The Write Stuff Are You Ready To Write Those College Essays?

Wed., Oct. 18, 1995

Betsy Querna Lewis And Clark

So, you’ve finally sat down to fill out your college applications. You zip through the first section: name, birthday and address. Easy. Filling out extracurricular activities is no problem and even asking for a teacher recommendation is not that big of a deal. But, inevitably, you come to the essay.

This part of the application causes more anxiety than any other. Except for the last two semesters of grades, it’s the only section of the application not yet completed. You still have a chance to disappoint admissions officers, but it’s also your last opportunity to dazzle them.

The application essay is your best chance to “personalize” your application, to show your human side and personality. It can explain things that may not show up in black and white in the rest of your transcript.

There’s another advantage: “College essays are good to help you explain discrepancies in your transcript or test scores,” says Katie Kirking, an LC senior.

Sommer Kraft, a senior at Cheney High, is grappling with applications now as well. She says the most important thing in writing a successful essay is organization.

James Montoya, the dean of undergraduate admissions for Stanford, said in the September issue of Stanford magazine that essays say a lot about the applicants.

”(It) helps us distinguish students who have a fresh and original view of themselves and the world, who have led, even at a young age, a reflective life,” he said.

No pressure there. With all this in mind, here are a few tips to help you write an effective essay.

1.) Start early - You’ve heard this advice every time you started a new project in school. You’re sick of this, I know. But do you really want the admissions officers to be reading the thoughts you came up with at 2 a.m. on the day before the deadline?

2.) Write passionately - Admissions people can tell if you care about your subject or if you are insincere. Picking a subject you believe in is one of the most crucial parts of writing the essay. You should write about what you care about, not what you think you should care about.

Most of the time, the college will give you some guideline on the essay topic, such as “Write about a book that has had a profound effect on you.” Don’t choose “War and Peace” because it sounds good. There’s no right answer; the application readers won’t judge you based on the book you choose.

3.) Write clearly - How you write is as important as what you write, if not more so. Colleges are looking for applicants who can express themselves in a clear, concise manner that shows maturity.

4.) Write personally - While colleges are concerned with how well you write, they are not concerned with how well you write like a textbook. Remember their main goal in the essay is to find out what kind of a person you are, to learn a little bit about you. When you’re writing an essay, write with your own “voice.”

Sally Pfeifer, an LC English teacher, emphasizes this, saying, “The most crucial element to the college application essay is voice. The admissions officer has to get a sense of who the writer is from what the writer says.”

5.) Show your characteristics - For example, if you want to emphasize your leadership qualities, don’t say, “I am a leader.” Show them that you are a leader by describing in detail your roles as a leader. Admissions officers like specific details that convey your skills, experiences or personality.

6.) Don’t write about your summer vacation - Take the application reader’s perspective here. After reading about 450 trips to Europe or meaningful grandparent relationships, how original do you think your essay is going to be?

Robert Dirks, a senior, says one of his main essay goals is “to make your essay stand out and to ensure that the reader remembers your essay.” But if you’ve already written a Pulitzer Prize-winning essay about one of the above subjects or other “generic” topics, go with it. Some of the best essays deal with familiar subjects but in a creative way.

7.) Proofread - Have everyone you can think of read through your essay. Then have them do it again. Any essayist who begins with “I is wanting to cum to you’re college” probably isn’t going to. Even one spelling error can be deadly.

8.) Relax and put the essay in perspective - This essay does not make up your entire application, your education or your life. So, don’t stress out about it. Just relax, be yourself and let the words flow.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Effective essays The September issue of Stanford magazine, an independent publication of the Stanford Alumni Association, printed five outstanding essays from students admitted to the college this fall. Here are snippets from some of them. I live in DeLisle, Louisiana, or “wolf town,” as it is called in Creole French. True to its namesake, DeLisle attacks the senses when one is very young with a ferocity of beauty and comfort uncontested and has felled many a victim who, unable to recover from the shock of its tranquility, has stayed to live the rest of his life here in numb compliance. Most young adults become caught in the mesh of its security at that critical stage when autonomy must be established in order to move on to less familiar things like college. Thus, most young adults my age stay here, eke out a satisfactory existence, age, attend church on Christmas and Easter, and go to the casino every once in a while. They have a couple of kids who they hope will make something of themselves. Jesmyn Ward, Pass Christian, Miss. Two months ago, Marie died. She was 72. She fought cancer for over 20 years. From the day that I met her, to the day that she died, I didn’t like her. At her best, Marie was disagreeable. At her worst, she was mean-spirited. She had nobody. No family, no friends. But when my dad became aware of her situation, our family became “involved.” My parents said that nobody should die alone. … Knowing Marie did not change my life on any grand scale. The event of her death, though sad, was not momentous. But she did touch me, mostly in small ways. I learned “little” lessons from my experience with her. I learned about the value of time, and the use of time. I learned some things about compassion, and human dignity. By rejecting personal interaction, Marie taught me more about our need for it. - James Buford, Kansas City, Mo. I’m not schizophrenic, really, but some of my best conversations have been with machines. The huge grain harvester looks like it would speak somewhat like a nose tackle for the Patriots. Strangely enough, it can communicate rather eloquently if one knows how to listen. Richard Stephenson, Fromberg, Mont.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Effective essays The September issue of Stanford magazine, an independent publication of the Stanford Alumni Association, printed five outstanding essays from students admitted to the college this fall. Here are snippets from some of them. I live in DeLisle, Louisiana, or “wolf town,” as it is called in Creole French. True to its namesake, DeLisle attacks the senses when one is very young with a ferocity of beauty and comfort uncontested and has felled many a victim who, unable to recover from the shock of its tranquility, has stayed to live the rest of his life here in numb compliance. Most young adults become caught in the mesh of its security at that critical stage when autonomy must be established in order to move on to less familiar things like college. Thus, most young adults my age stay here, eke out a satisfactory existence, age, attend church on Christmas and Easter, and go to the casino every once in a while. They have a couple of kids who they hope will make something of themselves. Jesmyn Ward, Pass Christian, Miss. Two months ago, Marie died. She was 72. She fought cancer for over 20 years. From the day that I met her, to the day that she died, I didn’t like her. At her best, Marie was disagreeable. At her worst, she was mean-spirited. She had nobody. No family, no friends. But when my dad became aware of her situation, our family became “involved.” My parents said that nobody should die alone. … Knowing Marie did not change my life on any grand scale. The event of her death, though sad, was not momentous. But she did touch me, mostly in small ways. I learned “little” lessons from my experience with her. I learned about the value of time, and the use of time. I learned some things about compassion, and human dignity. By rejecting personal interaction, Marie taught me more about our need for it. - James Buford, Kansas City, Mo. I’m not schizophrenic, really, but some of my best conversations have been with machines. The huge grain harvester looks like it would speak somewhat like a nose tackle for the Patriots. Strangely enough, it can communicate rather eloquently if one knows how to listen. Richard Stephenson, Fromberg, Mont.