what do colleges look for in college essays

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What Do Colleges Look for in an Essay? Examples & Tips

What is a College Essay?

The college essay is an essential element of the college application process. It presents an opportunity for students to personalize their college application, beyond grades and scores. It can also be one of the more nerve-wracking parts of the application process. 

If you are reading this article, you are like applying to college and taking the process seriously. The quality of the college you attend will have a big effect on your entire life, and taking a few hours to make your application the best it can possibly be may be the most lucrative time investment you will ever make.

What do colleges look for in an essay from applicants?

So, what do colleges look for in an essay? The answer is similar to what colleges look for in an applicant. To hit the right notes, you need to consider the perspective and even the mission statement of the college, which of course values intelligence, a good work ethic, and the type of personality that will represent the school. 

Therefore, the core aspects that admissions officials at any institution look for in an essay are:

·         Intelligence

·         Strong communication skills

·         Ambition and goals

·         Creativity

·         Proactivity and self-direction

·         Interest in education and self-betterment

These elements are not based on any abstract moral consideration–colleges want students who will make their institution stronger. They will look for evidence of these traits in your personal essay, as grades only reflect a few of these core aspects and abilities. 

Beyond these considerations, remember that an admissions officer (an actual human being) will read your essay and respond to it both rationally and emotionally. In many cases, that emotion is boredom. Keep in mind that these officials read hundreds of application essays each admissions season. But if your essay can successfully win them over, then you’ll be getting a letter that begins with a “We are delighted to announce…”

Qualities Colleges Look for to Include in Your Essay

Most achievements that colleges are looking for will be reflected in your college application, and therefore, these have been left off of the list below. The achievements showing your passion and drive, as well as your internal and external motivations, will be the ones to include in your application essay. 

Challenging extracurricular activities

Colleges want to see students who stretch themselves beyond the limits of the classroom. The kinds of activities you choose say a lot about your personality and even your morals. Whether or not you stick with your chosen undertakings exhibits your ability to commit to important projects in the long term.

Volunteer and work experience

Any experience you have that shows true commitment, leadership qualities and an interest in community is beneficial to your application. Include the organizations or companies you worked for and what your responsibilities were at each one. If you received any promotions or special recognitions, be sure to mention those as well.

Talents and passions

More colleges are moving away from accepting students who did the most “stuff” to looking for those who focus their energy in specific areas that they’re passionate about. Schools want to see what makes you special and how hard you’re willing to work at the things you care about.

Obstacles or challenges you have overcome

One of the most important aspects of a good college student is their ability to learn from mistakes and overcome challenges in order to achieve success. This is especially true for Common App Essay prompts . In your essay, focus on what exact difficulties or challenges you faced, how you overcame them, and what you learned from this experience. After all, admissions officials are more impressed by a student who came from an adverse situation and still achieved success than they are with a student who had every advantage handed to them and skated by on position and intelligence.

What is a well-written essay?

Admissions officers read a lot of essays, and a well-written one can make a refreshing change. Students should check their essays to make sure they clearly meet these criteria:

• Does the essay provide a direct answer to the essay question?
• Does it have a strong opening paragraph that captures the reader’s interest?
• Does it put forth a comprehensive argument or narrative? Does the student make a point and stick to it?
• Does it have a natural style that’s comfortable for the student and appropriate for the subject matter?
• Did the student use effective word choice, syntax, and structure?
• Does it contain correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling?
• Is it succinct? Did the student pay attention to the recommended length?

How to Write About Positive Qualities in an Application Essay

The rule of thumb here is always “Show–don’t tell.” When writing a college essay, skip generalized information. Instead, provide real, specific examples to support your statements. Your attention to detail will help make you more memorable to an admissions officer who has to read hundreds, if not thousands, of essays. 

For example, instead of “I love hiking,” you could say, “After reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, I decided my next adventure would be climbing Mt. Everest.” What’s the difference between these two sentences? The first says you like something, while the second one illustrates that you do—but not only that, it also shows your level of commitment and your desire for challenge. Of the two example sentences, which do you think maximizes your use of words and would be more interesting to admissions officers?

