By Nabiha Hoque

Going into college after spending so many years in high school can be a big and scary change! With college application deadlines slowly creeping up, you must do all your research before it’s too late. That means picking out colleges you like and reading all the application requirements. Part of the college application process is writing your college essay. Many years ago, students had to write multiple college essays for the different colleges they wanted to apply to. Eventually, the College Board realized that this wasn’t fair to the students. So they came up with a solution of a website where you only had to write one essay and be able to apply to many colleges through that website using that one essay. This website is none other than the Common App!

Since this is the only essay you will be writing to submit to numerous different colleges, it puts a lot more pressure on the student writing it to get it perfect. Here are some of our tips to make the college essay writing process easier!

1. When you first write your essay, don’t worry too much on the character count. Keep writing and writing until you’ve gotten everything out, THEN go back and edit it down. This way your story doesn’t feel incomplete.
2. Don't try to overcomplicate or overcompensate. Adding unnecessary and unrealistic details will take away from your essay.
3. Be true to yourself and your story, so the college board can really understand who you are as a person.
4. Try to avoid heavy humor. You don’t know who will be reading your essay and you don’t know what kind of humor they have. Adding jokes can come off as sarcastic and may not work in your best interest. Instead, if needed, add self-deprecating humor.
5. Try to think of a way to make your story accentuate what's different about you amongst other applicants. Simple stories are not a bad thing, in fact they can bring out the individuality in you! A kind once wrote about how he gave a dollar to a homeless person every single day during quarantine, it made for a great essay. Don’t overthink or second guess yourself. Be you.
6. Don't use too many big SAT words. College admissions officers know you’re a 17-18 year old, they don’t expect your essay to sound like the Oxford English Dictionary!
7. Lastly, take your time! Work through your essay until you are completely confident that it reflects your individuality.