Demystify the Essay: Ideas from an Admissions Expert
It's a done deal by now for some high school students. They have completed and submitted their college applications. For others, the deadlines are just around the corner. Most who are planning to apply have started the essay process. And if not… let's get going on this.
The Final Draft Essay Process uses 6 Steps to complete the essay.
US News and World Report published some tips to help students with the writing process from Jonathan Reider, former Director of Admissions at Stanford University and, at the time, Director of College Counseling at San Francisco University High School. In short, his ten ideas are:
- Be concise. Admissions officers read a big stack of essays every day and expect to spend only a couple of minutes on each one. Going past about 700 words strains their patience.
- Be honest. Don't embellish achievements, titles or offices. You don't have to be the star at everything.
- Be an individual. What sets you apart from thousands of other applicants isn't your list of activities; it's your mind and how it works.
- Be coherent. Write about one subject. Trying to cover everything makes an essay sound scattered and superficial.
- Be accurate. Spell check is only the start: punctuation, names and facts all need to be right.
- Be vivid. A good essay is often a story about an important moment. Give details and names so the reader can see it.
- Be likable. Colleges are communities. Show, with subtlety, that you'd be good company in a dorm or a discussion section.
- Be cautious in your use of humor. Humor is in the eye of the beholder, and the reader is a stranger.
- Be controversial (if you can). A serious subject is fine if you are balanced and thoughtful, give reasons and consider other views.
- Be smart. Show your intellectual vitality: what turns your mind on, and why that subject interests you.
This is our summary of Jonathan Reider's advice (© Professors' Guide LLC), which was published by U.S. News & World Report. You can find more college essay advice at usnews.com.
If your son or daughter is still struggling with the essay, call or text 732.216.4958 or contact us.