College Essay Step #2: The Importance of Creating a Roadmap

“Many students mistakenly think that a great essay must be about some topic or event that would be fascinating or compelling to any reader. However, at Duke we look at style just as much as content. In their search for exciting content, applicants often overlook the fact that a well-written essay about a rather “everyday” subject can be far more compelling than a poorly-written essay about a fascinating subject.”

—Admissions Officer, Duke University

After taking the time and effort to brainstorm and generate ideas, it is equally important for you to spend time creating a roadmap for your college essay. It offers the opportunity for you to provide invaluable information that grades, extracurricular involvements, and standardized test scores cannot show. Your personal essay communicates to the admissions committee why YOU are unique when compared to the other applicants.

We all know how challenging it is to write about yourself. Without feeling as though you are inflating your ego, telling your story in a personal statement is daunting. However, by creating an outline for your essay, it enables you to organize your ideas into a narrative story while including all the specific details that will bring your story to life. Break down the essay into four to five segments: an introduction paragraph, two, three, or four body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Make sure you know what point you really want the reader to walk away with in each of these paragraphs. This helps to compartmentalize your ideas and thoughts before you begin the actual writing of the essay.

First, create an outline that helps you to focus your ideas from each paragraph into a cohesive whole. Without a clearly constructed outline, it could result in unfocused and rambling paragraphs that do not clearly answer the prompt.

Here are some tips to keep in mind as you being to outline your essay roadmap:

Introduction: For the most part, admissions officers spend only 1-2 minutes reading each essay. Therefore, your introduction must seize their interest right from the beginning. Do not summarize in your introduction; rather, take it as an opportunity to build up to your subject matter so that it encourages them to continue reading the rest of your essay. Describing the image can be a great way to starting your essay.

• Body Paragraphs: Your body paragraphs must correlate and relate to your introduction paragraph. Make sure each body paragraph has a targeted point you want to convey so that you don’t lose the reader’s attention and understanding. Each paragraph should then add value to the next paragraph.
• Conclusion: Your conclusion is the last opportunity for you to impress your readers and to persuade them as to why you are qualified, more so than another candidate, for a seat at their college. Avoid summarizing because your word count is limited. Use the remaining word count to leave the reader with a long lasting impression.

As students work towards gaining entrance into a college or university, they must also consider the fact that it is increasingly competitive because a large number of students are applying for a limited number of seats. The college essay may be limited to only 500 words, or at times, limited to only 100-250 words depending on the application. Yet, the essay component of the college application can make the distinction between acceptance or rejection. Not only should your essay capture the reader’s attention, you must persuade him/her, through your writing, that you are an exceptional individual who is unique!