What do colleges want to hear in essays?

As part of the college application process, colleges ask prospective students for a personal essay in order to learn more about them. They want to see context on each student's background, positive traits that the student could bring to campus, and examples of the student demonstrating those qualities.

What is a college looking for in an essay?

Colleges look for three things in your admission essay: a unique perspective, strong writing, and an authentic voice.

What makes a stand out college essay?

It should highlight what makes you a fantastic candidate beyond grades, extracurricular activities and test scores. Stay specific. You can't fit your entire life story into a 650-word essay, so try not to be too broad. Hone your essay in on a specific topic, life story or lesson you've learned.

What essays do colleges ask for?

In addition to the Personal Statement, many colleges require applicants to submit supplemental essays. These supplemental essays ask students to respond to a wide variety of topics: their most meaningful activity, their interest in a particular college or major, an important community they belong to, etc.

What must you include in a college essay?

You can write about a specific experience, hobby, or personality quirk that illustrates your strengths, but also feel free to write about your weaknesses. Honesty about traits, situations, or a childhood background that you are working to improve may resonate with the reader more strongly than a glib victory speech.

College Essay Tips + Writing your Best College Essay | Real Advice from Harvard Admissions

How do you hook a college essay?

How do you write a college essay without trauma?

While the personal essay can be a daunting task for students, approaching the piece with a clear sense of self, an understanding of the essay's purpose, and a sensitivity to its impact on the reader will help students avoid oversharing or trauma dumping as they write.

What do colleges value most?

Do colleges care about your essay?

Now more than ever, college essays are incredibly important in the college admission process, an opportunity to share who the student is outside of the classroom and how they can be an asset to their selected campus. The college essay is one of the best ways to showcase a student's strengths beyond their academics.

How to write an effective essay?

How do you write a strong college essay?

How do you start off a college essay?

1. Start with a hook: Begin your introduction with an attention-grabbing statement or anecdote that relates to the topic of your essay. This could be a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a vivid description. The goal is to engage the reader and make them want to continue reading.

How to be vulnerable in a college essay?

Can you write about those topics in a way that you're (at least somewhat) comfortable with? Some common, vulnerable topics include: challenging familial relationships, health issues, frequent moves or immigration, struggles with identity, failures, missteps and moral or ethical conflicts.

What personality are colleges looking for?

Creativity is listed among the top qualities considered by Duke, MIT, and UCLA and it doesn't necessarily have to be expressed through activities in the arts. Colleges often look for creative thinkers, problem solvers, innovators and entrepreneurs.

Should parents help with college essays?

One of the important aspects of college essays is the ability to engage in self reflection and think about your character development and growth. This can be a lot for a teenager to do on their own, so it's a good place for parents to provide some extra support.

What is Harvard looking for in essays?

How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard? Briefly describe an intellectual experience that was important to you. Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are.

What not to say in a why college essay?

This might seem obvious, but it's best to avoid writing about anything that portrays the school you're applying to in a negative way. Some students might consider doing a negative topic as a way to stand out or get credit for taking a risk on their essay. However, the school isn't likely to see it this way.

Do colleges care more about GPA or essay?

School size and type

State schools tend to screen candidates first using GPA and test scores, before reviewing extracurricular activities and essays. At these schools, essays matter less if you have particularly strong academics. The more selective the school, however, the more important essays are.

Can a college essay hurt your chances?

Curating and word-smithing a compelling essay is a key factor to getting accepted by your college of choice. If you are applying to top colleges, you do not get a pass for poor essays, you get a rejection.

What GPA do colleges look at?

Colleges typically consider both your high school GPA and your California State University (CSU)/University of California (UC) GPA when making admissions decisions. The specific weighting of each GPA varies depending on the college, but both GPAs play a significant role in the evaluation process.

How do colleges pick students?

Admissions officers look at “hard factors — GPA, grades, and test scores — and soft factors — essays, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and demonstrated interest — to gain a full picture of applicants.

What's the first thing colleges look at?

Colleges want to first make sure that you qualify when it comes to their specific application requirements. These are things like GPA, ACT/SAT test scores, letters of recommendation, and personal statement. You'll want to exceed in these required areas. Try to end school with a great GPA.

How do you make a college essay not cringe?

Is it OK to trauma dump in college essays?

Don't just trauma dump.

Simply writing about your trauma will not showcase any of your positive traits, which is what colleges are really looking for. Instead, be sure to discuss how the trauma affected you as a person, and what you did to move past it. This will illustrate your introspection, and resilience.

Is it OK to write about mental health in college essays?

If you decide to include your mental health or disability history in your application, there are specific aspects of your experience that you should focus on. Rather than talking about the mental illness itself, focus more on the recovery and management aspects and what you have learned from the experience.