You will need time to reflect about yourself! Give yourself TIMEEEEE
Helpful Resources
Essay writing
- College Essay Guy (on yt and webpage)
- Elevated school on yt
- This nice document about essays
Colleges research and finding information
- Download Tips & resources for finding the Right School (helps with writing a why-school essay) (.docx)
- Download things to know about colleges that people dont often explicitly teach you (.docx)
- And of course, the TSTEM counselors' website
Notes about essay writing
What do I write about?
- The topic you choose isn't actually your topic. Your topic is you, and the theme you chose is an excuse to brag about yourself (character, what you learned, and achievements)
- Add detail that makes writing unique and personal, but not dramatic.
- Use different fonts and document formats to read your essay in a new way.
- If you are going to use a metaphor, use it throughout the essay, not just at the end.
- Find a common theme between events in your life to connect them, and show how activities you've done link to each other (in terms of learning or growth)
- You can use a journal/diary style essay as well if you want to have a unique format. It doesn't have to be like an essay
- Go to the school's website and look at the values they listed (e.g. respect or innovation). Demonstrate these in your essay!!!
- Schools tend to value passion as much as discipline
- Show vulnerability, and how u grew from it.
- Highlight why you are unique! Its rare to see a history nerd in a CS department...
How to review
- Does every sentence sound like they wouldn't be in someone else's essay? (Important for voice, unique connections/topic, and to not sound like AI)
- Do you repeat the same thing in different ways?
- Does your conclusion only repeat points you've made?
- Go read it out loud to someone. Did other reviewers stay engaged the entire time, with interest?
- Give someone ur essay and ask them what the prompt was. (it is important to answer the prompt!)
Red Flags to avoid
- Don't just meaninglessly add adjectives, it doesnt always help you be descriptive.
- Do you have "Eureka" moments, where you jump from the problem to the solution too fast? (If so, try to elaborate more on the transition or introduce another problem+solution.)
- Dont overexaggerate. You will have to simplify some details, but if you dont believe your own story, they wont believe yours either.
- Dont lose your voice as you write. It helps you be unique, and makes a personal essay feel personal. If needed, rewrite as if you are telling a story to a friend you are comfortable with, and then edit for clarity, engagement, and grammar
- Dont waste words on details that arent important to the narrative
- Red flags that admissions officers look for:
Example essays
