Let me begin by saying I’m a high school math teacher, not an AdCom or English teacher. But I do a LOT of freelance writing, and I’m the mom of a rising senior.
I’ve just read any number of threads that pretty much say: “I’m a normal kid. How do I write a great essay when I haven’t cured cancer or made a nuclear reactor?”
So I figured we should talk about how to start this monster of a project… one tiny little essay that’s pretty much your first shot at getting a little “YOU” into the admissions process.
The first thing you’re doing right is starting this so early. As hard as it is to believe, thousands of high school seniors are blissfully unaware that the Common App is open. They’ll put off writing their essays until mid October, when they’re in the midst of math and English and history deadlines, extra curriculars and sports and part time jobs.
So kudos to you for even being on this thread.
In your shoes, here’s what I suggest:
Find a quiet part of the house-- maybe the yard if it isn’t too hot. Print each of the prompts on a different piece of paper, and set a timer for 3 or 4 minutes.
Then brainstorm. Any idea, no matter how ridiculous, is fair game. Anything you consider as a possibility, no matter how remote. When the timer goes off, you stop, grab a drink of water, and start the next one.
If you want to do the whole exercise twice, fine. And if you want to invite mom or dad or your best friend to join you, also fine. You’re just fishing for ideas of topics, and those how know and love you best may think of something you didn’t.
OK, you’re done for today.
Tomorrow, I want you to take a look at your ideas. Eliminate any that simply won’t work, and write one paragraph-- it doesn’t have to be particularly strong-- outlining what you would say for each realistic possibility. You can even just do bullets-- format is absolutely unimportant.
OK, you’re done for tomorrow.
The next day, take a look at those paragraphs or bullets, and decide what you’ll write. Write your first draft and put it away.
In a day or two, ask mom or dad to read it-- and be open to what they have to say.
Revise, put it away, and repeat. Over and over until you get it right.
Keep in mind, you want this essay to be ACTIVE, not passive. You want to talk about your hopes and dreams, and about how you’ll put them into action, not about things that have happened to you. (If those things have made a change in you, they can certainly be included. But you want your focus in that short essay to be on what you’re doing with those circumstances.)
That’s the reason my son decided NOT to write about his adoption. In every manner except the location of his birth, he feels and IS as American as his two sisters. He was adopted at the age of 7 months, and remembers nothing of his life in Korea. In short, it’s not an active part of his life, it’s not something that effects him on a day to day basis. I’m not saying that adoption essays are necessarily bad, simply that it was the wrong choice for my son.
No one is looking to a 17 year old to solve the problems of the world. You’re a typical kid; you haven’t had the chance to make your mark on the world yet.
The person reading your essay is looking for some insight into who you are-- what you hope to accomplish, what your dreams and aspirations are. You don’t have to have cured cancer or built a nuclear reactor. You simply have to be the YOU that your family and friends love so much.
Give them a reason to say yes.
And make sure that this essay sounds like YOU–not your English teacher, not mom, not the coach you’ve hired to write your essay for you. They’ve all gone to college. This is YOUR shot, so the essay should read like something YOU have written.
The best of luck to you.
Now grab some paper and get started.