You may be fretting over writing the perfect application essay. You may be wondering how you will stand out among the thousands of others who pour their hearts onto paper, who have done more than you, scored higher than you and spent more time volunteering than you. Instead of worrying how you will add-up on paper, take a deep breath and take some inventory. Stop worrying about what other people have done, and think about you.
The application essay is the one section on the application of which you are in total control. You are able to let your uniqueness show, and pique the readers’ interest beyond the quantitative evaluation of test scores and number of positions held or awards won. Here is where you speak.
What do your readers want? I have read the admissions guidelines of dozens of top colleges. They all want one thing from your application essay: to know who YOU are. So start by asking yourself the question: ‘Who am I?’ While it can be easy to cater your essay to say what you think they want to hear, you are far better off just being yourself. How do you do that? Brainstorming is the first step.
Think about the question. Who are you? What makes you stand out?
Sit down at your computer and fill the screen with statements about yourself. Perhaps ask your parents or close friends, what makes you special or unique? Think about places you’ve gone, things you’ve done, and accomplishments you’re proud of. Then, think about what these experiences and choices say about your values. What mistakes or regrets do you have? Failures? Surprises? Write all of these down in your brainstorm.
Be totally honest with yourself. This process is for you, and you alone. Ask yourself these questions: Why do I do the things I do? What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? What is different about me? What kind of person am I? Under what circumstances do I learn? What interests me? What’s my favorite website, YouTube, TED talk? What do I care about? Why is ______ more like a religion to me than a sport? What is it like growing up in _____?
Give yourself some time to let these confirmations marinate. This process should make you feel good about yourself, to affirm your goals and strengths, to make you feel more purpose and direction. This practice is not just good for your application essay but for many areas of your life; when wondering about a career move, if a partner seems suitable, if you should move to a new city, etc. Knowing yourself is a vital part of life, and this essay helps you to shed some light on who you really are for the first time in your adult life. So go ahead and find out who You are!
Find Your Theme: The Second Step to Writing a Great Application Essay
After writing down numerous facts about yourself, patterns and strengths will start to emerge. These will help you develop a theme for your essay. Sometimes, however, it’s not that straight forward.
For example, student A could be interested in various things. He plays a musical instrument, plays baseball and basketball, is vice president of student council and writes for his student paper. He can’t decide which of these interests to focus on. Sometimes having too much to say is more dumbfounding than having too little.
Here is where passion comes in. Student A might be good at many things, but where is his passion? Perhaps even though he does well academically and in extra curricular activities, his real passion could be in his ability to learn new musical instruments and playing in a band with his friends.
Even though playing in a garage band may not be seen as a common or appreciated skill for university applicants, he could write a compelling essay about his musical passion, casting light on his determination to learn any instrument he puts his mind to. He could also focus on his ability to be part of a team, as well as his ability to take the initiative in band projects.
Therefore, his curiosity and dedication to learning new skills and his ability to function as part of a group would be the themes of his essay, in this case. While he may not even want to study music, these themes will override other aspects in the essay. Showing dedication and motivation, and of course passion in words is priceless.
It is important to remember in the case of the application essay, that it is not meant to be a regurgitation of the rest of your materials. It is to give the evaluator something new, creative and interesting to pepper the rest of your application materials with. It is the spice, so to speak, of the application package.
What if I am not spicy enough?
If you don’t find yourself moved or passionate about any particular thing, more so than others, go out and find something that excites you. This is your chance to explore what the world has to offer. It doesn’t matter what the interest is, as long as you are able to demonstrate in deed and writing your dedication, creativity, hard work, motivation, strength, forbearance, resilience, or any other positive quality. This doesn’t have to be academic or school-related. It could be something like student A’s garage band. Passion is the most important ingredient in your essay.
