Almost every college you apply to will have an essay. If your school is on the Common Application it will have one manditory essay and possibly some other supplementary essays. These supplementary essays have just as big of an effect as does the main essay.

The Common Application Essay

This essay really has no topic. There are certain questions that they ask you, but most colleges want to see your creativity flow. They want to see what you can come up with without being given a question. Try not to be superficial, just listing things you do and how good you are at them. Show their effect on you as a person, or how they changed your life. Everybody can write an essay about their trip to a foreign country, but a college wants to see how that changes how you act and why it was important to you. Try to be as unique as possible, if you have a rare talent, or attend a camp that means a lot to you, write about those. For example, I wrote about Rubik’s Cubes and how they have helped me solve greater problems in life. I know others who have compared themselves to food, you are what you eat. These are the essays that will make an admissions officer look at you more closely. He or she will give the rest of your application more attention and you are much more likely to get in.

Tips

Start your essay with a catchy quote or something to grab the reader’s attention. Nobody wants to read an essay starting with the words “Once upon a time”. An anecdote, even if it is stretched a bit, will give the reader more incentive to read the rest of your essay. Keep the word count under 700 words, these admissions officers do not have very much time to read your essays. Packing as much information into the small amount of space is really important. This essay does not have to be the usual five paragraph essay that you are used to writing in school, there is no format requirements. A last tip is, symmetry is beautiful. If you have a really powerful phrase in your introductory paragraph, make sure you include it back at the end so the essay wraps up nicely and the reader has a real idea of where you are coming from. Use a thesaurus only at the end of your drafts, do not waste time looking for better words in the middle of writing process. This can break flow and create mind blocks. If at first you cannot think of a topic just start writing. This will get you in the habit of free thinking, just type whatever comes to your mind, maybe it will be the next brilliant idea.

The Supplementary Essays

These essays can ask you just about anything but there are a few questions that are very common that you may see often, if you are applying to more than one school.

Why Do You Want to Come to _______ University/College?

I have to say this is the most annoying question that I had to answer during my college process. Most colleges do not want you to say the proximity of the college to your location is prime motivation. This does not give them any incentive to take you (unless it is a state school, which usually will not have a supplementary essay anways). They want you to talk about what courses you will take advantage of, what professors might teach you there, or what activities you can excel in there rather than anywhere else.

Tell us about something you have created?

This is usually geared towards engineering colleges. They ask you to describe something you have built and how it works. Show that you know a lot about it and do not just glance over all the details. It will show you really cared for the object you created and that it meant a lot to you.

How have your surroundings affected you as a person?

This question can be answered in a lot of different ways. Since I am from another culture, Indian, I was able to write about the affects of Indian culture and American culture, and what lessons they have taught me. Maybe you could write about another culture that fascinates you even if it is not your own and show how much it has affected you, if you are not part of other backgrounds.

There may be also other random questions like What is your favorite song, or write a story using one of these ideas. I feel that these ones will not have as great an affect on your admissions decision but it will show how different you are as a person and maybe set you apart if you are on the edge of getting. This goes back to the Common Application essay, be as creative as you can.