10 Things to Avoid in Your College Essays
Admissions officers read thousands of college essays each cycle. The ones that stand out are authentic, well-crafted, and tell an interesting story. The ones that don't? They almost always fall into the same traps.
Here are the 10 most common pitfalls to avoid in your college essays, so your story is one of the ones that gets remembered.
Never rehash your academic and extracurricular accomplishments.
Your school and out-of-school work already show up in your transcript and awards and activities lists. Essays provide another dimension to your application. Who will you be as a classmate? As a roommate? As the leader of an on-campus business, club, or sports team?
Never write about a "topic."
Students often come to our courses with a "topic" they think they should write about, as if they are writing an analytical essay in English class. Instead, you should explore specific moments that reveal your character in action.
Never start with a preamble.
"This is an essay about my commitment to the environment." Boring! You have one chance to get the reader's attention, so draw them in with action right from the beginning. You can set the scene with vivid Details, Dialogue, and Description, what we at Revision Learning call the 3 Ds.
Never end with a "happily ever after" conclusion.
"That was the day I learned how important it is to be kind to everyone." Your reader is smart. If you have shown your learning, you don't need to tell them what you learned.
Never pontificate.
Do not ever tell other people what they should think. Don't plead your case. Don't be right or make someone else wrong. It's great to be engaged in activist work, but show yourself doing the work rather than using your essay as a platform to make your case.
Never retreat into your thoughts.
The worst essays are the ones where students are caught in their own thoughts. The worst example: all the big, world-changing things you think about on the bus ride to school. Write about what you did the next day instead.
Never hold back.
College essays should reveal the real you, the complicated you, the person who makes mistakes, not the goody-two-shoes you think you are supposed to be. Colleges admit real people, not perfect people.
But never give TMI.
But be careful: your college essays are one of the first impressions colleges have of you. No stories are off limits, but tell them in a way that draws people into your experience, not a way that shocks or scares them away.
Never show your essay to too many people.
Share prudently. Students often show their essays to teachers, counselors, parents, and friends. Each person has a different idea about what you "should" write, and before you know it, you've lost the heart of the essay.
Never over-edit your essay.
After showing their essay to everyone, students edit it again and again to make each reader happy, and before you know it, their story has been ground down and their voice has vanished. Don't cut out your unique voice. Don't let yourself sound like everyone else.
Looking for student samples of effective college essays? Read our breakdown of 4 great personal statement examples and why they worked. For more on what admissions officers actually want to see, check out our post on what admissions officers look for in a college essay.
Free Download: 4 College Essays and Why They Worked (Annotated Edition)
Want to see exactly how strong college essays work, line by line? Our annotated guide breaks down four real personal statements that helped students get into top schools, with inline comments showing what each writer is doing and why it lands. Download it free to learn from real examples.
For personalized guidance on crafting compelling college essays, explore our college essay coaching and workshops. Your journey to success begins with telling your unique story!