Amaan H. answered • 03/23/24
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As someone who's written college essays in two separate occasions (undergrad, grad school) and is currently writing some for another bout of grad school, the key is tying in a personal story with your academic/work experiences, while making sure to be authentic. It can be difficult but having chatted with admissions officers, they always agree that it doesn't have to be some unique poetic voice but if you can tell a story, that helps. I'd suggest writing the main points (~3 should be good) about academic/work experiences you've had, and then thinking of a unique personal story. Then try and weave them together into a tale that convinces AOs of your goals. Here's an excellent one I recall reading (the writer got into all 8 ivies): https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/gqbyw5/essay_of_the_girl_that_got_into_8_ivies/
Of course, you can always opt for a (purely) narrative-based approach, like this one: https://medium.com/elevatedschool/the-inspirational-common-app-essay-that-got-me-into-the-ivy-league-and-the-new-york-times-d34c700897f8
Hope this helps but I'm happy to add more over a tutoring session if you'd like. Either way, good luck!
