheme, such as chiasmus, oxymoron or anaphora.

As with tip #7 , this serves two functions: 1) it distinguishes your essay from those that are poorly written; and 2) it reassures the admissions board of your excellent command of written English.

Tip #9: Have Someone Proofread Your Essay

This is one of the most important tips on this list. Everyone who writes knows that the words in your head don’t always make it onto the page the way they should. Because you know what it should say, it’s easy to trick yourself into thinking the essay says something that it doesn’t. For this reason, you should ask a friend or a relative (or an English teacher) to look over your essay and check your:

• Grammar: did you write in complete sentences? Do all your subjects and verbs agree?
• Diction: are all the words used properly for an American audience?
• Organization: have you grouped sentences together coherently?

Tip #10: Pay Attention to Deadlines

College admissions essays require a tremendous amount of work. As you work and rework the essay, pay attention to the admission deadlines and requirements. Every school has their own system for how and when to file your application. Do not assume that, because one school uses e-mails and PDFs, that another school does as well.

The best way to stay organized through the college admissions process (and at the university when courses begin) is to rigorously maintain a calendar that includes:

• Final deadlines
• Reminders of upcoming deadlines
• Process deadlines (breaking larger tasks into smaller steps)

Bonus Tip: Post, but Don't Panic

At some point, you will file your college admissions application. After you post it, please don’t panic. With these tips, and your determined intellect, you have an excellent chance of being accepted to an American university.

Take a look at our college essay samples to get an idea of what colleges are looking for in your essay.

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12 Tips for Answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions

Wednesday, august 28, 2024.

Writing a strong personal essay is an essential component of the application process when you apply to Georgia College and State University (GCSU).  In the personal essay questions , the  themes of career goals, personal growth, and community service are often emphasised. The university asks the students to elaborate on why they are interested in a particular field of study or recount a challenging situation they went through and how they managed to resolve it. 

Students can demonstrate their skills, achievements, and values by using real-life experiences as examples. In addition, the university’s personal essay questions require students to strike a balance between self-reflection and storytelling. Students must also present clear knowledge of how their experiences and prospective goals relate to the institution’s values. 

However, some students do not have enough skills to effectively answer such questions while  applying to university. So, this guide is for such students. Here,  we will provide tips on  writing a personal statement and answering such essay questions in your university application. 

How to Answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions?

Georgia College aims to extend education outside of the classroom to support students' critical thinking abilities. Thus, they have incorporated such questions into the enrolment applications. Below are the 12 tips that will provide  assistance with your essay  questions and improve your chances of having your application accepted.

1. Know the Best Ideas for Your Essay

The personal essay questions Georgia College and State University are meant to add more insight into your application. In addition, the response to such personal essay topics helps the admission committee to know more about you. To write a strong essay, make sure that your thoughts are coherent and reflect your own experiences. 

Here, we are providing you with some tricks to come up with amazing ideas:

• Understand the prompt.
• Read the question carefully.
• Get the core ideas.

Ideas Brainstorming

• Recall life events that have shaped who you are today.
• Think about how your social, academic or cultural backgrounds have influenced you.
• Remember times when you overcame challenges or achieved milestones in life.
• Focus on strengths or areas of passion for you.

Your ideas must:

• Be relevant to the prompt.
• Be realistic.
• In line with what the university stands for.

2. Reflect on Your Experiences

As you prepare to apply to university, remember the experiences that have contributed to shaping you the way you are now. Your essay should show how these developments, interests, and objectives align with the university's mission and values.

Think about the following points while you reflect on your experiences:

Obstacles and Challenges

What barriers or hurdles have hindered your progress in the past, and what methods did you capitalise on to go beyond them? Which abilities were sharpened from these experiences? How did these experiences affect your outlook towards life and your goals?

Positions and Duties in Leadership

Retrace your steps and recount what you acquired. Restate lessons you learned from playing a leading role.

Academic Accomplishments and Interests

Reverse the positions, think about yourself, and concentrate on your various achievements in class. How did you develop an interest in these areas, and what have they done to help you reach your goals?

Development of the Self and Self-Awareness

Apart from considering one’s personal developments, consider the times when challenges or disappointments were faced and dealt with. When and how did you confront these challenges? What did you learn about yourself while doing so?

