Five Ways to Help Your Student with the College Essay Process
With admissions season in full swing, you may be wondering how you can best help your teenager with the dozens of college essays they will need to write. By this point, you've no doubt already spent years thinking about SATs and ACTs, as well as your student’s GPA and extracurriculars. In this context, it's easy for college essays to become an afterthought. But admissions essays are really important. In fact, in terms of distinguishing competitive applicants, they matter more than people think. But before you panic and run to ask your already stressed kid if they have any thoughts about their college essays, here are a few tips about how to help them navigate the process.
Understand what makes a great college essay
There is no one best way to write a college essay. The market is saturated with companies that will tell you there are formulas to guarantee success, but this just isn’t the case. To put it simply, a great college essay is an interesting, true story that is told well. It’s not a laundry list of accomplishments. And it’s not a recipe for proving worth. Anyone can write a great college essay with the right support.
Help with college essay writing starts with planning
When in doubt, you can offer to support your kid with planning. While your student may not be interested in involving you in the brainstorming or writing process, they will likely be receptive to your help with noting deadlines and making a plan. While it's never too early to start, it's a good idea to begin thinking about essays during the summer between junior and senior years so that they don't come as a huge, stressful surprise come fall.
Encourage your child to think about their experience holistically
If your teenager is open to talking to you about what to write about, encourage them to think about their life experience holistically. This is an opportunity to help them develop a new skill. Most teenagers have never written an application essay before, and few have had a chance to learn how to write a compelling personal narrative. Learning to tell an interesting story about themselves is a skill that will serve them far into the future - any time they apply for a job or even go on a date. Make sure that they know that a great college essay can be about anything so long as it is authentic to who they are.
It’s okay to offer guidance and feedback on college essay drafts
As a parent it can be hard to know when to step in and when to back off. You may be asking yourself, “should I read my kid's college essays?” Figuring out how to help can be especially challenging when it comes to something as important as college essays. One great place to step in is by offering ideas about how to get started. You can check out some of our suggestions here (link to other blog). Personal essay writing can be a positive experience, but we know teenagers. Resist the temptation to oversell it. If your student is open to it, you can offer to brainstorm and take notes about ideas. If they ask for feedback on a draft, try to take a broad lens and offer positive comments as well as ideas for possible improvements.
Listen for their authentic voice
However you yourself feel about the college process, your main role in this case has to be to listen for your child’s unique voice. Often this means taking a step back and knowing when you may not be the best person to help. All kinds of students need help with college essay writing, from those who have struggled in high school to those at the very top of their class. We encourage you to recognize the need for more support when you see it, and contact us anytime to work one-on-one with a college essay coach.