Bad example: Claim without proof My teacher once told me that I was the most skilled and intelligent student she’s ever taught, and I believed her. When I set a goal, there’s no stopping me. I’ll work at it until it’s achieved—even if it’s to my own detriment.

Good example: Showing with concrete evidence In sophomore year, I decided to set a goal to raise more money for Relay for Life than any other student involved. I asked my neighbors, family, teachers, and even my paster, who sat through my 20-minute prepared speech about why donating to this campaign would be the best use of his money. I spoke to community groups. I did three straight weekends of door-to-door fundraising. And in the end, my efforts paid off—I succeeded in raising over $500 more than any other student.

Showing initiative and ambition

Initiative and ambition are top qualities that colleges look for in an applicant. Students who exhibit these traits will bring a positive and driven attitude with them to college, where it will help them contribute to the campus and succeed in their academic endeavors.

The college essay should always show how you took some kind of action—it shouldn’t just include things that happened to you as a passive individual. For example, rather than simply writing about how it was emotionally difficult when your older sibling got sick, discuss specific coping strategies you developed during that time or ways that you contributed to helping your sibling and family.

Showing self-reflection and growth

Personal growth is one of the most popular topics to write about since it represents what the admissions essay is all about: helping the college gain better insight into your personality and character. Some schools ask targeted questions — “What was the most challenging event you have ever faced, and how have you grown from it?” — while others leave the topic open: “Describe an event that has had great meaning for you. Explain why and how it has affected you.”

One of the most successful strategies is to use a past event as a lens through which you can assess who you were and the person you became, how you have grown and changed, and your transformation. Most children are curious, but were you the one who asked your teacher what caused the change of seasons of the year and then created a solar system model and explained the concept to your classmates? Though you may think that your topic needs to be bold and unique, this is not necessary to craft an effective essay. Instead, success lies in painting an accurate and vivid picture of yourself — one that will show admissions officers that you have much to offer their school.

Structure your essay with a clear beginning, middle, and end

When you include the basic plot elements of setting, introduction, conflict, and resolution, not only will your essay be more fun to read, it will be easier to write. And when writing is easier, you are usually having more fun and pouring more of yourself into your writing. You will find that this often translates into a more compelling story as well since passion and interest are hallmarks of any good story told to a friend or included on the page of an adventure or romance novel. When structuring your narrative arc, include the lessons you have learned from these experiences: How did you change? What did you learn? What did/do you plan to do differently because of these experiences? Anyone can write about how they won first place in a competition or spent a fantastic vacation in Europe. The important stuff is not in the itinerary, but rather in the diary–what you learned from the experience and how it impacted you.

Essay Introduction #1: Focus on Your Personal Qualities

One approach when beginning your application essay is to start by describing positive character traits you possess and then showing examples of times you demonstrated those traits.

Starting with your qualities A student wants to show that he is determined and tenacious. He thinks about times when he went above and beyond what was necessary to succeed in high school. He thinks of how he became the only student at his school to participate in three or more AP classes while also being involved in multiple sports and extracurricular activities. He also thinks of his volunteer work with his church at a local homeless shelter, where he made friends and connections with shelter guests and high-profile members of the community. These are the qualities around which his essay is focused.

Essay Introduction #2: Focus on a Personal Story

Another way to approach your essay topic is to start with a story and then work show examples that demonstrative your positive qualities.

Starting with a story A student’s sibling has been fighting cancer for the past three years, and he feels that this is an important experience that has shaped who he is today. He considers how the difficulties of this experience have changed him and help distinguish him from other applicants. 

From introducing his story at the beginning of his essay, this applicant can tie in the positive qualities he exhibits with the finer details of his personal story: 

• He is independent, as he needed to deal with taking care of a loved one in a serious and sustained way that his peers did not need to deal with.
• He is focused, as dealing with regular medical emergencies has not deterred him from achieving good grades and being part of his community.
• He is empathetic, as he understands personally how hard times can impact people.

Whatever essay topic you choose, your essay should provide admissions officers concrete evidence that you are an ideal candidate for their school. Your essay should have a memorable introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and guides the rest of your essay.

