WRITE ESSAYS THAT DAZZLE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE by Dodge Johnson, Educational Consultant
from his Philadelphia Inquirer Column "Countdown to College"
Of all the jobs involved in applying to colleges, writing essays turns more students to jelly than any other.
A sterling essay probably won't catapult you into a college your record doesn't justify. But if you're a 'possible admit' – one of the 'maybes' of whom the college will take some but not all – it can thrust you ahead of the pack.
College essays aren't English themes. While they must be well written, good writing is not the object – nor is proving you 'read the book' or even trying to psych out what colleges want and then giving it to them
Admissions folks look to the essay to make your folder human. When they curl up to read, they have no preconceptions of what it should say – any more than they know exactly what they're looking for when they shop for a dress or sports jacket. As with clothes, they seek good design, expert tailoring, attention to detail, colors that work. They 'buy' because an essay reflects a thoughtful person of promise they'd love to make part of their college.
You'll hear rumors that admissions looks for certain kinds of subjects in 'free choice' essays, and you'll be tempted to second-guess. Don't. By and large, there are no 'right' or 'wrong' subjects, only essays that convey 'you' well or badly. And even the most shopworn topic can be fresh in the right hands.
Learn from the pro's who write the gorgeous college viewbooks that flood your mail.
They woo with carefully selected information. There's a college whose town's main street is dead end at both ends. But that fact never appears in their literature. Instead you hear about the glories of Bluegrass Country.
They turn negatives they can't ignore into success stories. Instead of admitting they have a crummy gym, a college will tell you about plans for their awesome, new Arnold Schwarzenegger Physical Education Complex – which may or may not see the light of day in your lifetime.
Topic sentences are crisp. They play language like a violin without being obvious about it. They prefer vivid verbs to weak-kneed intensifiers like "nice" and "very."
Self-congratulation is not in order. If admissions committees think you're in love with yourself, they will not love you. So, no essays about the thrill of making the honor society or how you pitched a no-hitter with a two broken arms. If you're a straight-A student, your transcript will say so. If you make Randy Johnson look like a rookie, ask your baseball coach to go to bat.
You don't need to toot your horn. Instead, tell your story in a way that your specialness – your feelings, perceptions, values, commitments, abiding interests – seeps through.
The trick is to be mindful not only of what you 'say' but also of what you want colleges to 'hear.' You must not lie, you cannot brag, you should not beg. But you are entitled to show yourself at your absolute finest – best foot forward, smile in place.
Language and tone should feel comfortable. Smart admissions people are no more impressed by floweriness or other "fertilizer" than you are.
I've read enough college essays to heat my house for the next decade. And here are some hard-won tips for things that crop up again and again:
Essays that win hearts often have two things in common. Somewhere they include a story because stories disarm readers and invite them in. And somewhere they show growth so colleges will see 'you' in motion, on your way, looking for a college to help you take wing. The best essay won't say "I grew." Instead it will set things up so that the reader will pound her chair-arm and say, "By George, this kid really grew!"
Choose words as surgeons would a scalpel – the right one for the job. Never use a big word if a little word will do – yet never settle for the little word if the big one is what you really mean.
Humor, irony, and satire are powerful tools and can do wonders to make you special. But they can also backfire powerfully if your touch is not deft and sure.
Typos, grammar, spelling, or diction problems give readers an easy out for doing you in, so ask someone with a clerk's mind to proofread. You'd be amazed at how many people forget to run their spellcheck.
One last tip: more promising essays are sabotaged by wordiness than by anything else.
Editing is like making sauce – you have to simmer out extra liquid so that what's left in the pan is pure flavor. Drop any words, phrases, even paragraphs that aren't pulling their weight. If you're left with handfuls of nothing, that's a big hint that you'd better think more deeply about what you want to say.
Wordiness leaves footprints. One clue is that simple things get said un-simply. Another clue is that words get repeated for no reason. The 'fix' is not to find synonyms but to rephrase so that the 'repeat' is no longer necessary. And presto, your problem vanishes – you no longer need a solution because there is no problem. Smart writers give their best draft a careful reading just for wordiness. Then they apply Peg Bracken's first rule of refrigerator management: "When in doubt, throw it out."
Honestly, you don't have to be a genius to write good college essays. Most of us aren't. While imagination doesn't hurt, the truly key ingredients are the time and sweat anyone can provide – for thinking subjects through, for craftsmanship honed through successive drafts, for care with details.
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