As you think about these events, think about the following questions:

• What skills did this encounter assist me in developing or improving?
• What changes has this encounter brought to my ambitions and goals?
• In what way does this experience relate to my aspirations and objectives?
• What values or principles did this experience instil or reinforce in me?
• What precise moments or stories can I draw on?

3. Don't Tell them a Story They Want; Tell them What You Want

When crafting your essays for applications, it is easy to get into the comfort zone of writing in a way that seems pleasant to the members of the admissions committee. This approach, however, often fails to showcase your point. Instead, it is advisable to be unapologetically bold and tell the story you want to tell, regardless of who it will appeal to. Understand that it is very important to be real in your essay.

When writing your personal statement, consider these points:

• Focus on how the engagement aspects of your essay have been drawn from your unique experiences. 
• Explain how being unique comes from expressing yourself on your own rather than what you believe the college would prefer to hear.
• Explain why authentic stories are more interesting as they are true and emotional.
• Argue that for your essay to capture attention, it is important to be free, vulnerable, and take risks in your narrative.
• Expressing your wishes reveals more about your true self, and that is what the college is looking for.

4. Be Authentic

Finding one’s values, beliefs, and passions is the heart of authenticity. This starts in the inner space where you try so hard to know yourself and decide which of your values are the most important. There is authenticity in overcoming the temptation to conform to other people’s expectations or remain true to one’s core beliefs. This offered a foundation of integrity and formed the basis of all other forms of honest living.

Here are some remarkable aspects of authenticity:

5. Keep it Concise

A well-developed statement is probably an important component of your university application. Therefore, this comprehensive guide is an opportunity to demonstrate your unique features, life history and aspirations to the admission committee.

Moreover, when it comes to providing an essay that stands out, there is a need to ensure that it is written interestingly and coherently and let it remain on topic. Here are some of the suggestions that can help you achieve this:

• Ensure that there is no room for ambiguity.
• Provide your readers with relevant examples.
• Avoid needless information.
• Choose simple and straight-to-the-point words.

6. Think Outside the Box!

Do not restrict yourself with commonly known details about yourself but be brave and include little more creativity in your paper.

Here are a few helpful hints that will assist you in doing so:

• Refusal may be miserable, but reluctantly tell the admissions committee your fabulous and unique achievements.
• In ways that are explosive to emotions or stretch one's imagination, draw a picture on the spare part of the essay and tell a story instead of better structuring it.

Most people approach the task of doing something different as a way of trying to succeed personally and professionally.

7. Use Proper Grammar and Spelling

In a personal statement, an applicant must pay attention to the structure of the essay, including spelling and grammatical conventions. To eliminate such mistakes, it is recommended to:

• Carry out a basic form to improve the writing of the essay.
• Utilise online resources for grammar and spell check.
• Seek feedback.

With these guidelines, students make sure that there will be no errors in answers to personal essay questions about grammar. It is also necessary to organise the document properly to be favourable to the admission board. In addition, you can also get samples from  legit essay writing firms in the UK   to understand the structure of personal essays for university applications. 

8. Revise Often and Edit

Here, we are going to look into the need to edit and revise the answers we have written for the personal essay questions. By following these strategies, you can make your essay stand out.

• Remove unnecessary elements and improve the organisation of your work.
• Make your arguments and their supporting evidence stronger.
• Improve grammatical errors and sentence fluency.
• Express more of who you are through words and speech.
• Rectify gaps and inconsistencies in your narratives.

Editing your essay requires you to also look at the spelling, grammar or punctuation of the essay. When doing so, particularly pay attention to grammar, punctuation, length of sentences, word choice, and consistency. 

How to start Editing your Essay?

Essay revision is checking the content, structure, and flow of the essay. While undertaking this process, take into consideration the following:

• Am I clear and focused in my thesis statement?
• Does the flow of my answers make sense?
• Do my anecdotes and examples of work support my points?
• Am I able to use the same voice/tone throughout the essay?
• Is there anything else that I could include to give more details?

9. Highlight Your Strengths

To stand out from other applicants, highlight your strengths in the essay. Before you put your pen on paper, spare a minute or two and try to recall particular events, achievements, and traits. To focus on your academic achievements, ask yourself:

• What are the specific achievements I have attained and the strong skills I possess in university?
• What are the objectives and aspirations I have about my career?
• What factors make me different from other people?

