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College Application Essays:

They Are Easier Than You Think!

A friend just told me his daughter was not going to apply to the UC (University of California) schools because she would need to write two college admissions essays. Instead, she was going to stick to the Cal state schools, which don’t require essays.What a tragedy, I thought. These aren’t that hard to write!! Here’s what I would say to try to change his mind, and tell his daughter:

These college application essays (also known as personal statements) don’t have to be perfect. Shoot for mediocre if it takes the pressure off. Just find a little story to tell about yourself, something that happened one time, and pound it out. Stick to the first person; describe what happened. Then, explain what it meant to you, how you thought about it, what you learned, how it changed you (even if just a little bit.) Voila! An essay! That’s it!

Of course, if you can go back, re-read it, take out the boring parts, amp it up with colorful details, cut extra words, carve out a main point, read it out loud,  listen to the flow, find a nifty metaphor to life, allude to interesting ideas, fix it up, work on it—you will have an even better essay.  And did I mention all my other informative posts on this blog are designed to help you write a killer essay? (Look for specific topics in the “Find Help By Topic” listing on the right.) Check out my super helpful Jumpstart Guide to help get you started on your college application essay or personal statement!