<p>Nice day to all you parents! </p>
<p>I was thinking on how to write a successful essay but I don’t have much ideas around inside my head. </p>
<p>i have one that i learned that says: if you want to write about your ECs, don’t say what you did, write what you learned.</p>
<p>anything else? thank you experts!</p>
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<p>I disagree with that one. IMO, the easiest college essays to write are those the describe, in visual detail, something that you did, allowing the “what I learned” part to emerge from the actions.</p>
<p>There are many ways to attack college essays. One way to start thinking about topics is to take a yellow notepad and start jotting down all of the positive things about you and your experiences that you might want to “sell” to the college. What is it about you that you are really engaged in and might allow the college to see you as a positive, contributing member of the college campus?</p>
<p>The best scenario is to use the various essay slots to highlight your most important “selling features”. So once you have that list, start trying to think of concrete events or experiences that highlight one of those things.</p>
<p>These do not have to be momentous, weighty, profound things. You aren’t writing a script for an angst-ridden episode of Dawsons Creek. Colleges expect teenagers to do teenage stuff. The key is to find something that lets your personality shine through.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>kevster - search the Parent Forum for threads on this topic. There have been some excellent ones. I know one was started by digmedia. I will look to see if I can find the link, or maybe others will. But there is some good stuff here from the parents addressing your question.</p>
<p>I think interesteddad’s last paragraph is <em>key.</em> Add to that my advice to use your natural voice and vocabulary. The thesaurus is fine if it leads you to a better, more descriptive, more specific word that is natural to you. But I have seen some laughable $2.00 words lifted inappropriately from the thesaurus when a 10cent word would have done the job better.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=32123[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=32123</a></p>
<p>A successful essay shows evidence as to what is different about you from the average person applying to that school. At a top school it may be hard to find something different because top applicant do it all -but they have something that makes them stand out from the crowd.</p>
<p>Another tip that’s been mentioned numerous times here and there but is worth a lot, I think, is to write the essay that only you can write. How you react to life experiences is what makes you you, and that is definitely what admissions folks want to learn about. That means finding your voice and using it thoughtfully. Admissions committees appreciate very much the essays that let them know who it is that is seeking admission to thier august institution of higher learning!</p>
<p>it has to be something that is not shown anywhere else in application and something that will tell school who and what you are.
I also agree - show, do not tell. It does not have to be big event- some very succesful essays I read were about single event, action, not even spectacular- like preparing a tost. Think what you want people to know about you.</p>
<p>I wish I knew how best to convey that the essay is pretty much the only part of your application package that is all yours. Yes, your grades are yours…the teachers you pick to write reference letters are your picks etc etc…but at the end of the day, I think it is best to view this essay as your way of saying “pick me because I will be a positive contributor to your campus”…try to identify something that you do, that you have done, that demonstrates why you are someone they should want on their campus. Your flexibility, your humor, your commitment, your thoughtfulness, your leadership, your ability to solve problems, to stay a course, whatever it is that makes folks want you on their team. Some folks do this thru their EC’s, some do it thru family stories, some thru books they have read, or trips they have taken. What is often great is to show that you like a horizon that is expanding and that you are healthy and strong and optimistic and observant, curious and happy. Your vantage point is unique…so write about you and have confidence that they want to know about you. They don’t want to know about what your mom thinks, or what your dad thinks. If need be, give your parents and yourself, an assignment. The assignment is to write a story about something from today’s news. All three of you write on the same story. Show the results to an independent person, ie teacher or Guidance counselor, and ask them to identify which one is yours, which is the mom’s and which is the dad’s. Odds are that all 3 voices will be identifable. Maybe this will help to give you a sense of how you want your essay to be yours so you can end up at a campus with other kids and not kids that masqueraded as “adults”…</p>
<p>I hope the above makes sense… I know I was really invested in trying to help my son with his essays, it was sooo much easier once I came to the above conclusions and backed off, way off…so his voice was the one in the essay, not “ours”… reading thousands of essays makes it really easy to find the voice of a genuine kid. </p>
<p>Best of luck…</p>
<p>Tips from the University of Virginia:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html[/url]”>http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html</a></p>
<p>wow thank you everybody! jmmom thank you for the site. lindalana that toast topic seems really interesting! maineparent thanks for your tip. it’s great!</p>
<p>i heard in CC that there was this guy that wrote about his father’s hands, who worked endlessly (i think, yeah)</p>
<p>i will try to come up with a creative list. </p>
<p>this is off topic but ill make it fast: does the majority of colleges give you an OPTIONAL choice where you can choose the topic of your own?