To highlight the strong points in your answer to personal essay questions, you can use examples and narratives. In addition, it is also advisable to highlight your soft skills and let your readers feel your passion and excitement.

10. Demonstrate Your Fit

A powerful piece detailing your personal experiences only works when you show how you fit into Georgia College and State University, its beliefs, and its aim. In addition, add the following salient features to your response to personal essay questions:

Background in Academia 

Talk about your academic history first, highlighting any academic projects that show your readiness for the school you are applying to. Give details of any awards, competitions, or activities that underscore your achievements in your area of study.

Experience That Matters

Mention any planned internships or previous work experience which is relevant to the degree or course you are looking for. Explain how these experiences shaped your career goals.

Link to the University

Why do you want to study at Georgia College and State University? Justify why you believe this particular university is the most suitable for you. Explain how you will be useful to the school community considering the faculty members, research facilities and university culture. 

Long-term Vision

Explain what the future is going to hold for you, particularly how you see the contribution you will make to the field of your choice after you finish the degree. Mention how your university education and experiences will create opportunities for you to achieve these goals and promote positive change as well. You may make arguments that positively reinforce yourself in terms of why you are a strong prospect for the program you are applying to. 

11. Get Started Early

It is very important to start dealing with the Georgia College and State University personal essay questions as soon as possible. If you plan early, you will have sufficient time to arrange and write the essay content and predictably proofread it. This is why it is necessary to commence at the earliest point.

Why, then, should you get started early? Here are some of the reasons:

• Stress is decreased when you start early!
• You'll generate more ideas if you give yourself more time to brainstorm!
• You may demonstrate to the admissions committee that you are serious about attending the university.  
• You are prepared to put in the time and effort to learn more about it by researching it and its core values.
• You'll have more time to proofread, edit, and refine your responses.

12. Seek Help When Needed

Assistance seeking is very important, particularly when responding to a personal essay question. One can feel immense pressure to perform well, and this is understandable. Furthermore, it’s important to recognise when you are stuck and need help. 

A teacher, mentor, or guidance counsellor offers support to craft a good paper. You can also  purchase your essay  from online resources that will lead to successful admission to your desired university. 

How to answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions?

Here are the tips for answering these question types;

• Do not be afraid of making your voice heard. 
• Structure a clear and interesting essay.
• Make use of the words and writing skills that you already have.
• Write about yourself. But don't try to encapsulate your whole life!
• Answer the question that has been asked.
• Read it over again!
• Write on the internet in a networked word processor.

What should be included in College and State University Personal Essay Questions?

It is best to talk about both positive and negative matters, a humiliating experience, or a quality or interest that exemplifies your values. If you are honest about the issue, character flaws, or sad childhood events, the reader will find it far more credible. 

In addition, it will exhibit your personal life experiences that the admission panel wants to know. So, by including all the information, you can fulfil the true objective of such essay types in application forms. 

The importance of the personal essay questions in the Georgia College and State University application process enables candidates to make the best impression and talk more about themselves. An effective essay can provide a student’s perspective to the admission committees, which are usually standardised, and help to distinguish them from everyone else. 

Moreover, students can show in their essays how well they will integrate themselves into the programs by spinning a good and well-organised narrative. Finally, submitting an excellent personal essay shows that the candidate is open and honest. In addition, the applicant understands what the university is all about and its values. 

Students who follow such practice can write a good manuscript, which allows them to develop their competencies and increase their chances of being accepted into university. Thus, they can begin their developmental, educational, and achievement-oriented journey and fulfil all their academic and career ambitions.

Chris Bates

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College Essay Essentials: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Successful College Admissions Essay Paperback – July 1, 2016

The #1 resource for writing an amazing college essay to help get into your dream school!

Unlock the key to college admission success with College Essay Essentials , a comprehensive and invaluable resource designed to empower students in their essay-writing journey. Packed with expert guidance and practical tips, this must-have book is tailored specifically for high school seniors, transfer students, and aspiring college applicants.

In College Essay Essentials , Ethan Sawyer, a renowned college essay advisor and expert, shares his proven strategies and insider knowledge to help you navigate the daunting task of crafting compelling essays that stand out from the competition. With an unwavering focus on authenticity, creativity, and effective storytelling, Sawyer empowers you to create impactful narratives that captivate admissions officers.

