common application writing supplement

common application writing supplement

Crafting a Standout Common Application Writing Supplement

1. Introduction to the Common Application Writing Supplement

You should take it just as seriously. Like the Common Application applicant who skipped using his real first name in deference to his highly symbolic family title until a supportive teacher shook him into recognizing his fierce individual autonomy, you have a chance to truly be present. Highlight your inner world as well as your external experiences. Choose the anecdotes and reflections that truly capture that sense of self. The guide’s probably made a stop there; why shouldn’t you?

The Writing Supplement on the Common Application gives you an opportunity to showcase everything you know about the place to which you’re applying. Think of it as the college’s question “Why us?” The essay is your chance to effectively pull together the disparate place names and facts in the tour guide’s presentation into a coherent human portrait of a living, breathing person who cares deeply about the first-world agonies you preach about, whether your world is the politics of a leaf, the economy of a hamlet, or the philosophy of the Enlightenment. This document also makes the dream of individual institutional uplift a reality for College admission officers. They’ve sat through the travelogue; now they want to know who you are, why you matter, and how you can enhance the college they are so passionate about.

2. Strategies for Choosing the Right Essay Prompt

Crafting a standout Common Application writing supplement: 2. Strategies for choosing the right essay prompt This is the right time to take a deep breath and to think carefully about the kind of writing you want to accomplish. How do you want to be seen by the colleges to which you are applying? What is it about you and about your life experiences that can be illuminating, funny, touching, and surprising at the same time? How do you want to feel about yourself at the end of this experience? Your answers to these questions can help you decide which of the five essay options from the Common Application college writing supplement to choose. Each one offers a unique approach and asks different questions. You will need to choose the prompt that will be most interesting to you and that will allow you to showcase your writing skills and the ones that give you the room to say everything you need to say to make your application soar. If you understand yourself well, you will know which choices meet your needs and you will know that you have made the right decision.

Many students find the Common Application essay to be especially challenging. For the first time, you are being asked to write an essay in which you explain something significant about yourself that your grades and test scores cannot. You are being asked to tell a story or to write a feature article. You are sharing something, often something uniquely personal, and you are doing so in a very concise way. This can be intimidating and challenging, to say the least.

3. Structuring Your Essay for Maximum Impact

Getting started. Throwing yourself into some of the clubs and groups will help you get the answers. Volunteering is another great way to work on your essay. Whatever you decide to write about, your college-specific essay should always reflect obvious personality characteristics. Personalize your story, always focus on your passion, and explain clearly why something good or bad happens to you. Try to watch yourself in action and ask yourself if you would enjoy reading your story. If you’re not happy with it, write your essay again or think it through again. So here are the guidelines to help you do your best. Find time in your senior semester of high school or over the summer before that to proof your work for spelling errors that are always the most obvious mistake. Because even the most interesting essays are often undermined by inaccurate word choices and easily think of yourself as meticulous and exact. Some colleges ask for a short answer about why you chose to apply to that college. It may be the hardest or the easiest part of the application. Since you are selling your reputation now, don’t treat this lightly – use this essay the same way you used your common application essay to show a receptor that your values are real.

After you’ve picked a topic and thought about the relationship you have with it, your challenge is to structure your essay. You will normally have between 400-650 words for your essay, so it’s important that your thoughts and feelings are portrayed correctly and that your essay is memorable. In handling this part, remember that along with the admissions officers, all future might see your writing. How do you want them to think of you? How do you want to present yourself when they meet you after reading your essay? You need to decide what to talk about and figure out how to explain it to someone who doesn’t know you. A few questions can assist here: What meet do you engage in and why? What is your favorite club or group? What is your best quality that has to do with your favorite club or group? What did you learn from your engagement or experience? With what result?

4. Showcasing Your Unique Voice and Perspective

1. It opens a dialogue about application values and choices and reminds students that they are in control of this aspect of their applications. 2. It encourages students to express their voices and organize their thoughts based on internal beliefs rather than external expectations. 3. Finally, the personal statement itself is simply the most overlooked opportunity to master a skill central to the personal development and college admission processes: the ability to tell your story in order to promote a complete and authentic self-understanding.

What is the number one pain point we hear from students about the essay? It’s the stress about the need to impress the reader or to write the essay that will guarantee admission. In other words, the prompt and the essay are viewed as barriers between the applicant and their goal. Students struggle with “projecting the right impression.” Many factors – admissions rates, scores, costs, career prospects, and even nebulous factors like “fit” – contribute to the idea that getting the right answer is important, and students frequently get tripped up over “what the reader wants.” Crafting an essay becomes a chore. How to help students get over “imposter syndrome” and anxiety about “what the reader wants,” and recognize the Common App essay as an opportunity to express their unique voice and perspective? Try turning to the personal statement prompts and the personal statement itself as springboards to help students recognize that they have a voice and a valuable perspective that should be heard. When you approach the personal statement as an opportunity to talk about yourself and communicate who an applicant is, then revising the draft of that essay again has a clear purpose: you are sharpening the focus, better presenting material, or more accurately representing the facts of the author. Reframing the personal statement like this has several advantages:

5. Editing and Polishing Your Essay to Perfection

The starting point for the final draft is feedback from at least a few of the people in the following list: your faculty advisor, guidance counselor, the College Access faculty, and your writing coach, if you have one. Read the comments you get and clarify your responses for the final draft. Then rewrite your essay for clarity, voice, and purpose. Ensure your essay has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Keep your essay organized and easy to understand. Have an adult who knows you well read your essay; get constructive criticism from this person. Replace weak verbs with strong verbs. Revise paragraphs to make sure your style flows. Use vivid and detailed language. Strip it of cliches; make it fresh. Use new examples if you need to. When you believe your essay is perfect, and you’re reading it again for spelling and grammar, you may want to read it out loud to catch errors. After you proofread for errors, another set of eyes will help ensure there are no mistakes. Your essay is now a gem. Good luck!

With the first draft, focus on your passion, values, and experiences. The final draft will allow your language to show us who you are by letting your unique point of view shine through.

When we read your essay, we want to see the world as you see it. We want to know your thoughts, beliefs, and understandings. A gust of energy and emotion should fill the room as we read your essay. You involve us in your life, your world, and your thinking. We want to find out what kind of person you are. Will your essay make your room come alive with your presence after you leave it? Will we talk about you after you leave the room? If so, you have captured the most common accolade for a college essay – outstanding!