Your essay is not a résumé in paragraphs
The most common draft I read is a list of accomplishments with feelings attached. Here is what to do instead.
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Notes on the college essay.
When to start, and what happens if you are late
Earlier means calmer, not better. What the timeline actually looks like at each point in the year.
ReadWhy I do not use AI on a student essay
Not for drafting, not for editing, not for ideas. The reason is practical, not moral.
ReadWhat an admissions reader actually does with your essay
A few minutes, a stack of applications, and one question they are trying to answer.
ReadWhat to write about when nothing has happened to you
The students who say this are usually sitting on the best material. They have just been taught to discount it.
ReadThe first sentence is doing one job
Not setting the scene, not announcing the theme. Making the second sentence necessary.
ReadStop arguing for yourself
Students are taught to make a case. Writers are taught to show and let the reader conclude.
ReadThe supplementals decide more than students think
Why this school, why this major, and the odd prompt nobody prepares for.
ReadWriting about something hard without turning it into a pitch
You are allowed to write about the difficult thing. You are not obligated to make it pay off.
ReadSix hundred and fifty words is plenty
The word count is not the constraint people think it is. Here is what usually goes.
ReadFor parents: how to help without taking it over
The most useful things a parent can do are smaller and less editorial than they expect.
ReadHumor is not decoration
Used carelessly it is the fastest way to lose a reader. Used precisely it is the fastest way to earn one.
ReadThe ending that does not explain itself
Most essays end twice. Cut the second one.
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