The 5 Biggest College Essay Mistakes You Need to Avoid
Without a doubt, one of the most stressful aspects of the college admission journey is the personal essay on the Common Application.
On one hand, it offers every student a chance to humanize their application and allows them to stand out from their peers by showcasing their unique experiences and personality. On the other hand, it means being faced with the dreaded “blank page” and coming up with an essay topic that won’t sound like a hundred others.
While there’s no sure-fire way to write something brilliant and unique, there are some common mistakes that you can – and should – avoid:
- Submitting a List of Accomplishments Instead of an Essay
You have every right to be proud of your achievements and awards, both inside and outside of the classroom. However, simply listing your accomplishments in narrative form without adding any context about how these experiences affected your personal development shows a lack of self-awareness. It doesn’t tell an admissions officer anything they can’t already see on other parts of your application.
- Cramming Your Entire Life History into One Essay
Some students have led truly fascinating lives, so they have a lot of things they could talk about – but they make the mistake of trying to talk about it all at once. The essay isn’t long enough for an autobiography. Instead of an account of your entire life so far, pick one important facet of your life or one life-altering experience and focus on the details that can make your story resonate with readers.
- Letting Your Essay Sound Robotic
Go through your essay and make sure that it doesn’t sound detached or stilted. Admission officers want to catch a glimpse into your personality and passions, so put some real effort into finding your own voice and using it. Avoid clichéd phrases and try to come up with a topic that hasn’t already been endlessly used, like how your travels to underdeveloped countries “broadened your horizons” or how your involvement in sports “helped you learn the value of teamwork.”
- Using Your Essay to Make a Sympathy Play
Bad things happen to good people, and it’s okay to write about negative experiences and how they shaped you into the resilient, creative person you are today – but don’t overdo it. Overly graphic essays can be a turn-off, and a list of every difficulty or trauma you’ve endured in your life can sound like you’re trying to get the admissions officer to feel sorry for you. Instead, try to focus less on the experience and more on how you have carried forward a new understanding of your strengths and what you find truly meaningful.
- Putting Too Little Effort into Your Essay
A brilliant topic and otherwise good writing can be fatally flawed when an essay is filled with grammatical mistakes, spelling errors and typos. You absolutely need to engage someone you trust to help you with proofreading and editing. No matter how compelling your essay may be, it won’t get much attention if it hasn’t been polished to perfection.