College Essay Step #3: Writing and Strategies to Alleviate Anxiety

“We take the essay very seriously, and so should the applicant. Highly selective schools read every piece of information in a file, including essays. While the essay can never be so good that it compensates for everything else in the application, essays are important to us because we make very fine distinctions among applicants.”

—Admissions Officer, Williams College

Having created an outline for the college essay, students have now organized their ideas into a narrative story. The outline provides writers with the organization of their ideas before they begin writing the essay. Without a clearly constructed outline, it could result in unfocused and rambling paragraphs that do not clearly answer the essay prompt.

Writing the College Essay

Freewrite

• Using the outline as a reference, put aside 10 to 15 minutes to freewrite. Write a train of thoughts for each of the paragraphs in your outline. During the freewrite exercise, be sure to include details such as who, what, when, where, and why. Also, include sensory details, such as what you saw, heard, tasted, touched, and felt during the experience. Then, you should be able to move on to writing the essay.
• For the first draft, write anything that comes to mind about your topic. Do not worry too much about grammar or spelling. Just get the ideas on paper or a computer. Stressing about each word you are using will only inhibit the potential to your essay.

Talk About Your Ideas

• It may also be a good strategy for you to talk your ideas out. Using a recorder or even your iPhone as a device, you can talk about your the ideas and write your sentences aloud which will help to begin the formation of your essay. When you are drawn towards a particular idea, record it or write it down. Your ideas begin to develop into an organic story.

Proofread, Proofread, Proofread
The writing process is a cyclical process: write, revise, rewrite, repeat.

• After writing an initial draft, focus on the organization and structure of the essay. Ask yourself, is this the best order in which to present each paragraph? Does the paragraph order make sense? The most poignant ideas should be presented in the first and the last paragraphs of the essay.
• Reread the essay prompt to ensure that you are following the directions and answering the question(s) that are being asked.
• Do not submit the essay without proofreading it and revising it several times. Carefully proofread the essay for typos. There must not be any spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Do not rely solely on the computer’s spell-check tool to catch every spelling error. Rather, print out a hard copy of the essay, read through every sentence aloud. College admissions committees can interpret errors in spelling and grammar as student inattentiveness or weak writing skills. You may want to even consider having a trusted mentor read your essay to share their insight.

• Read the essay aloud or have someone read it aloud to you. This will help you to catch subtle grammatical and spelling mistakes.

Revise, Revise, Revise

• Revising and rereading the essay is key. Read the essay numerous times, re-read it, then ask someone to read your writing and provide you with feedback. Yes, the process is tedious, but you will be proud to know that the final draft you submit is your best work.

Get Feedback

• Ask a teacher, counselor, friend, or family member to read the draft. Take their feedback into consideration and make appropriate edits based on their feedback while maintaining your writer’s voice throughout the essay.
• After rewriting the essay, find another person to read the draft. Ask him/her to provide advice on ways to improve the writing even more. Ask the reader what he/she liked best about the essay, what they liked least about the essay, and ideas he/she may have for improving it.
• Approach criticism and feedback with an open mind although it may be disheartening to hear. Consider every suggestion that is offered to you, but do not feel obligated to accept and implement every change or suggestion that is provided.

Write and Rewrite

• Students must recognize that the first draft will not reflect their best writing. Do not succumb to the pressure of feeling that you will have written a publication worthy piece on your first try. After writing the first draft, put it aside for a few hours or even a few days. You want to make sure you have a fresh perspective with each draft that you write.
• When returning to the initial draft, return with a focus on how best to improve your writing. Do not hesitate to make radical changes during the early stages of the writing process.

Alleviating Stress and Anxiety

• Create a list of all of the college essays that you will need to write. In addition, if the schools that you are applying to require supplemental essays, be sure to add them to the essay list. Next to each listed essay, include the required word count and the exact prompt.
• Do not procrastinate and do not wait until school starts to write your college essays. Once school is in session, you will have homework, school functions and activities, and applications that will demand your attention and time. Begin planning and writing your essay during the summer months. You will have more time to think about and write your essay without having to balance as many responsibilities.
• Refrain from talking to friends and peers about your application and essay. This is a major source of stress for students. Do not compare yourself to other students or the progress they are making. Instead, be confident in your own abilities in applying to schools that are the best fit for you.
• If you feel overwhelmed, do not hesitate to ask for help. There is a team of adults who are invested in your success, including parents, teachers, and guidance and college counselors. Do not feel embarrassed to ask for help. Adults can provide valuable feedback on your essays and support you in meeting deadlines throughout the application process.

Keep in mind that though the college application process can be daunting, this is a time to celebrate your next steps in life. Arm yourself with organizational tools, deadlines, and a positive attitude. You can do it!