Top Tips For Getting Started

The most important thing to do is to actually get started. I encourage my students to sign on to the Common Application as soon as possible to make an account and to explore the site. Play with the addition and subtraction of schools and discover which colleges require supplemental essays. Becoming comfortable with the application and understanding what is required to complete it successfully will make the process less stressful. Take some early steps by filling in the demographic information and making a list of your extracurricular activities in order of importance to you. 

If you have additional supplemental essays to complete, staying organized is critical.  Not only is it important to keep clearly marked files on your computer, (to avoid the dreaded mistake of attaching a great essay to the wrong application) it is helpful to have a sense of which essays are being chosen and how they fit together so that you can use every opportunity to share something new about yourself. There may be a supplemental essay that is required that is similar to a personal statement prompt and if so, choosing the most complimentary CA prompt is important. If there is an optional essay offered, write it! Taking the time to write an optional essay shows true interest and desire to attend that particular college. *Note: Be very careful to scour the supplemental application for each school. It may appear as though the college may not require additional essays, but they can be embedded in a question section such as, “In 100 words or less, tell us why you want to attend XYZ University”. This is still an essay and needs to be addressed with the same amount of attention and authenticity.

A few things to think about before you begin:

*  This can be fun and should be; it's all in your perspective!

***  If you don’t believe what you're writing, neither will the reader. ***

*  Write like you're telling a friend a story.

*  Use all of your senses. What did it taste, sound, smell, look and feel like?

*  What is the point of your story? What are you trying to get across?

*  Reflect and either discover something new or change your thinking. Actually use the sentence(s): “I never thought about this until now” or “How did I miss that” or “Now, I’m not so sure."  

*  Connect your story to who you are, where you've been and what you want to learn.

*  DON’T EDIT WHILE YOU WRITE! This is important regardless of the essay you are working on. You may be allowed 650 words or limited to as few as 1000 characters with spaces, but if you edit as you write in order to stay within a word or character limit you will miss your best work. Editing is the fun part because it's when you get to boil down your story and make it richer.  

*** Remember, if you enjoy writing, the reader will enjoy reading. ***

 *   Time to get started!