Common Pitfalls to avoid when writing your College Application Essay
Author: Beatrice Munro, Crankstart Intern, University of Oxford
Graphics: Sarah Zhao, Graphics Design Volunteer, Content Team
The college application essay can seem like a daunting task. Tutors are looking for a sample of your voice, personality and unique perspective. But how to express this in 600 words? And how to stand out from the crowd when doing so, without sounding boastful or not genuine?
The pressure to write a good college application essay is intense. The other elements of the application are of course important, but the essay could be the deciding factor between two equally-matched students. This is why it is vitally important that your voice is clear.
Ultimately, tutors are looking to match prospective students with their existing student body. If they cannot identify who a student is and what they are like, this is impossible and the application will be rejected.
With this in mind, parents want to naturally support their children in any way possible to achieve their dream college place.
There are many options available: online support, in-person tutoring, and even services that write essays for students.
Some of these services, however, may only be detrimental to the student. After all, colleges are looking for their unique voice, not a non-specific paper churned out from an essay mill. It therefore must be the student that writes the essay.
This is why the STEAM in AI Summer Camp is so unique.
During the STEAM in AI summer camp, your child will be provided with expert help in choosing an application essay topic, drafting the essay and reviewing it. It will be led by the brilliant Jody Cohan-French, who has guided many students to secure places at their dream College.
Students will be provided with the opportunity to review potential colleges with Jody, and discover how the application process differs for each.
The camp is aimed at students in their junior year, who are looking to make applications to top colleges in the US. The camp will run from Monday July 18– Friday 22 2022, costing $499, but it can be accessed for free.
DataEthics4All and the STEAM in AI Summer Camp program are now welcoming applications from all individuals who wish to excel and achieve their full potential.
The purpose behind the program is to break barriers of diversity in technology, and facilitate young people to pursue AI and STEAM careers (science, sociology; technology, technical education; engineering, ethics; arts, analytics; mathematics, mentoring).
DataEthics4All also aims to build Diversity, Inclusion and Equity through its grassroots approach. For us it is important that all children should be given the opportunity to apply to the college of their dreams.
If your child is a junior in high school, lives in the United States, intends to attend college here and has a minimum GPA of 3.5 they may be eligible for a scholarship, and meet at least one of these socioeconomic conditions: the combined income of their custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) plus child support payments, if any, must not exceed $60,000; they will qualify for free or reduced-price lunch; and qualify for an SAT or ACT fee waiver.
By participating in the camp, your child will feel capable to self-assuredly complete the college application essay.
With the help of STEAM in AI, students will discover their voice: a skill not just for the essay, but also for life.
Here are 6 common pitfalls of the college application essay that students should avoid:
- A Weak Opening
The opening sentence is the make-or-break moment in a college application essay. This is your opportunity to hook your reader and make them want to read on.
Beginning with something uninteresting, un-engaging or without potential can lose a reader instantly.
Instead, start with an unusual event, something peculiar or out-of-the-ordinary. These openings have the potential to inspire a reader, and can be the tools by which you highlight your unique voice and experiences.
However, the opening sentence does not have to be innately dramatic.
Not every college application essay has to be about an insightful or unusual event. Considering the number of such application essays tutors receive every year, something more restrained may actually work to your benefit.
Your opening could be more of a slow-burn: something intriguing but not immediately obvious. The content of the rest of the essay could then be dedicated to explaining the significance of this seemingly ordinary occurrence.
As long as your opening makes you stand out from the crowd, this common mistake has been avoided.
2. Not making a point
The key skill in the college application essay is storytelling. Sadly, this is a skill that students are generally not practiced in. At High School, they learn a specific essay structure, and departing from this is criticized, not rewarded.
Through the STEAM in AI summer camp program, students will be taught the vital elements of storytelling, and how to implement these in the college application essay.
Throughout the essay, you should be telling a story, and via this story, make a point about your life, learning journey and experiences so far. Without this ‘point’, the essay has no purpose. It is by drawing conclusions from the story told that your essay will illustrate your maturity and aptitude for learning, features every tutor wants to see.
3. Not adhering to the word limit
Too little and you appear uncommitted and your application rushed. Too much and your essay will be cut off at the word count and will be submitted incomplete. The same goes for supplementary essays: if the word count is specified, stick to this to ensure that you do not waste words or the admission tutor’s time.
Going substantially over the word count on your first draft is not a bad thing. From this point, you can rework your essay to better fit the requirement.
After repeating this process, your writing will be more succinct: a vital skill for writing essays once you make it to your dream college!
4. Not answering the question
It is boring but it is true: answer the question!
A college application or supplementary essay may ask: Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice? Or: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
In either of these scenarios, focusing on the question at hand is key.
You may have excellent examples of other skills, or you are still battling with expressing why exactly you want to do the major you are applying for, but you still need to answer the question! A generic, nonspecific response indicates to tutors that you have not put much thought into your essay, and that as such, you are not really committed to the college you are applying for.
To avoid this pitfall, you should take care to answer the question directly, evidencing your focus and commitment to tutors.
5. Not writing in your personal voice
It’s your application for your future. You are being addressed, not your parents or teachers.
So, try to break out of the spell they may have on your writing and find your own personal voice.
Only through this will tutors be able to get a sense of what kind of student you are. The STEAM in AI Summer Camp will enable students to harness their personal voice to great effect.
6. Not proofreading
Yes, your personal voice is essential, but that does not mean that you can get away with not proofreading. No excellent college application essay is produced in one go. A competitive application requires writing, redrafting, reviewing; with this process being repeated many times over.
The proofreading process should involve external help. Getting parents and teachers to look over your application can be very helpful, so long as they do not drastically alter your personal voice. If a friend could submit your essay instead of you, then this personal element has been lost.
Proofreading can pick up on errors and work to refine the piece, but it should never be to the detriment of your personality or perspective.
