The Killer Essay
The One and Only Essay Question in the Universe: “Tell Us About Yourself”
No matter which prompt you choose to write about, you are the main subject. This is your chance to distinguish yourself from others and connect on a personal level with your admissions officer.
Don’t worry. You don’t have to write a Pulitzer Prize-winning essay. You do need to reveal who you are, how you think and what you value. This is what admissions officers are looking for behind the GPAs and standardized test scores.
So avoid those bland, generic yawners like, “What I learned when I…..”, “How my hard work and discipline paid off…” or “These are a few of my favorite things.” Write about something you really know and care about, no matter how small or quirky it may seem.
Here Are A Few College Essay Tips
Keep It Real
Do not try to impress your reader with big words or fancy phrases. Use your own voice, the one you would use in a conversation, or when you’re telling a story to someone over coffee. Write like you talk, without the umms or grammatical errors. Remember, many of your admissions readers aren’t much older than you are!
Spice It Up
Always use specific examples, bits of dialogue, colorful adjectives and active verbs. Your challenge is to keep your over-worked, bleary-eyed reader AWAKE.
No Robert Frost!
Avoid clichés and famous quotations: If two roads diverge in your essay, grab a red pen.
Tell Them Something New
Don’t repeat anything that has been covered in the rest of your application, unless you have an unexpectedly provoking new angle on that topic.
Don’t Rush It
Creating a Killer Essay is a gradual process that involves many rewrites. Take short breaks to save your sanity. As you begin to write your college essays, check out The Process in 10 Steps.
Stuck? Need more college essay tips? Need a push in the “write” direction? Ask Susan…
What Students Say About Susan
"Susan was a lifesaver during my college essay writing process! From brainstorming creative topics to editing the final draft, Susan was by far the most helpful aide I had. The college application process can be so overwhelming, especially with the numerous essays required at each school, and to have someone to coach you, and yes, at times hold your hand, saved my sanity and my applications. Susan is the most supportive, creative and compassionate woman that I have had the pleasure of working with and I have no doubt in my mind that when grad school applications roll around she will be the first one I call. Thank you Susan for everything you have done! You’re amazing!"
Emily
Pitzer Class of 2010
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Jonathan
Yale Class of 2002
"Susan Wolf helped me throughout--from conception to execution. She was a guide and mentor, helping me refine my ideas and craft a series of application essays. Working with Susan was instrumental for me, and the single reason I believe I got accepted. She helped me keenly identify the things that could help distinguish me from the hundreds of other applicants. She worked with me to make sure that my essays were more lucid but still retained my voice. As a writer now for the Wall Street Journal, that was very important to me. I've worked with a lot of editors in my job and can honestly say that she is exceptional. I feel very lucky that I got a chance to work with her on my college application process.
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Princeton Class of 2004
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Emerson Class of 2014
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Duke Class of 2013
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Evan
Harvard Class of 2007