Writing a college admission essay doesn't have to be stressful. Sawyer (aka The College Essay Guy) will show you that there are only four (really, four!) types of college admission essays. And all you have to do to figure out which type is best for you is answer two simple questions:

1. Have you experienced significant challenges in your life?

2. Do you know what you want to be or do in the future?

With these questions providing the building blocks for your essay, Sawyer guides you through the rest of the process, from choosing a structure to revising your essay, and answers the big questions that have probably been keeping you up at night: How do I brag in a way that doesn't sound like bragging? and How do I make my essay, like, deep?

College Essay Essentials will help you with:

• The best brainstorming exercises
• Choosing an essay structure
• The all-important editing and revisions
• Exercises and tools to help you get started or get unstuck
• College admission essay examples

Don't let the essay-writing process intimidate you. Grab your copy of College Essay Essentials today and embark on a transformative journey toward college admission success!

• Print length 256 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Sourcebooks
• Publication date July 1, 2016
• Grade level 10 - 12
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.64 x 8.25 inches
• ISBN-10 149263512X
• ISBN-13 978-1492635123
• See all details

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About the author.

Ethan Sawyer is a nationally recognized college essay expert and sought-after speaker. Each year he helps thousands of students and counselors through his online courses, workshops, articles, products, and books, and works privately with a small number of students.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sourcebooks; 1st edition (July 1, 2016)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 149263512X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1492635123
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 10 - 12
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.5 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.64 x 8.25 inches
• #8 in College Guides (Books)
• #28 in College Entrance Test Guides (Books)

About the author

Ethan sawyer.

Ethan Sawyer is a nationally recognized college essay expert and sought-after speaker. Each year he helps thousands of students and counselors through his online courses, workshops, articles, and books, and works privately with a small number of students.

Raised in Spain, Ecuador, and Colombia, Ethan has studied at seventeen different schools and has worked as a teacher, curriculum writer, voice actor, motivational speaker, community organizer, and truck driver. He is a certified Myers-Briggs® specialist, and his type (ENFJ) will tell you that he will show up on time, that he'll be excited to meet you, and that, more than anything, he is committed to—and an expert in—helping you realize your potential.

A graduate of Northwestern University, Ethan holds an MFA from UC Irvine and two counseling certificates. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife and their amazing daughter.

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Customers find the book's content great, useful, and motivational. They also say the tips and resources help alleviate stress and make the essay approachable and fun.

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The New School 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Early Action/Decision: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 15

The New School 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations 

The Requirements: 2 essays of 400 words each

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Community

The New School asks applicants to respond to two essay prompts in 400 words or fewer. It’s very possible that if you’re applying to a specific major, you may have to write a third essay! We recommend starting your application in the Common App to see what’s in store. In the meantime, let’s dive into the two essays all students have to write!

In your study or work at The New School, what social issue or system would you make the focus of your efforts to effect change? (400 words)

The New School wants to welcome students to campus who not only want to make their mark, but also feel passionate about making the world a better place. The issue you choose to discuss can really run the gamut. Which social issues are close to your heart and why? Maybe you would love to address reproductive rights and expand healthcare access for people in historically underserved communities. Perhaps you’d like to address systemic racism and discrimination within your area of study. Remember to connect the social issue you’re passionate about to your vision of life at The New School. You should be able to point to specific examples of their offerings that will help you to effect change, whether they be classes, networking opportunities, research, etc.

What specific aspects of The New School’s academic programs or community drew you to apply? Please pay particular attention within your essay to the college, program, and/or campus to which you have applied. ( 400 words)

This is a pretty standard “why” essay that allows students to choose their line of focus: academics or community. Admissions wants to know what has inspired you to apply, so save their time (and yours) by cutting to the chase. Of course, brevity isn’t the same as generality, so make your point with specifics. As with any other “why” essay, take some time to do your research. Scour your program’s website for information about classes, professors, unique opportunities, and notable alumni. What catches your eye? What inspires you? How does it connect to an interest you have? How does The New School’s unique curriculum satisfy your needs in a way no other school could? If the community drew you in, why is that? Have you heard wonderful things from your older brother who attends? Do you dream of studying in New York City? (If so, why is The New School the NYC institution for you, out of all the myriad options in the area?) This is your opportunity to impress admissions with your knowledge of what The New School has to offer, your vision for your future, and why those two things are aligned.

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