Great College Essay Writing Is Not about the Humble Brag
Maybe you’re sitting down to start brainstorming and wondering, How can I brag about my achievements in my college essay? We’re sorry to burst your bubble, but you heard it here first: the point of college essays is not to brag about your accomplishments. If we could boil down the internet advice about college essay writing, it would sound like this: the personal statement should showcase your accomplishments, it should guarantee that admissions committees get as complete a view of your range of activities as possible, and it should ensure that you come across as perfectly clear about who you are and what you want. In other words, you should be a neatly packaged brand.
We think this couldn’t be further from the truth. Great college essay writing is not about mastering the humble brag. First of all, it shouldn’t be about bragging at all. Second, when was the last time a brag really succeeded in disguising itself and sounding humble to you? Instead, we think great college essay writing comes down to the art of being yourself: not a brand, but the complex and multifaceted teenager you actually are!
What is a humble brag anyway?
Hopefully you’re not in the habit of humble bragging, in which case the concept will be new to you! Let us explain. A humble brag is a statement that highlights an accomplishment, while appearing to downplay it in a way that comes across as boastful and disingenuous. In the context of a college essay, a humble brag might sound something like this:
“I can’t imagine why they selected me to be gymnastics team captain. I guess I just happened to be the only one who consistently won in my competitions.”
Or, take this example:
“I’m not really a history person, but I aced the AP History exam without studying much at all.”
Or, to name one more we’ve seen before:
“It's weird how I always seem to be the first one to volunteer for everything. I guess I just can't help wanting to serve others."
College essays can be a meaningful place to talk about any of your experiences from leading your gymnastics team to studying hard and volunteering. But there’s no need to brag, no matter how apparently humbly — in fact this can only damage your chances of acceptance. The point of the essay is actually very different.
Just don’t brag in a college essay
It can be tempting to think that admissions committees have a hidden agenda. And of course in some ways, politics do shape admissions decisions. But if you think you can game the college essay, think again. Your application is full of opportunities to showcase your accomplishments, from lists of extracurriculars to your SAT/ACT scores and your GPA.
When it comes to college essays, though, admissions officers are looking for something different. They want to come away with a genuine snapshot of who you are and how you think. It can be tempting to resort to listing your activities in an attempt to fit it all in, or to rely on cliches to make sense of challenging experiences you’ve had. But at best this makes your essay sound like everyone else's; at worst, it makes you come across as arrogant. When it comes to writing a great college essay, you have to approach things differently. You have to find a way to talk about yourself as you really are, while highlighting your self awareness and capacity for growth.
Think deeply about the experiences and qualities that are central to who you are
We suggest that students drop the idea of a humble brag (and the thought of presenting a neatly packaged version of themselves) entirely. It’s far more powerful to read the essay of a student who has done some deep thinking about the various aspects of their experience, and chosen one thing to explore deeply. This is ultimately harder to do, which is why it stands out to admissions committees. And it has almost nothing to do with the topic itself (which could be anything), and everything to do with pausing to reflect.
At their best, college essays give admissions committees real insight into what makes someone unique. This will never be as simple as “captain of the basketball team,” or “state debate champion.” Instead, it comes down to being able to talk about yourself and your experiences in ways that others can connect to — and this is a skill that takes effort and practice. What might this sound like in practice?
It might sound like reflecting on some of the trickier parts of who you are and how you’ve navigated them — whether that’s managing your inclination to be rigid about your schedule, or overcoming resistance to putting yourself out there in a social or extracurricular pursuit. It might sound like sharing how your curiosity about the built landscape shapes every aspect of how you engage with the world around you, or how your sense of responsibility in your family affects how you see your experience and identity. There is no “right” way to approach a college essay other than from the starting point of what’s true for you.
Find a story that’s true to you, and tell it well
The process of college essay writing comes down to two key tasks: identifying a story to share, and then telling it well. Some students have stories that are so central to who they are that they immediately know what to write about. But most don’t! And this is perfectly okay. It can be really helpful to sit down with a friend, family member, or college essay tutor to brainstorm together. We’ll ask you questions that can help put you in a reflective frame of mind about what’s important to you, how you feel about the things that matter to you, and how this connects to your sense of possibility.
The most impressive college essays aren’t “perfect” in any sense of the word. And they’re certainly not exercises in bragging. Great college essays feel authentic because they reflect a real effort to engage readers about something meaningful. We’re tempted to add a cliche of our own: the way to right a great college essay is just by being yourself.