RAMBO

All of their lives, people tell kids "don't brag, it's not nice." But once a teen gets to eleventh grade, we expect them to know how to talk about their gifts as they navigate the college process. Unfortunately, those early childhood parent tapes are still rolling and many teens are not comfortable telling the stories about how they overcame a challenge.

Early training conflicts with the reality of college applications are just the tip of the iceberg. Another barrier is knowing how to create an interesting and informative personal essay. Although some schools spend adequate time teaching students how to write an essay, many do not. Students who take to heart cautions to write in third person, avoid informal style and slang and practice safe punctuation are less likely to write the most interesting essays.

Students writing college essays benefit from encouragement and support from parents and teachers to tell the stories only they can tell in the most appropriate way.

You've got a story that admissions readers want to hear. Are you ready to tell it? Don't be hesitant to share your history, beliefs, humor and intellect. Your humor is welcomed by admissions readers who read way too many very sad stories. 

Some students think the lack of a sad story is a problem. Nope. Admissions readers want to get to know YOU. You are unique. Because you are not like everyone else, your story won't be either.

If you were an admissions reader, how would you like to read very sad stories all day? Think you'd like the variety of some uplifting or funny stories? You bet you would. Your story is is the only part of the whole assessment process related to your admission candidacy over which you have complete control. Tell it!  

Listening to admissions officers this week at the Higher Education Consultants Association annual conference, I got to hear what college admissions officers do not like to read when it comes to admission application essays. Specifically, they hate to read anything that does not add to their understanding of student personality, what the student thinks or is passionate about. Unfortunately, they report, that is what they read all too often. 

Conference presenters from admissions also agreed that the question that can make or break an application is why the student is applying to a specific college. Sometimes, the answer is a cut and paste from their own website or something that sounds like it came from one of the brochures sent out by the college. It is not surprising that students who will not take the time to research a college and craft an informed answer are less likely to be admitted.

A good practice for high school students is to keep notes of their impressions of colleges when they visit or talk to alumni or have an email exchange with staff or students. Those notes can help students recall the specific reasons they are attracted to each college they are considering. Admission officers want to read about the reason a student wants to attend their college in relation to what the student would like to do to make the world a better place.

A common misconception among students is that the word optional on a college application literally means optional. Actually optional means "you don't really have to do this if you don't want to go to this college."

Common Application supplements often contain short answer and longer essay questions. Students are inclined not to answer those questions because they think optional means "it does not matter if you answer this question".

Answering an optional question, especially answering the question thoughtfully and well, says good things about a student, such as:

Most students want those things said about themselves. Optional means the same thing as the Nike swoosh tagline: Just do it.

Teens often tell me proudly that they did a homework assignment in an English class that involved writing a college admission essay. In their view, they have the college admission essay (at least for The Common App) handled. They are disappointed when I tell them that getting into their favorite college will mean starting over or at least a serious re-write.

I have never read an essay written as a class assignment that was ready for the review of an admission officer. In fact most would qualify for Worst Essay Ever in the college admissions world.

Although the class assignment college admission essays were evaluated as outstanding by secondary teachers, they fall far short of the goal of a college admission essay. Most are narratives that do not even hint at the personality of the student. Few are creative or clever. Most are boring and don't come close to the level of work that reflects what the student can do.

The best teenage essay writer I have met did not write his essay for a class assignment. He carefully wrote a draft and took the time to have other students read his work and offer their opinions. He revised and edited for months. The outcome was impressive with a hook sentence that drew the reader in. The intent of the essay and supporting ideas were clear. The conclusion was creative and thoughtful. That essay did its job. He had wonderful college admission outcomes.

Students who want their essays to do what they intend must analyze who they are, where they have been and what they want to do. After that, ideas will surface that reflect their essence and background. Once a good draft is complete, the student needs to begin the process of reviewing and re-writing that will result in the Best Essay Ever.

College admission applications often have optional essay questions with word limits of 250-500 words. News flash-they are not really optional if you want to maximize your chances of success. College admission applications are an opportunity for your kid to tell his story. Why skip that opportunity to explain how you are unique?

 

This is another example of the need for parents to be helpful to their children in the college admissions process. Offer to proofread their applications and essays. What you instinctively know is important may seem irrelevant to them. They don't always put themselves in the place of the application reviewer. Encourage your child to make a great first impression, represent himself well and take every opportunity to tell his story. 

 

 

Essayitis is a condition that afflicts high school seniors in the fall of the school year as they work on college admission essays. Infected students often complain of headaches, insomnia and high anxiety. Other signs of Essayitis include procrastination and surliness. Parents can help sufferers of this disorder by helping them set priorities, organize their efforts and by being a supportive sounding board for ideas.

 

The 5 most common essay topics that students face include:

 

The high stakes that revolve around college admission essays and the pressure on students to do especially well in fall term classes can be paralyzing. Recognize the invisible maladies that plague high school seniors and give them extra support during the stressful months of fall.