As seniors anxiously await their college decisions, many are uncertain if their application will be strong enough to earn an acceptance. The personal essay is arguably the most critical portion of a student’s application, but finding something unique and memorable to write about proves to be a challenging feat every year.
At first, it may seem as if 650 words could never be enough; there are so many aspects of a person that make them who they are. But even upon narrowing ideas down, high schoolers struggle with how to start the daunting but necessary personal essay writing process.
While schools look at a variety of topics when deciding if a candidate is the right fit, personal essays seem to hold more weight than other aspects of the application. It is simple for students to look similar on paper in terms of statistics and extracurriculars, which places an emphasis on their writing abilities and their capability to tell a compelling story.
Many ask themselves, “Is there anything truly original about me?” After all, many lives are defined by sports, music, or clubs, but sometimes, extracurriculars may not be outstanding enough to make one noticeable – especially when considering that at top universities, most students applying have a strong list of activities and impressive grades. As a majority of applicants are on a level playing field, the only opportunity for students to express themselves to a college is their essays.
The Common Application, one of the primary ways for students to apply to colleges, contains a personal essay that is required by most schools. This essay is quite open-ended; students are given a list of prompts to choose from with the last being “Share an essay on any topic of your choice.” It can be one an applicant has already written, one that responds to a different prompt or one of the applicant’s own design.
Life-defining moments are often considered too basic or universal to hold any real weight in a college essay. Students who want their essay to stand out are encouraged to avoid topics like their greatest achievements, sports challenges or injuries, volunteer trips, moving or even tragedies. These topics are considered too universal: Even if a tragedy was life-altering for a student, the harsh reality is admissions counselors have heard the story before.
Individuality is the name of the game; students are forced to find a part of their lives that cannot be replicated by someone else. As seniors grapple to find something meaningful enough for colleges, it becomes easy to feel as though their life has not had any original meaning or value. If most of their salient experiences have been shared by other people, what distinguishes them from anyone else?
“Honestly, the hardest part was trying to find my own voice to make my essay different,” Augustana College junior Maria Culter said. “I knew that my extracurriculars were strong, but with some of the places I was applying to, there was nothing original about my application. It was hard for me to feel like I had never done anything valuable enough for a college to care about.”
Culter concluded that adding personality to an essay is debatably just as important as a good topic. “No matter what your story is, letting an admission counselor see your character is incredibly important,” she said.
Though voice plays a crucial role in any essay, a story is what makes an essay truly memorable. Students who do not have something distinct to write about often feel as if their perceived lack of originality is a reflection on their entire life.
“Trying to write my personal essay was so hard because I didn’t feel like there was anything interesting about me,” senior Emily Hoskins said. “It made me think I hadn’t done anything special, ever.”
While the personal essay allows colleges to better understand what makes a student themselves, the pressure induced by essays burdens applicants even further in their arduous process. Though the application process cannot be avoided, perhaps colleges will balance applications with more interviews or recommendations to relieve students from their essay anxiety.
Increasing the use of different mediums provides more opportunities for a college to sense the character and personality of an applicant. Though essays are meaningful, recommendations contribute a more holistic view of a student and interviews allow admissions offices to directly view the demeanor of an applicant.
College admission processes automatically pit students against each other, and as students vie to be the strongest applicant, the college process becomes even more draining. As students restlessly await their decisions, many are left wondering if their personal experiences are enough to make their essays and application worthy of an acceptance.
