As college application deadlines loom in the near future, seniors are rushing to draft and finalize their essays. For some, the writing portion of the application process is the most daunting, with the blank white page and blinking cursor taunting those with writer’s block.
Many students have questions about how to capture the most significant moments of their lives and how to represent those moments in a way that’s appealing to universities and colleges. On Sept. 18, McLean’s College & Career Center set out to help answer some of these questions with an after-school workshop focusing on college essay brainstorming and writing.
“When McLean first started doing Common App workshops, half the students who showed up wanted essay help,” College & Career Center specialist Mary Barnes said. “I figured we should have a session [specifically] for essays, so students could get [essay] work done.”
The seminar featured representatives from Indiana University and Randolph College who debunked common misconceptions about college essays, advised seniors on what to consider when choosing essay topics and stressed the importance of writing in a personal and unique voice.
“You can never be too creative [in your essay],” said Scott Cooper, director of recruitment for Randolph College. “You want to catch the attention of your reader.”
After the main presentation, the workshop split into sections based on progress level and goal: seniors seeking assistance in beginning a first draft, seniors wanting feedback on a completed essay and seniors hoping for a productive environment to write. Through this, students strengthened their knowledge about the college essay writing process and shared new ideas.
“Your application already tells admissions officers information about you,” senior Harrison Weinstock said. “You need to make sure your essay talks about something that they won’t know, which wasn’t as clear to me before [this workshop].”
Barnes hopes that seniors were able to make a dent in their application process after the workshop and walk away with a more thorough understanding of how to approach their college essay writing.
“My key piece of advice is to [follow] the 80/20 rule,” Barnes said. “80 percent of your essay needs to talk about you and only 20 percent about [something else]. Don’t just talk about an event, talk about how it impacted you and what you learned from it.”
As seniors continue on their journey of Common App essays and supplementals, they should keep in mind the true purpose of these writing assignments and why colleges ask for them.
“The key word in ‘personal essay’ is ‘personal,’” Cooper said. “What will make you as a person and your growth as a person stand out?”
