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Why Creative Writing Advice Can Ruin a College Essay
One of the worst pieces of advice students regularly receive is to treat their college essays like a piece of creative writing. They’re told to start with a dramatic scene, use vivid imagery, craft elaborate metaphors, and above all “show, don’t tell.” The assumption behind this advice is that if their essays read like compelling storytelling, admissions officers will be impressed.
But this advice misunderstands what the college essay is actually meant to evaluate. Here are three reasons storytelling advice often leads students in the wrong direction.
Why Trying to Guess “What Colleges Want” Ruins Your College Essay
Here’s a classic message students hear when they begin the college application process: to get into a particular college, you need to figure out what that college wants to hear — and then tailor your essay accordingly.
The assumption behind this thinking is that if you know what colleges want, you can reverse-engineer your essay and get admitted. But this way of thinking misunderstands the whole purpose of the college essay. Here are three reasons why trying to guess what colleges want backfires every time.
Why Your Life Isn’t Too Boring for a College Essay
“Nothing interesting has ever happened to me.” “My life is just really normal.” “I’m too boring to write a good college essay.”
These are some of the things students tell us every year as they try to come up with topics for their essays. They’ve usually read dozens of college essay examples online and feel intimidated by the dramatic stories they encounter. When they compare themselves to these examples, they conclude they have nothing to write about.
Why “Show, Don’t Tell” Is Bad Advice for College Essays
After spending over a decade on college essays, we’re convinced that “Show, don’t tell” creates more problems than it solves. The expression originally became popular in screenwriting and creative writing circles and applies well to those fields. But if you’re a high school senior applying to college, you’d be better off never hearing it. Here are the three main reasons “Show, don’t tell” — one of the most common pieces of college essay advice online — sabotages students as they embark on the college essay process.
How to Write the Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay (2025–2026)
A clear guide to the Johns Hopkins supplemental essay, with advice on choosing the right “first” and writing a focused, reflective personal response.
How to Write the MIT Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
A clear, direct guide to the MIT supplemental essays, with strategies for choosing strong examples and writing concise, specific responses that reflect how you think and act.
How to Write the Caltech Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
A focused guide to Caltech’s supplemental essays, explaining how to write about your STEM interests, curiosity, and experiences with clarity and specificity.
How to Write the Carnegie Mellon Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
A clear guide to Carnegie Mellon’s supplemental essays, focused on explaining how your academic interests developed, what you want from college, and how to write direct, specific responses.
How to Write the Dartmouth Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
A focused guide to Dartmouth’s supplemental essays, including the 100-word “Why Us” and multiple personal prompts, with an emphasis on writing clear, specific, and well-chosen responses.
How to Write the Brown Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
A clear guide to Brown’s supplemental essays, including the Open Curriculum “Why Us,” background and contribution essay, and short responses, with a focus on writing specific, focused answers.
How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
A clear, structured guide to Princeton’s supplemental essays, including the long lived-experience essay, service prompt, short answers, and academic “Why Us.”
How to Write the Yale Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
A clear guide to Yale’s supplemental essays, including short answers and the 400-word essay, with strategies for writing precise, thoughtful responses.
How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
A clear guide to Stanford’s eight supplemental essays, including strategies for crafting impactful 50-word responses and thoughtful longer essays.
How to Write the Harvard Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
A clear guide to Harvard’s five short supplemental essays, with strategies for writing precise, thoughtful responses that stand out in just 150 words.
How to Write the University of Georgia Supplemental Essay (2025–2026)
A clear guide to the University of Georgia supplemental essay, focusing on how to turn a book that mattered to you into a strong, reflective personal response.
How to Write the University of Florida Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
A clear, focused guide to the University of Florida supplemental essays, including how to approach the required commitment essay and the Honors Program AI prompt without overcomplicating them.
How to Write the UT Austin Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
UT Austin’s supplemental essays are straightforward but require real specificity. This guide explains how to approach the major essay, choose the right activity, and handle the optional response.
How to Write the Penn State Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
Penn State’s supplemental essays are simple but easy to misread. This guide explains when to write the optional essay and how to handle the required gap statement clearly.
How to Write the University of Maryland Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
Maryland’s supplemental essays are short but demanding. This guide explains how to write concise, specific responses that make an impact in just 100 words.
How to Write the Georgetown Supplemental Essays (2025–2026)
Georgetown’s supplemental essays are straightforward but require clarity and precision. This guide explains how to approach each prompt and avoid repetition across multiple short essays.
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