An increasingly important element of the college application process is the writing of the essay. It personalizes the applicant, making the student more than numbers on high school transcript and SAT or ACT score. A writing sample, the essay allows for creativity and expression, for demonstrating ability to design and uphold a thesis statement relative to broadly-based questions. With more qualified students than there are places at top colleges, the essay can be a major acceptance factor.

Starting early is essential. Since most students apply to several colleges and have several essays to write-on different topics, leaving the writing until a week before the application deadlines is a mistake. Even if using the Common Application most colleges will require supplemental essays. 

The more selective a college is, the more emphasis it places on good writing. All colleges expect the fundamentals to be present. A well-stated thesis, well-explained or upheld is, then, clearly required, and the mechanics of writing –grammar, punctuation, spelling, clear transitions- are “givens”.

In addition to demonstrating writing prowess, the student wants to bring a personality to the essay. Writing about something well-known or deeply felt is usually preferable to tackling questions such as solutions for global societal problems. The essay is not a research paper.

The most important aspect of the essay are editing and proofreading. A good essay takes time; an exceptional essay takes an exceptional amount of time. Editing- changing, and improving, words, phrases, entire paragraphs (pages!)- should be done during a student’s “prime time” for study. An essay that sounds brilliant at midnight may lose luster when read in the harsh light of noon. Proofreading should be done at least three times-once aloud, once backward, starting at the period, to catch spelling errors (easier when a word is seen out of context), and once, carefully from the beginning of each sentence. Spell-check and grammar-check on computers do not catch all errors; a student’s personal touch is still necessary. Several drafts are a minimum requirement.