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ESSAY - What are some common mistakes I should avoid?
- Laundry-list. We mentioned this already, but we'll mention it again: the essay is not simply
an extended resume in prose form. Personality, not necessarily accomplishment, is what you
should be concentrating on communicating in your essay.
- A negative attitude. This is a surprising one, but it happens frequently. Applicants will
sometimes write about a teacher they hated, throwing in at the end that they managed to get
an A in the class anyway through "hard work and determination" (breaking the Originality
Rule of Essay Writing in the process). Whininess, complaints, cynicism, or a negative
attitude will get you precisely nowhere (even if you think you're being funny at the same
time). While you don't have to be Little Miss Sunshine in your essay, try to be positive and
avoid being negative at all costs.
- Mistaken focus or not answering the question. If you write one good essay and adjust it to
fit all your application questions, you're likely to strike out on at least one of them.
Don't be lazy - this is your college application we're talking about! And by mistaken focus
we mean that you might start out writing about your special friendship with a favorite coach
or musical director, but end up writing an essay that has too much coach and not enough you.
Remember, your goal is to reveal a positive picture of you and your personality. (As long as
you can remember that, it's fine to include others in your essay.)
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