Writing Your College Essay: The essay provides opportunity for you to show your individuality and creativity in your application.
                             IT IS THE ONLY PART OF THE APPLICATION YOU HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER; TAKE ADVANTAGE! 

​Colleges want to know what makes you special: being the organizer of a community service project, playing in a rock band, participating in a religious or political group, etc.
Colleges also want you to tell them about those parts of your personality and character that make you different from the rest of the applicant pool.  The essay can add personality to a folder filled with paper and data.  It is the most exciting and revealing piece of the application, so be prepared to spend a decent amount of time on it!
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Check out these tips before you sit down to write your essay:
  1. Be yourself!  Too many students make the mistake of attacking essays by asking themselves, “What does the admissions officer want to hear?” This leads to writing that sounds like many other essays and is devoid of any individual personality.  Allow for parts of your character to emerge in your writing and be honest in your words.  Do not try to be somebody who you are not.
  2. Avoid writing in strictly biographical facts. “I am a senior at BCCHS.  I play basketball and am interested in studying biology…..”  Remember that you have already given them a great deal of factual information in other portions of your application.  The essay is an opportunity to elaborate on some of those facts.  What do you enjoy about basketball?  Why is biology of interest to you?
  3. Pick a topic of genuine interest. You should write about what really interests you. Admissions officers look for commitment, enthusiasm, and passion from applicants.  These traits can only come through in your writing if you choose a subject that elicits emotion on your part.
  4. Do not feel that you must be perfect. Many good essays contain admissions of a candidate’s weaknesses as well as strengths.  Strengths may seem all the more believable because of the honesty shown in the writing.
  5. Be aware of length limits.  Colleges often impose limits on the length of an essay because of the volume of applications they receive. Essays that go well beyond the requested length are likely to annoy the reader and do more damage than good.
  6. Do not attempt to use essays that you have seen in books or on the Internet. Admissions officials have read the same books and are plugged into the same websites. It is illegal to plagiarize and will lead to an outright rejection, if not worse. Do NOT do it!
  7. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread! There is no excuse for any type of error in an essay of this importance.  Grammar and spelling errors will detract from the message you are trying to convey.  Let someone else (teacher, parent, older sibling) read your essay, both to review clarity and to catch any mistakes you might have missed. Also, read your essay out loud. This is a good way to catch mistakes and hear if something sounds funny or off.

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Common Application Essay Prompts & Tips

Do not, Do Not, DO NOT preach to them!!!! This is a personal story. There should only be "I" statements. No "you" or "one should" or general statements "we all think..." 
1. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 
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​2. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? 

3. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

​4. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. ​

​5. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. ​

6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

****Final Topic- I would not recommend this final prompt for everyone. It should not be used as an "easy way out." The entire point of the college essay is to show the readers something about you they would not gather from your grades, scores, activities. It is not to simply show you are the best writer in the world. Therefore, even if you got a 100 on a paper about Romeo and Juliet, that does not give them substance as to who you are as a person. Please be cautious if using this prompt and talk to the college office as to whether or not this is a good choice. 

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
Prompt 1:
  • What kind of obstacle did you experience?
  • How you respond to that failure? Feelings, Actions, Thoughts
  • How did it change your life?
  • How has it made you who you are today?​
.Prompt 2:
  • What were your internal thoughts/feelings/triggers?
  • Reflecting back, how have you grown from this experience?
.Prompt 3:
  • ​How do you plan to solve it? How would a college education empower you to embark on doing so?
  • Why is this important to YOU
​Prompt 4:
  • What was life like before this transition (be brief, with powerful descriptive words)
  • How has this event/accomplishment changed your life (for better/worse)
  • **Remember to have a happy ending, growth, development, feeling of empowerment. 
 Prompt 5:
  • Talk about something in your life that is very unique, but something you has made you who you are today
  • If it is a story of grit and determination, focus on that
  • Examples: Immigrating to America, Family Life, Best Dancer, Gender/ Sexuality/ Identity/ Acceptance
  • Make it a POSITIVE story
 Prompt 6:
  • When did you recognize you were passionate about this?
  • How do you feed into this passion?
  • Do you constantly seek to learn and grow more with this concept/ topic/ idea?
  • Do you plan on studying this in college?
​Prompt 7:
  • What were your thoughts, feelings, emotional, physical responses to this topic
  • Show your PERSONAL beliefs
  • How does this topic impact you and possibly your thoughts on society?
  • Do your thoughts/feelings/ reactions align with the rest of society?​
Book Recommendations to help with writing the college essay:

College Essay Essentials: A Step by Step Guide to Writing a Successful College Admissions Essay
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On Writing the College Application Essay: The Key to Acceptance at the College of Your Choice