It’s that time of year. I can feel the excitement (and frustration) clear over here…
High school seniors are in the thick of applying to colleges trying to figure out exactly which colleges to apply to, how many colleges to apply to and determining whether they have a shot at getting into their college of choice. It’s an exciting time, but it’s also a stressful time and, for many seniors, the pressure is on.
Add on the fact that most colleges require applicants to submit a personal statement or an essay (sometimes more than one) and it’s enough to put your child into overdrive. “What should my topic be about?” “What are colleges looking for?” “How do I know if I have a great essay or a crummy essay?”
First of all, it’s important to recognize the fact that essays do matter. However, the good news is, the topic may not be quite as important as you think.
According to the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) 83% of colleges assign some level of importance to the college essay. When reviewing a college application, there are “hard” factors and “soft” factors that are taken into consideration. The hard factors, i.e. ACT/SAT scores, GPA and rigor of classes taken, are typically reviewed first. Soft factors such as extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, and the essay(s) are considered part of the second layer of review. The essay can play a crucial role, (particularly if admissions officers are on the fence about an applicant) because it offers insight into the applicant in a way not found in any other part of the college application.
A word of advice – if your child hasn’t written their college essay yet and they’re struggling to choose a topic, you might want to encourage them to pause a moment to think outside the box. Why? Because the perfect essay just might be the wrong essay.
When my oldest daughter was deep in the throes of applying to colleges (eight major universities across the U.S.), I took the time to call the admissions office at several of the colleges she was applying to. My goal was to try to acquire first-hand knowledge and advice on what type of essay might spark the attention of an admission officer, what they were tired of seeing, and overall, what advice they might offer for a new college applicant submitting an essay.
Hands down, the one piece of advice I received from admissions officers that kept coming up time and time again was that quite often applicants choose topics that don’t offer any real insight into who they are.
It’s important to remember that admission officers sift through hundreds and hundreds of applications. The competition is stiff and your child’s application is simply “words on a page,” which is why it’s so important to strive to stand out. Therefore, topics that are generic and don’t provide additional perspective to the admissions counselor about who your child is may not get them very far. Topics such as climbing to the top of a mountain, world peace, or how your child scored the winning goal, for instance, are all great topics, but they’re overused, they don’t stand out and they likely won’t offer the admissions officer an inside glimpse into who your child is.
Ideally, what piques the interest of admissions officers are topics that are written passionately about a subject that is unique to the applicant – something they know well.
One admissions officer at Auburn University told me they had an applicant write about his favorite meal. It wasn’t the topic that landed him a spot at the university; it was the manner in which he wrote about it. He artfully linked his love of meatloaf to his preferences in life and how he loved “the classics.” He then wrote about how he felt Auburn was a genuine, time-honored classic as well which is why he was so passionate about attending there.
In essence, don’t write about a topic that you think admissions officers want to read, write about a topic that offers them a glimpse into your personality, your life, your ambition or your resilience.
Keep in mind that admissions officers are also often looking for applicants who will not only be successful at their college, but also those they feel will make a difference while on campus and in the future after graduation. Therefore, encourage your child to present themselves not only as someone who loves learning but also as someone who is ambitious.
Once a great topic is chosen, your child is halfway there. To offer guidance on whether they’ve chosen a great topic that will stand out from the crowd, here are a few questions your child should ask themselves:
- Is the topic of my essay unique to me?
- Is my essay written in an authentic voice?
- Does my essay have a great title to grab the attention of the person reading it?
- Is my lead paragraph attention-grabbing? Does it ask a question, spark a thought or kick-off with a thought-provoking quote or anecdote?
- Does my essay content reveal a glimpse into my personality and who I am as a person?
- Does my essay present me as a critical thinker and someone who loves to learn?
- Does my essay reflect an experience or event in my life that somehow transformed me and reveal how I grew or matured from the experience?
- When reading my essay does it convey my deep feelings about the subject I’m writing about?
- Does my essay put me in a favorable light as someone who is memorable and likable?
- Does my essay convey a vivid picture and/or take the reader on a journey?
- Is my essay well-written? Does it contain any grammatical errors?
- Is my essay boring? (If so, keep editing!)
While it’s not likely that your child will answer “yes” to every single question listed above, it will get them moving in the right direction. Just remember, when writing a college essay it’s all too easy to get caught up in crafting a “highly unique” topic. To get the attention of admissions officers, it’s far more important for the essay to be “uniquely theirs” rather than simply “unique.”