Patch Blog: College Advising--How to Write the Common Application Essay

Summertime is a great time for swinging in a hammock and letting your mind run free.  Are you ready to use your hammock time to write your common application essay?  Or are you the one who swims to the bottom of the pool whenever you think of such a monumental task?  Start early and have no fear!  Below are a few tips to help you write an essay that will be fun to write and won’t be lost in the pile!

1. Make yourself interesting.  If you are interesting, your writing will be, too.  Think deeply about your life and experiences, or simply read the newspaper and find an issue that you care about. Choose a topic that moves you greatly.  If you feel a surge of passion about an incident or issue, so will your readers.
2. Write long, then pare it down.  500 words isn’t much.  Make it 750 or a 1000 (like the old days) and then cut it down to 500 words.  It is so much easier to take out the extras in a long essay than to build up a shorter one.
3. Add a bit of visual detail or dialog.  Help us experience your world by taking us there through descriptive images.
4. Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly.  Try writing without any adverbs or adjectives, then add in a few as needed. 
5. Edit, edit, edit.  Read your essay aloud to a parent, teacher, friend, or the face in the mirror. Sending a slightly flawed essay may reflect badly on you.  By hearing the words read aloud, you will catch everything from punctuation to spelling to lapses in logic.

Enjoy your writing and be proud of what you say!

--All the best from PerfectFitCollege.Net