What Should I Write My College Essay About?: 15 Tips and Strategies for Writing Your College Application Essay
As a high school senior, navigating the college application process can feel overwhelming. Between choosing which schools to apply to, completing lengthy applications, and waiting to hear back — many high school students find themselves feeling stressed about the admissions process. As you navigate this process, it is important to prioritize which aspects you would like to focus your time and energy on.
Many college counselors would agree that one of the most important parts of the application is the essay (especially now that many universities have gone test optional). Your college essay gives you a chance to showcase your personality, skills, and experiences to the admissions committee. But, the big question is, what should you write your college essay about? In this blog post, we are sharing 15 tips and strategies to help you decide what to write your college essay about.
What is a college essay?
Before diving into the tips and strategies for writing a college essay, it's important to understand what a college essay is.
A common misconception about the college application process is that there is one college essay that all colleges require. In reality, many colleges have their own unique essay prompts or require additional essays (in addition to the main essay).
It is important to carefully read each college's application requirements and essay prompts to ensure that you are submitting all the necessary essays. Additionally, even when colleges do have the same essay prompts, it is still important to tailor each essay to the specific college and its values, culture, and mission.
Writing a generic essay and submitting it to multiple colleges can make the applicant appear uninterested in the individual college and may decrease their chances of being admitted. So, it is essential for students to research each college they are applying to and craft essays that are unique to each institution.
What is the main essay?
The main college essay — sometimes called the Common App essay — is a piece of writing that is typically required as part of a college application. It provides an opportunity for the applicant to showcase their personality, interests, experiences, and goals to the admissions committee. The essay should be well-written and concise, while still providing a glimpse into who the applicant is as a person. It is often the most personal part of the college application and can be the deciding factor in whether or not an applicant is accepted to a particular university.
The Common Application, also known as the Common App, is an online platform that streamlines the college application process for students. It is accepted by over 900 colleges and universities in the United States and around the world. With the Common App, students can fill out one application and send it to multiple colleges, saving time and effort. The application includes basic information about the student, such as their personal information, academic history, extracurricular activities, and — of course — the essay. The Common App has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its convenience and ease of use.
Because so many universities use the Common App, you will want to take a look at the Common App essay prompts as you start planning out your essay (we’ll share more on this tip later).
What are supplemental essays?
In addition to the main Common Application essay, many colleges and universities also require supplemental essays as part of their application process. Supplemental essays are usually specific to the college or university and are meant to provide additional information about the applicant.
These essays can vary in length and content, but often focus on topics such as why the applicant is interested in attending the college, how they will contribute to the campus community, or specific academic interests. Supplemental essays provide an opportunity for applicants to demonstrate their knowledge of and interest in the college or university and show why they are a good fit for the school.
It is important to carefully read and answer each supplemental essay prompt, as they can play a significant role in the admissions decision.
15 Tips and Strategies for Writing Your College Application Essay
Let’s take a look at 15 tips and strategies for writing your main college application essay.
Consider the prompt: Make sure you understand the prompt before you start writing. Stick to the topic and answer the question directly. If you are writing your Common App essay, there are a set list of questions from which you can choose. The topics tend to stay the same each year, but it’s a good idea to reference the Common App website to find the most up-to-date information. We are sharing the 2022-23 essay prompts here.
Reflect on your life experiences: Think about the experiences that have shaped you as a person. What challenges have you overcome? What lessons have you learned? College admissions officers are looking to learn more about you — including your experiences and how you have grown from them.
Choose a specific moment: Instead of trying to cover your whole life story, focus on a specific moment or experience that highlights who you are as a person. By choosing a specific moment, you can go into more detail about your feelings, thoughts, and takeaways, without having to rush to tell the entire story of your life.
Write about your passions: Show your enthusiasm and dedication by writing about the things that you are truly passionate about. Admissions officers are excited to read about students who have genuine interests and passions.
Highlight your achievements: Discuss any accomplishments you have achieved in your academic or extracurricular pursuits. Humbly brag about yourself! At Inspirit AI, we have found that many of our students choose to write about the research and AI projects they complete in our programs. In working on a mentor-led AI project as a high school student, our students demonstrate intellectual vitality!
Share your goals: Explain your future aspirations and how attending the university would help you achieve them. What do you hope to accomplish personally, professionally, or academically?
Write about a challenge: Discuss a time where you faced a difficult situation and how you overcame it.
Discuss a role model: Describe someone who has had a significant impact on your life and how they have influenced you.
Share your values: Explain the values that you hold dear and how they have influenced your life choices.
Consider a unique perspective: If you have an interesting perspective on a topic or issue, use it to your advantage.
Show your sense of humor: Humor can be an effective tool to showcase your personality and make your essay memorable.
Don't be afraid to be vulnerable: Sharing personal stories and emotions can make your essay stand out and show the real you.
Be authentic: Admissions committees are looking for genuine essays that showcase who you truly are, not who you think they want you to be. It’s easy to tell if you aren’t being genuine… be true to yourself and your essay will showcase your personality in the best light!
Be concise: Admissions committees read thousands of essays, so be sure to get your point across in a clear and concise manner.
Revise and proofread: Once you have written your essay, make sure to proofread and edit it for clarity, grammar, and punctuation errors.
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
