You have made it all the way to senior year; you are counting down the days until you toss your mortarboard in the air as you are declared a graduate. You can practically feel the promise and uncertainty of the future that lies just around the corner.
However, there are a couple of hurdles between you and the next step of your education. Maybe you have circled a college admissions date on your calendar, maybe you have filled out some of the information on your applications, cast about for an idea of what you want to study. But have you written your senior essay?
While senior Emma Lee Latham was nervous about writing about a hard-hitting topic, she pushed through and completed the essay she plans to submit to colleges. Latham explains that while many people may put off their senior essay, she felt prepared to take on the task.
“[My friends], they’re dreading writing them. A lot of people have trouble writing. But being in creative writing club, it helps work on your writing skills a lot. I’ve always been good at writing,” Latham said.
However, many students do not know where to start when it comes to this piece of a college application. The idea of telling a personal story can seem daunting, uncomfortable, or unnecessary.
In her role as a College and Career Readiness Teacher on Special Assignment Shelley Jellison consults students about the process of college admissions. While Jellison recognizes that some students do not place very much importance on a strong personal essay, she believes a strong essay can benefit an applicant greatly.
“It could be the reason you get in, or you the reason you don’t get in. Let’s say that you have the exact same application and qualifications as another student, but your essay is kind of general, and the other person’s stands out. That could be what it comes down to,” Jellison said. “You really want to spend time with it, it really could make a difference.”
Some students may struggle with deciding what their essay should be about. When picking a topic, Jellison advises that students write about something unique about their own experience.
“[Pick] something that makes you stand out,” Jellison said. “Over the years, colleges have become much more interested in the whole student, not just the academic student; if a person has done a lot of volunteer service, or they have started their own club at the school, or they’ve been really actively involved in debate, or DECA or something where it’s put them on a different level than some of their peers.”
When she taught AP Literature, Sandra Coyer read over many a student writing piece. Today, as the teacher adviser for Viking Student Media, she continues to review personal columns and work with seniors facing the challenge of college admissions. Coyer encourages students to return to the narrative style many have not practiced since elementary school and be thoughtful when telling their story.
“When you approach the prompt, understand that you’re not going to directly answer the question until your very last paragraph, so you’re starting off really in the body [of the story]. Set up the end, save that as this nugget that you are building the rest of the story towards,” said Coyer. “My biggest piece of advice is to take us somewhere, show us the moment answers that question. Show us. Don’t just tell us.”
Coyer also urges students to be conscious of not only what they put into their essay, but also of what they leave out. She highlights the importance of approaching prompts in a fresh way and to push themselves when narrating common application stories.
“This is your opportunity to show admissions what sets you apart from other people who might answer the same questions. I’m not saying that the death of your grandparent is not an emotional moment for you. But people write about that; they write about death, they write about divorce. Those are the typical stories,” Coyer said, “What are your stories? Write about that in the way that it happened, tell the story of the moment.”