Repeat Your Qualities in the Essay Conclusion

Although your essay introduction is crucial in starting your essay off in a clear and impactful direction, how you end your essay is also important as it is the last thing that will remain in the reader’s mind. One surefire way to write a strong essay conclusion is to repeat the important qualities you discussed earlier. Recall details about your personal story or repeat the qualities you introduced at the beginning of the essay. Here is an example of what a good conclusion can capture what colleges are looking for in an essay: 

Concluding your essay by repeating your qualities During my high school years, my qualities of leadership, initiative, and hard work have help shape me to become the strong student I am today. As the head of our school’s volunteer group, I showed that even a teenager can make a big impact. As a student achieving high grades in all three of my AP courses, I demonstrated my dedication to education about all. Finally, as a daughter of working-class immigrant parents, I have used my value of hard work to achieve things my parents never thought possible. These values have contributed to making me the conscientious and successful student and person I am now, and they will surely continue to assist and guide me in my academic and professional career.

Interesting Essay Topics to Write About

There are hundreds of resources available online about writing college essays (including How to Write the Common App Essay ). And while you can find dozens of interesting and fruitful essay topics that have worked, here are just a few more that are not too specific and can be molded to fit your unique profile and personal story. 

1. A unique extracurricular activity or passion 

2. An activity or interest that contrasts heavily with your profile

3. A seemingly insignificant moment that speaks to larger themes within your life 

4. Using an everyday experience or object as a metaphor to explore your life and personality 

5. An in-the-moment narrative that tells the story of an important moment in your life

Additional Tips for Writing an Essay Colleges Will Love

Choose a strong essay topic.

First, whichever structure you will use, you need to ask yourself what you actually want to accomplish in life (esp. in terms of career) . This gives you your goals. You need to choose a program that helps you reach these goals—otherwise, you should seriously reconsider whether you should even be applying!  

If you are using the “Story” structure…

The story is going to be your topic, so make it an engaging tale… but remember you are not here to show that you are the next Shakespeare. There are three ways to go here: a story/description about yourself that shaped who you are and shows who you are. A story/description of something completely different that inspires you or is a metaphor for who you are.

If you are using the “Conveying passion for a subject” structure…

In this case, you have your topic (the subject you are passionate about), but remember the essay should be about what it means to you (don’t get bogged down in describing the subject itself). Use each subsequent paragraph to illustrate how you show passion for the subject or topic you have chosen. Be sure to use concrete details within the paragraph, but begin each paragraph with a “mini-thesis statement” that gives the reader a clear and concise summary of how you demonstrate your passion in a particular way.

Engage the Reader with Your Essay’s Narrative

The admissions officer will not be interested in a mere list of your personal qualities, extracurriculars, or accomplishments. This information is included elsewhere in your application. Instead, focus on showing who you are in your essay through a narrative that includes concrete details. 

But how can you plan the topics included in your narrative essay? First, grab a pen and jot down important experiences that spring to mind. Your experience could be something negative that eventually turns out to be positive or vice-versa. The most intriguing part of a negative experience is how you handled it and, hopefully, came out on top. Give your reader a setting to help them feel like they’re a part of your story and experience this moment of change with you.

Focus on what you care about most

Consider this a kind of brainstorming exercise. Close your eyes and imagine what drives you, motivates you, excites you, and inspires you to pursue great things (or at least fantasize about doing them). This might include a hobby, a genre of music, an important person in your life, a pivotal memory or experience, a book—anything meaningful that you consider part of your identity or that defines you. 

Start by listing these items and creating a word web of other relevant or secondary aspects of this one idea, person, object, or experience. Write some brief sentences about exactly why it is important to you. Once you have your list and a few sentences written, it should be a bit easier to narrow your topic to just one or two things at most.

Essay Editing for College Application Essays

One thing all schools look for in an essay is a document that is free of errors in grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and style. Admissions essay editing services are ideal for international students who struggle with English or simply want to take their essays to the next level. Students should take care to choose a company that’s reputable and employs highly qualified editors .

Check out Wordvice’s array of professional English editing services and proofreading services , including essay editing services, to learn how our editors can improve your essays and help you get into your dream school.