I saw stanford’s '05-'06 app. and had 2 topics and another one which was to write about something they should know about me - EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES. and below it said that the majority doesn’t write this one, since it needs to be an EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCE. then, what do i do? what if I really want to write about how teaching the youth helped me grow as a person and learn about perseverance, for example. (?) — i hope that maked sense LOL.</p>
<p>i hope i didn’t skim over it, because i think that was it. if i am wrong, you are more than welcome to correct me! thanks!</p>
<p>I have a more specific question, semi-related:</p>
<p>The infamous “Why do you want to transfer?” essay.</p>
<p>I know why I want to transfer, but people keep telling me that talking about the student body (lack of diversity, extremely cliquish, not very engaged) and size/location (tiny LAC in the middle of nowhere with an hour drive to the nearest “city”) are bad reasons.</p>
<p>Because it’s not the professors ( a few in particular who are fantastic), and my department’s considered pretty good, despite the school’s overall science focus. </p>
<p>But I don’t think I’m working hard enough for my grades, and that bothers me.</p>
<p>What do you suggest?</p>
<p>No. You don’t want to write about the negatives of your college but the positives of where you are applying. This school is a better fit because… Stick solely to the transfer school - and mention that you feel you have the grades, interest - be specific about the school - why you would fit there. Play up the transfer school. That is what they care about. Good luck! Do you have the grade to transfer?</p>
<p>wow thank you everybody! jmmom thank you for the site. lindalana that toast topic seems really interesting! maineparent thanks for your tip. it’s great!</p>
<p>i heard in CC that there was this guy that wrote about his father’s hands, who worked endlessly (i think, yeah)</p>
<p>i will try to come up with a creative list. </p>
<p>this is off topic but ill make it fast: does the majority of colleges give you an OPTIONAL choice where you can choose the topic of your own?
I saw stanford’s '05-'06 app. and had 2 topics and another one which was to write about something they should know about me - EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES. and below it said that the majority doesn’t write this one, since it needs to be an EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCE. then, what do i do? what if I really want to write about how teaching the youth helped me grow as a person and learn about perseverance, for example. (?) — i hope that maked sense LOL.</p>
<p>i hope i didn’t skim over it, because i think that was it. if i am wrong, you are more than welcome to correct me! thanks!</p>
<p>As of right now, I have a 3.8, so I think so.</p>
<p>I just find it very difficult in my mind, to show a positive aspect without mentioning why it’s important to me because of what I know now. What’s important to me is a need a way to escape campus into a wider world, and students who are diverse and passionate in their interests.</p>
<p>It’s what I see in my prospective transfer schools, as compared to my current school. Obviously I’m going to write about the good at school X, but I keep being told that I should be writing about the strength of the departments and academic things rather then the social ones I’m sincerely interested in.</p>
<p>I’m a little embarassed that jmmom repost that thread of mine. I don’t think I would recommend a formula now for an admissions essay (although it worked for a scholarship essay). The essay which got my son into a very competitive program was very straightforward, without gimmickry and without any pretentiousness. I read it, pointed out a grammatical error or two, and handed it right back. The voice was “his,” loud and clear and just right in answering the prompt about describing his passion. It probably would have flunked any course in fancy essay writing, but I knew when I read it that it would be well received.</p>
<p>So the point is to be you. Do not fall into the trap of fancifying it or getting too much editing advice. maineparent and others here have given good advice. Take it and run…</p>
<p>“does the majority of colleges give you an OPTIONAL choice where you can choose the topic of your own?”</p>
<p>Common application has “your own topic” option. My kids used their Stanford-topic essay for Stanford and all common app colleges, and it worked just fine for both.</p>
<p>Write about both. My son is a Div. III athlete and he wrote in his essay about how he was blown out with the athlete facilities - as he put it, his favorite part of the tour. Of course, he wrote about the academics, letters received from depts. but I think he impressed them with how he knew it is a perfect fit and he can do the work and pursue athletics with hard work and dedication - not assuming he would make a team - but that he has the desire. This humanizes you - not an ego driven person. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>so stanford doesn’t give you and OPTIONAL part.?</p>
<p>The common app. essay was very personal and hard for him to write - but it came from the heart - about racism - he was assaulted and lucky to live. Very intimate essay about being white and the assault about racism but he knows this is what more people see in this world than this one time incident. Hate that he went through this but it gave him a real perspective on life and how he will not let this incident hurt him, but empower him to work with all people!</p>
<p>“so stanford doesn’t give you and OPTIONAL part.?”</p>
<p>No , you have to chose one of their 2 topics for the main essay, and they have 3 additional short essays (one of them can be used as “activity” short essay on common app if you plan it carefully;))</p>
<p>shooot. i thought i had a chance to \write something “free” topic. urrghhh… i wanted to write about my passions on my ec in the future…</p>