| When you fill out the Common App, you will probably | | | | achieve your goals, win prizes, and accomplish things |
| feel that it is somewhat limited in allowing you to | | | | that were impossible for others. |
| truly express yourself. In all, you will have a small | | | | 3. Make it personal. |
| amount of space to provide your input and answers, | | | | Sharing appropriate anecdotes about your life is very |
| as well as the opportunity to write two essays. One | | | | effective and memorable. The essay about the |
| essay should be generic. The other should be | | | | family that adopted dogs is a case in point. Even |
| school-specific. Aside from these opportunities, you | | | | though it didn't help that applicant, I still remember it. |
| may also submit some supplemental materials. | | | | If you share stories of your life in a way that |
| To make the most of this opportunity, I suggest you | | | | showcases your personality and your |
| follow these five tips: | | | | accomplishments, it will go a long way toward getting |
| 1. Paint a clear picture of yourself. Tell about your | | | | your application accepted. |
| personality and accomplishments. This is much more | | | | 4. Don't bother to tell about shortcomings and |
| effective than telling a good story. | | | | failures. These things are not pertinent to the |
| For example, I once read a great essay from an | | | | process. Tell about your successes. |
| applicant. The story was about her family and it's | | | | This is not the place to share the fact that you only |
| habit of adopting multiple stray dogs. The applicant | | | | got third place in the first track meet you ever |
| recounted her experiences taking care of the dogs | | | | participated in. The only exception to this would be if |
| when she was a child. It was a great story, but there | | | | that event acted as the springboard to your winning |
| were two significant problems with it: | | | | the state championship. |
| -The essay should tell about the applicant's | | | | Your childhood accomplishments, while charming, are |
| accomplishments. -The essay should give a clear, | | | | not pertinent to your essay unless they led to |
| well-rounded picture of the applicant's personality. | | | | further accomplishments in your high school career. If |
| If it doesn't address these points, a wonderful, | | | | winning a prize for the best science project in 6th |
| entertaining, engaging essay may cause it's writer to | | | | grade led you to enter and win a national competition |
| be waitlisted. | | | | later on, be sure to point it out. If not, omit it. |
| 2. Talk yourself up! | | | | 5. Avoid gratuitous name-dropping. |
| It is typical of overachievers to be modest. They | | | | This sort of statement is not impressive in an essay: |
| tend to make the least of their spectacular | | | | "My friend, Harry Brown, goes to Harvard, and he is |
| accomplishments with statements like: "I'm sure there | | | | an excellent student. I have always aspired to be like |
| are many more qualified applicants to Harvard than I." | | | | him, so I am determined to attend Harvard." If you |
| Or the equally self-deprecating, "I know it will be pure | | | | happen to know the name of a professor or |
| luck if I am accepted to Stanford." Simply do not say | | | | well-known alumnus, it is not helpful to insert it in |
| things like that. | | | | your essay. |
| Of course, you don't want to be an obnoxious | | | | Generally speaking, the only time it is appropriate to |
| braggart and make wild claims about your brilliance, | | | | mention someone's name in your essay is if it is |
| but don't sell yourself short! Take pride in your | | | | essential to the information you are conveying. If you |
| accomplishments. You earned that right. Talk openly | | | | could tell the story just as well without the name, it |
| and honestly about how hard you have worked to | | | | is best to do just that. |