College essays that made a difference - Princeton Review 2010

Topics that work, topics that don’t
Essay fundamentals

Opinion differs from college to college regarding what’s a good essay topic and what isn’t. More than a few opinions can be found in Part 2 of this book, which is devoted to the interviews we conducted with admissions professionals at over a dozen elite colleges. There are a few topics, however, that almost invariably send shudders down admissions officers’ spines. These include sex (especially your sex life), drugs (especially your drug use), and violent events in which you participated. Admissions officers also tire of reading travelogues and stories of how you recovered from a sports injury. Want to make them groan? Rehash the extracurricular activities that you already listed on your application, or editorialize on the top news item of the day. Swearing isn’t effective, either. They appreciate humor, but if you’re not funny in person, you shouldn’t try to be so on paper. If your essay relies on humor, you should have a teacher read it: If your humor doesn’t elicit the right response from them, it most likely won’t get the reaction you’re looking for in the admissions office.

Admissions officers also don’t want to read an essay you wrote for another school. If you use the same essay for all the schools to which you apply, make sure the correct school’s name appears in each version (if applicable). It’s common courtesy.

What do they like to read about? Curiosity, passion, and persistence. These are attributes that great college students have. Great students go on to be great alumni. Colleges that have great students and great alumni tend to attract quality applicants, and the cycle goes on. But you shouldn’t tell the admissions office that you are curious, passionate, or persistent; you should show them. Let your narrative do this. How? Check out some of the essays inside.