Starting Your College Essay: Top Tips

There’s nothing more intimidating than a blank page. For students, and even for professional writers, the idea of diving into a new essay or piece of writing can be even more overwhelming. Personal statements and other college essays often feel particularly fraught, as they are some of the most important pieces of writing high school seniors have ever had to produce, but most students have no experience creating them.

If that sounds familiar, don’t panic! Below, we’ve sketched out a few of our best tips to help you plan out your essays.

DIVE CONFIDENTLY INTO THE WRITING PROCESS

Take a look at your activities.

When I work with my rising seniors on their college essays each summer, we start by putting together a list of all of the activities they have completed in high school. We pay attention to the types of activities that have taken up most of their time and the ones that have allowed them to show their initiative, scholarly enthusiasm, or empathy. What, I ask them, do these activities say about you and your interests? How do they speak to your goals and values?

Each student’s answers to these questions often shape the narrative that forms their personal statement. A student who has done great work in public health, for example, might write an essay about the incident that sparked this interest and the work she has done over the past few years to make healthcare more accessible to her community. A student with a passion for Native American history might discuss how exploring this subject helped him better understand his own family’s past.

You’ve likely already put together a list of your primary extracurricular commitments for the Common App’s Activities section. If you’re feeling stuck, take a look at what you’ve included there and ask yourself which of those items are most meaningful to you.

Essay Guidance

Get our expert guidance on your college essays.

LEARN MORE

Look at examples—but be careful.

Especially if you have no experience writing personal statements, it can be helpful to look at samples from past students. Studying successful essays can give you ideas about how to structure your own writing and inspire you to consider new ways to approach complex topics.

Just beware when sourcing your samples. While the internet, TikTok, and Instagram offer countless “experts” eager to share advice, most of them are not truly familiar with the college admissions process. Students recently admitted to top colleges may also hold up their own writing as an example of a successful essay—without realizing that they were admitted despite their personal statement, not because of it. As a rule, we recommend focusing on samples that come from a trusted college counselor or from your dream college itself. (UVA, for example, occasionally releases passages from some of their favorite essays from incoming students.)

TTA Top Tip: Successful essay samples are included with any Essay Guidance Program or Essay Guidance Program/Common App 911 bundle purchase!

Give yourself time to draft (and redraft and redraft).

While it’s tempting to envision yourself writing a perfect college essay in one go, the best essays require countless drafts before they achieve their final state. If you start the essay writing process knowing that you have many drafts ahead of you, it can actually reduce stress, since you won’t feel pressured to produce something polished on your first try.

I often encourage students to think of writing an essay like creating a painting. We start with a rough sketch—a quick first draft that allows us to get our ideas in place, see how the essay’s pieces work together, and remove any parts that don’t fit. We then begin filling in the details on our metaphorical canvas, working section-by-section until the piece comes together as a cohesive whole. And just like a painter, it’s okay if we make mistakes along the way. We can always go back and fix them later.

Ask for help.

Still feeling stuck? That’s okay! Since this genre is new to you, it’s natural to feel a bit out of your depth. Rather than allowing your confusion to stymie your progress, though, reach out to people who can help, like one of our Top Tier Admissions counselors. Our expert team can walk you through the process of brainstorming, drafting, and polishing your essay, ensuring that you feel confident about the final product.

Author
Recent Posts

Dr. Eliza Fox

Senior Private Counselor at Top Tier Admissions

Eliza has years of experience at Top Tier Admissions, helping students gain admittance to top-flight colleges and pioneering the Writing Center. She holds a B.A. in English with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University, where she was a two-time recipient of Stanford’s Rebele Journalism Fellowship. She earned her MA and PhD in English Literature at the University of Virginia. Prior to working at Top Tier, Eliza taught in UVa’s English Department and its Academic and Professional Writing Program. The effectiveness of her teaching and her commitment to her students earned her multiple awards, including the All-University Graduate Teaching Award and honors from UVa’s Seven Society. Eliza’s own writing has appeared in publications ranging from academic journals to The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also has experience in publishing, digital humanities, and study abroad programming.