The new Common Application essay prompts can be intimidating.
“Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?”
When you are a teenager, what lessons are learned from failure? That it hurts, that it sucks, that it’s depressing, and embarrassing.
“Discuss an accomplishment or event, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood.”
The transition from childhood to adulthood? At eighteen? Nineteen? Twenty? Let’s be realistic, there are a lot of students graduating college that have yet to reach adulthood – and a lot of adults trying to reach adulthood.
“Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?”
This prompt sounds like it was written by Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters.
In a competitive environment, the college essay can make the difference between two candidates; in certain circumstances, it can sway admission that normally the numbers would not support.
The college essay is the last piece in the college application process. The core classes have been taken, standardized test scores have been requested, the volunteer hours committed, the sports record established – it’s the last piece of the puzzle, and sometimes the most daunting.
Essays can give the school an idea of what else the student might bring to the table; how they will add to the college community as a person; what makes them different than everyone else….After four years of trying to fit in at high school, now they must show how they are different.
This is why more parents have been seeking the services of what’s often described as the College Essay Coach. Deb Breslow is a local college essay coach who believes one common obstacle students face is “that they’re so used to reading a novel or a play or another literary work and writing about it, that they don’t know how to write well about themselves, and about how they feel”, says Breslow. “The essay can easily make OR break a borderline candidate.”
Some parents have reasonable writing and counseling skills, and can help their child improve the end product; while others can often just increase the academic stress level by hovering, reminding and nagging. Breslow reminds parents: “It’s a busy and challenging time in a high schooler’s life and sometimes it’s best to lay off and let them move through the process. Their peers and guidance counselors are very aware of application deadlines… adding, “you’d be surprised how much more willing kids are to open up to ME about their fears, failures, accomplishments, and experiences of maturity than they are to their own parents.”
According to Breslow, the best advice she can offer both students and their parents is to, “understand that the essay is just as important to an admissions officer as a student’s transcript, SAT or ACT score, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation.” According to Alan Gelb, author of Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Steps, the college essay is not the place to tout one’s achievements as much as it is to explore one’s feelings about the world and how you fit into it. It’s not about bragging. It’s the critical thinking skills that admissions officers are interested in, more than the actual accomplishment.
If you are having trouble with your college essay Deb Breslow can help. Click here to find out more.