I have never once met a
teenager who chose to describe herself by comparing elements of her personality
to the various shoes in her closet. I’ve
never met one who talked about the various items in her room, or described a family
vacation to Paris as “culturally enlightening,” or who claimed that volleyball
taught him the importance of hard work and commitment.
So why do those tales show
up over and over again when admissions officers read essays? Because the writers of those essays are trying too hard.
It’s true that your essay needs
to entertain the reader. But your life
and your interests are entertaining enough.
You don’t need to inject drama that wasn’t there, or concoct metaphors
comparing yourself to inanimate objects, or describe imaginary conversations with
people you’ve never met. Do some kids
pull those stories off? I’m sure a few
have found a way. But that doesn’t mean
that you will, too.
The best college essays
happen when students write about something that matters to them. Write a story that would make your best
friend say, “This is totally you.” Badminton,
the Yankees, French literature or cooking traditional Indian food may not have
any importance to me or to your admissions officer. But the fact that it’s important to you is
what’s important to your reader.
As you write your college
essays, ask yourself if you have actually said, or would actually say, those words to
someone else in a conversation. If you
wouldn’t say it, don’t write it.