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How to Choose Your College Essay Topic
If you’re a junior in high school, you probably have a lot on your plate right now. You’re trying to get the best grades you can while building your resume and studying for the SAT or ACT… and if you’re like most people, you’re leaving the final part of the college application – the dreaded college essay – to the end.
We believe this is a big mistake. Treating the essay as an afterthought is the most common way students self-sabotage when applying to college.
Five Ways to Work on Your College Essays Off-Season
While the college admissions process kicks off for rising seniors in the summer, it's never too early to get started. Over the last few years, you've thought a lot about SAT and ACT scores, GPA, and extracurriculars. But if you're like most students and parents, you haven't paid much attention to college essay writing. Until now! College essays can seem like an afterthought, but they are actually a really important, and we think underrated, factor in getting into a great college. So if you want to get a leg up, here are some things you can do right now to have a head start when application season begins.
Why AI Won’t Impact the College Essay Anytime Soon
It seems like a cheap and easy solution to the dreaded college essay. Just punch a few questions into ChatGPT and watch it generate a response that will get you into college. There might be a few glitches in the system now, but in a few years (so the argument goes), you won’t have to worry about writing your college application essay anymore. So is AI the future of essay writing?
We’re sorry to be the bearers of bad news, but we don’t see it happening. Why? Well, let’s start with something our tutors have noticed.
How to Get Started Writing a Great College Essay
If the very idea of sitting down to start writing a college essay has you stressed, we have some bad news: application essays matter a lot. But, don’t worry, there’s also good news. Writing a great college application essay doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to panic text everyone you know for ideas. You don’t need to take eight online courses. And you definitely don’t need to read sample college essays. You just need some guidelines on how to get going. You may even find that the essay writing experience becomes an exciting way to connect with interesting and unique parts of your life experience.
Why You Shouldn’t Read Sample College Essays
It’s the first thing everyone does when they sit down to write their college admissions essay. They search for “college essay examples” or “best common app essays Ivy League,” and then they read the responses that supposedly got candidates into Harvard, Princeton, and other top schools.
If you want to write a good college essay, nothing could be more damaging. Here are the three main reasons we recommend you avoid reading sample college essays and focus on your own experience instead.