How to Write a College Essay and Tips for Success

Follow these steps in order to write your college essay from start to finish. Each step builds on the previous one to help you create a strong essay that shows your personality to admissions officers.

Step 1 - Read the Prompt Carefully

Understand what the college is asking by looking for keywords like "describe," "explain," or "why" to know what type of response they want. Write down the main question in your own words.

Step 2 - Brainstorm Your Topic

Set aside 2-3 hours to write down at least 10 meaningful experiences from your life. Include challenges you overcame, moments you felt proud, times you learned something important, or activities that excited you.

Step 3 - Choose Your Best Story

Pick one experience from your brainstorming list that you can write about in detail. Make sure it shows personal growth, connects to your values, and gives you enough specific memories to fill 650 words.

Step 4 - Select Your Essay Structure

Decide which format fits your chosen topic best. Use narrative structure if your story happened over time and shows how you changed. Use montage structure if you want to connect several different experiences through one common theme.

Step 5 - Create a Detailed Outline

Plan your introduction, body, and conclusion by writing 2-3 sentences about what each paragraph will cover. Decide on your opening hook and how you will end your essay.

Step 6 - Write Your First Draft

Complete your entire first draft in one sitting, focusing on telling your story from beginning to end. Do not stop to fix grammar or word choice, just get all your ideas written down on paper.

Step 7 - Revise for Content

Wait at least one day, then revise your draft for content and structure. Add more specific details, improve transitions between paragraphs, and make sure each sentence adds value to your story.

Step 8 - Get Feedback

Ask 2-3 trusted people to read your essay and give honest feedback. Choose people who know you well and can tell if the essay sounds like your real voice.

Step 9 - Final Proofreading

Make final changes based on feedback and proofread carefully for grammar, spelling, and word count. Read your essay aloud one last time before submitting.

Creating an outstanding college essay requires more than just following basic steps. These proven strategies will help your essay stand out from the thousands that admissions officers read each year.

- Be Authentic: Write in your own voice instead of trying to sound like someone else. Admissions officers can easily tell when students use fake language, so use natural words that sound like how you actually speak to friends and family members.

- Show Don't Tell: Use specific details and examples instead of just stating facts about yourself. Rather than saying "I learned leadership," describe a moment when you had to make a difficult decision as a team captain and explain how it felt.

- Focus on Growth: Write about deeper themes and personal development rather than listing your achievements. Your transcript already shows your accomplishments, so use your essay to explain how experiences changed your thinking or values.

- Connect to the School: Research the college's mission and values, then explain how your experiences prepare you to contribute to their campus community. This shows you are genuinely interested in attending their specific school.

- Choose One Story: Pick one meaningful experience and explore it deeply instead of trying to cover everything you have done. A focused essay about learning to cook with your grandmother can be more powerful than mentioning every activity.

- Start Strong: Begin with a vivid scene, interesting dialogue, or thought-provoking question that immediately captures attention. Your opening should make readers want to continue reading your entire essay.

- End Thoughtfully: Write a conclusion that shows what you learned and how the experience shaped your goals for college and future career plans. Avoid simply restating what you already wrote.

Certain topics and approaches can hurt your chances of admission even if you write about them well. Avoiding these subjects will help ensure your essay creates a positive impression with admissions officers.

- Overly Personal Information: Do not share details about your private life, such as romantic relationships, detailed medical conditions, or family financial problems. These topics are usually too personal for college applications.

- Controversial Topics: Stay away from political or religious subjects that might offend readers. You do not know the personal beliefs of the admissions officer who will read your essay, so avoid taking strong positions on debated issues.

- Illegal Activities: Never write about breaking laws or making poor decisions, even if you learned from these experiences. These stories can make admissions officers question your judgment and character.

- Clichéd Themes: Avoid common topics that many other students write about, such as winning sports games, volunteer trips to poor countries, or the death of a grandparent. These stories are very difficult to make unique and memorable.

- Perfect Hero Stories: Do not make yourself the flawless hero who never makes mistakes or learns anything new. Essays that show no personal growth or self-awareness appear unrealistic and boastful to readers.

- Other People's Stories: Avoid writing more about other people than yourself, even if mentors and family members are important to you. The essay should focus on your own development and insights, not theirs.

- Creative Formats: Do not submit poems, plays, or unusual presentations unless the application specifically asks for something different. Stick to traditional essay format to show you can follow directions.

Even students with good stories can ruin their chances by making careless errors in their writing process. Being aware of these common mistakes will help you create a polished final product.

- Poor Proofreading: Never submit your essay without careful editing and multiple reviews. Grammar errors, typos, and formatting problems make you appear careless and unprepared for college-level work.

- Procrastination: Do not wait until the last minute to start writing your essay. Rushing leads to shallow, poorly developed essays that fail to show your true potential and personality.

- Ignoring Instructions: Avoid missing the specific prompt requirements or word limit guidelines. Admissions officers notice when students do not follow directions, which suggests you might struggle with college assignments.

- Generic Essays: Do not copy and paste the same essay for different schools without changes. Each college wants to know why you chose them specifically, so identical essays feel impersonal and lazy.

- Trying Too Hard: Never use overly complex vocabulary just to try to sound smart. Using big words incorrectly makes your writing confusing and shows poor communication skills.

- Resume Writing: Avoid writing in a boring, list-like style that just mentions your activities. Essays should tell engaging stories that reveal your personality and values instead of repeating your transcript.

- Repetitive Structure: Do not forget to vary your sentence length and paragraph organization. Using the same patterns repeatedly makes essays difficult and unpleasant to read.

- First Draft Submission: Never assume your initial draft is good enough to submit without revisions. Great essays require multiple rounds of improvement to develop their full impact and clarity.