10 Things to Avoid in Your College Essays
When an admissions officer or faculty member reads college essays, the ones that stand out most are authentic, well-crafted, and tell an interesting story. They also avoid a number of common pitfalls, including:
Never rehash your academic and extracurricular accomplishments
Your school and out-of-school work already show up in your transcript and awards and activities lists. Essays provide another dimension to your application. Who will you be as a classmate? As a roommate? As the leader of an on-campus business, club or sports team?
Never write about a “topic.”
Students often come to our courses with a “topic” they think they should write about, as if they are writing an analytical essay in English class. Instead, you should explore specific moments that reveal your character in action.
Never start with a preamble.
“This is an essay about my commitment to the environment.” Boring! You have one chance to get the reader’s attention, so draw them in with action right from the beginning. You can set the scene with vivid details, dialogue and descriptions—what we at Revision call the “3 Ds.”
Never end with a “happily ever after” conclusion.
“That was the day I learned how important it is to be kind to everyone.” Your reader is smart. If you have shown your learning, you don’t need to tell them what you learned.
Never pontificate.
Do not ever tell other people what they should think. Don’t plead your case. Don’t be right or make someone else wrong. It’s great to be engaged in activist work, but show yourself doing the work rather than using your essay as a platform to make your case.
Never retreat into your thoughts.
The worst essays are the ones where students are caught in their own thoughts. The worst example: all the big, world-changing things you think about on the bus ride to school. Write about what you did the next day instead.
Never hold back,
College essays should reveal the real you, the complicated you, the person who makes mistakes, not the goody-two-shoes you think you are supposed to be. Colleges admit real people, not perfect people.
But never give TMI.
But be careful: your college essays are one of the first impressions colleges have of you. No stories are off limits, but tell them in a way that draws people into your experience, not a way that shocks or scares them away.
Never show your essay to too many people.
Share prudently. Students often show their essays to teachers, counselors, parents and friends. Each person has a different idea about what you “should” write, and before you know it, you’ve lost the heart of the essay.
Never over-edit your essay.
After showing their essay to everyone, students edit it again and again to make each reader happy -- and before you know it, their story has been ground down and their voice has vanished. Don't cut out your unique voice. Don't let yourself sound like everyone else.
Looking for student samples of effective college essays and why they worked? Check out our guide, “4 College Essays and Why They Worked.” You can also create a free Revision Learning account, where you can use our StoryBuilder software and free course to write memorable essays that will allow you to meaningfully connect with your audience.