How do I write a great college essay?

Question

When thinking about how to write a college essay, so many people get bogged down! They write what they think admissions counselors want to hear, or they include a laundry list of accomplishments, or they try not to show any weaknesses, but these conceptions are off the mark.

Answer 1

I agree that they are definitely off the mark. I kind of went way outside the box, and I was accepted to 5 Ivy leagues.

As a STEM student, I mostly wrote about my passion for a specific topic that I wanted to do research on while attending university. I did a lot of background reading on the topic (I wanted to do nuclear engineering at the time, so I was writing about tokamaks) and was able to show that I was deeply passionate about the subject by focusing my essay on that. I used the proper technical terminology that is relevant in the field of plasma physics, as well as explained concepts in fluid dynamics and electromagnetism that fascinated me.

However, this approach has a certain caveat to it. Specifically, you need the evidence in your college application to back it up. In my case, I spent two years doing an independent numerical simulation project. I didn't have access to internships or professors, so I self-taught and derived the MHD equations, which can be understood using electromagnetism and conservation of momentum, mass, and energy. These are concepts that high schoolers are able to learn. Additionally, I used Octave, which is a free Linux version of MATLAB.

So, I'd say to write an essay that demonstrates your goals and drive, but also have something tangible in your application as evidence of that very drive. For example, if you want to study law, perhaps doing an extensive capstone project about a certain case could help. Or if you like art, a portfolio of works you've done. Show why you want to go to college and demonstrate that you are a motivated student who can go beyond the classroom!