Guest Post: College Essay Myths and Facts
By Susan Knoppow
CEO, Wow Writing Workshop
Students come to us year after year asking, “What should I write about in my college essay?”
Our answer never changes: “What do colleges want? A story about YOU in your own words and voice.”
With that in mind, consider this important question before you begin the application essay writing process: What do you want your college of choice to know about you that they can’t find out from your transcript, test scores and list of extracurricular activities?
There is a lot of misinformation out there that will take you off track. Consider these college essay myths and facts before you get started.
Myth 1: An essay has to be written about an impressive topic.
Fact: You are the impressive topic. A college application essay is your opportunity to share something meaningful about yourself. The story, not the experience, is most important. Colleges want to know what you learned, not what you did.
One student came to us confident that a trip to help the poor in Central America would capture someone’s attention inside the admissions office. A Wow writing coach encouraged her to talk about what she learned about herself. Turns out, her most important moment occurred when she was hanging out with friends during the trip. She overcame her fear of heights by jumping off a cliff into the water. That experience would have been meaningful whether it had happened during a service trip in Costa Rica or on a family vacation.
Myth 2: Your essay should sound sophisticated, like a professional writer or a college professor.
Fact: The college essay is your story; it should be written using your words, and in your voice. You are a high school senior, and you should sound like one. Not your mom. Not your dad. Not your English teacher. Not AI. And certainly not the writer down the street.
Myth 3: Admissions officers will never know if a parent, tutor, teacher or college coach has “helped” a student with an essay. And they won’t be able to tell if it was written by AI.
Fact: There is a fine line between getting help and letting someone write part or all of your essay. While parents and others cannot always tell the difference, admissions officers know when someone other than the student writes a story; they don’t like it.
Myth 4: There is a right way and a wrong way to write an essay.
Fact: Your best story will grow out of the process of writing your college application essay.
There are no tricks, and no shortcuts.
The college essay does not need to be so daunting. That does not mean it will be easy, but it can be a little less stressful if you allow it to emerge from a process of discovery that includes brainstorming, free writing, revision, review and editing.
Keep in mind, there is no magic formula to help you ace this assignment. To stand out, tell a genuine story about yourself using your words and your voice, and show some reflection.
Myth 5: Only superstar students will impress admissions officers with their essays.
Fact: Anyone can stand out with a great story!
You don’t have to rescue a child from a house fire, get a million downloads for an app you developed, or teach disabled child how to swim to impress admissions officers.
One Wow student wrote a fabulous college entrance essay about memorizing the general intestinal track to ace his anatomy final. Another student wrote a gorgeous story about finding her passion for nature while pulling weeds in a community garden. One student focused on the moment he forgot his cello for an orchestra concert and improvised his performance with a bass guitar. His problem-solving skills impressed admissions officers, and one college sent him an offer of admission that praised his essay.
For more tips and insight, download a free copy of our book, How to Write an Effective College Application Essay: The Inside Scoop for Students.
Susan Knoppow knows how to make college essays easy. As CEO and co-founder of Wow Writing Workshop, she created the Wow Method – a simple, ten step process for writing college essays. Thousands of students, counselors, independent educational consultants, and essay experts have used the Wow Method to master the essay writing process. A former executive speechwriter and copywriter, Susan is also a published poet and essayist. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and an MFA in Writing from Vermont College. When she’s not running Wow, Susan likes to garden, cook, and go on adventures with her husband and their dog, Luna. She has three adult children who are all talented creative writers as well.
