Dr. Mark Villanti
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Delanson, NY 12053
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College Admissions Essay

Writing college essays
A strong essay can set you apart from other candidates whose raw numbers may look a lot like yours. No matter how good (or not so good) your grades and scores are, there are going to be hundreds or even thousands of other candidates who have similar numbers.

The essay proves your ability to express yourself clearly and confidently—one of the most important skills for college. A good essay demands that you grab the attention of a total stranger (a total stranger who has read a few hundred of these essays already) and convince him or her that you are the most interesting person with a 3.4 GPA and 1150 on the SAT they have seen.

You know yourself. Your admissions officer does not know you, so as long as you give your point of view and tell your story, it won’t be something he or she has read a dozen times already. Visit the links on the right to learn more about writing college admissions essays and to help you turn a single idea into the unique and personal statement only you can write.


Myths About the Admissions Essay

You have to convince them that you’re really smart.
The admissions essay is not the place for you to prove how much you know about math, science, or some other subject. Instead, write about something important to you and do it in a way that engages your reader’s attention and (ideally) emotions.

Big words = good writer.
Good writers use the best words, not the biggest words. Read an article in Newsweek or the New York Times, and you will not find an unreadable clutter of 5-syllable words. Write in correct, but conversational, English. You might find just the right word in the thesaurus, but for the most part, an essay filled with 10-dollar words sounds like you’re trying too hard. Keep it simple.

The admissions officer is looking for reasons not to accept me!
You may have a picture of the admissions officer as some crusty old professor-type in a tweed coat, grumbling over misplaced commas and complaining that the essay sounds like it was ‘written by a high school student.’ Most admissions officers are young, fairly recent graduates from college themselves. In a typical year, they will read hundreds of these, so your job is to do anything you can to keep them interested. Make them laugh, cry, and say, “Look what this girl wrote!”

Nobody’s going to read this anyway.
No matter what, an admissions officer is going to read your essay. It’s true that some schools put extra weight on the essays, but every school that asks for an essay will read it. The simple truth is: Do a good job and it will set you apart from the rest and improve your chances of admissions. Do a sloppy job or write a dull essay, and it won’t help.

I’m not a good writer!
There is nobody more qualified to a write an essay about you than you. There is only one reason why the admissions officer is reading your essay. It’s not because they’re bored and have nothing better to do. And it’s certainly not because they don’t have anything else to read. They are reading your essay because they are looking to create a diverse class of interesting people, and they don’t have a ‘you’ yet.


 Writing Tips
  • Be original.
  • Be yourself. Who are you and what do you value?
  • Create an outline. What do you want to say?
  • Be sure to answer the question.
  • Handle topics with sensitivity. It is okay to reveal personal issues, but do so with discretion.
  • Remember strangers will be reading this essay. Incorporate necessary frame of reference.
  • Use transition.
  • Remember college admission counselors are looking for that “something special” about you.
  • Give your draft to as many people as will read it.
  • REVISE, REVISE, REVISE.
  • Leave time to read over your essay after it is done.
Essay Worksheets

Take advantage of the following worksheets to help you begin writing a successful college essay.

This page is maintained by Audrey Hendricks, communications specialist, according to the Web publishing guidelines of Duanesburg Central Schools, 133 School Drive, Duanesburg, NY 12053. Copyright © 2004. All rights reserved. Produced and maintained in cooperation with the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service.