College essay resources

The #1 college essay myth (and what college admissions officers really look for), what to write about.

Brad Schiller

College essays are not the place to "just tell your story."

It's not that “tell us your story” is wrong for college essays. It’s just severely misleading. 

Yes, college admission offices give this advice all the time. But if you look at how they actually evaluate essays, you’ll see that what they look for goes well beyond “your story.”

This article will walk you through: 

• why colleges (and sometimes even guidance counselors!) give this misleading advice; 
• what admissions officers actually look for; and 
• how to deliver it for them. 

As college essay coaches who’ve helped thousands of applicants get into great colleges each year, we’ve examined the question of why the “tell your story” advice is so ubiquitous, and you need to know what’s really going on. 

Read the Table of Contents to see what we'll cover in this article:

Colleges say they want applicants to tell their story

Let’s go on a journey of discovery through the internet. What advice do colleges give about writing the essays they require?

We found one striking pattern (emphasis added): 

• [The essay] is an important part of your application because it gives you the chance to tell us your story as an applicant. — BU
• Tell a good story. Most people prefer reading a good story over anything else. So... tell a great story in your essay. — Tulane Apps 101: Ten Tips for an Epic College Essay .
• Your transcript and standardized test scores tell your academic story, your extracurricular activities, recommendations, essay(s) and background, tell your personal story . — William & Mary
• In [successful] essays, students were able to share stories from their everyday lives to reveal something about their character, values, and life that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins. — Johns Hopkins  
• Tell your story. Some of my most memorable offers of admission have gone to students who like to color outside the lines. — Canisius College
• The college application process is a wonderful opportunity for self-discovery. You will find out things about yourself, what motivates you and what excites you. This is a passage to an exciting new chapter in your life. We want to get to know you and your story. — Muhlenberg College

Here are some videos that popped up as we researched this question:

And here’s an article from the Washington Post that ranked high in our search:

True, not every admissions department used the word “story.” 

We also found (emphasis added) —

• The point of the personal statement is for you to have the chance to share whatever you would like with us . — Harvard
• Be honest, be open, be authentic—this is your opportunity to connect with us . — MIT
• These essays are an opportunity to tell us about yourself in your unique voice . — CalTech
• Essay writing is an excellent opportunity for personal expression and original thought. — Northwestern
• The authenticity of the writing is what makes it effective. — Johns Hopkins - WaPo article
• “Imagine UC was a person. If we met face-to-face, what would you want us to know about you? These personal insight questions allow you to tell us. — University of California — see also their video on the topic:

In this category of advice, while the admissions offices don’t use the term “tell your story,” they’re still suggesting that you simply share something interesting about who you are, and connect with them in the way that you would with a friend.

However, when you look at how colleges actually evaluate essays, it turns out that this advice is wrong at worst and incomplete at best . So let’s do that now.

What college admissions officers really look for

Let’s hop back into the internet for another journey of discovery. This time, let’s search for clues about what college admissions officers do when they’re in the process of actually reading your essays.

As some readers know, at Prompt, we’re pretty excited about a lawsuit that made much of Harvard’s admission process public. 

The lawsuit revealed that “share whatever you would like with us,” as the college claims (see above) isn’t necessarily helpful advice. 

Instead, admissions officers review “ humor, sensitivity, grit, leadership, integrity, helpfulness, courage, kindness and many other qualities” in determining a personal rating for each applicant, according to coverage (emphasis added). 

Yes, this means that Harvard admissions officers give applicants cold, hard numbers based on whether their essays reveal things like grit and courage. So what if, based on their advice, you simply shared an interesting story about your passion for the theater or for playing sports? So that they could get to know you?

You’d be out of luck. Because without specifically focusing on an interesting, authentic story that also reveals something about your character, you’re unlikely to write an essay that they rate highly.

There are also clues that other colleges are looking for more than just a nice story or the “true you.” 

Here are some approaches we found to the process of assessing admission essays:

• Emory University specifically takes into account “ intellectual curiosity and the potential to contribute to community life on campus.” 
• According to the dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, “We expect [applicants] to have high test scores and grades. That’s a given. So another way for us to think about merit for those applicants is, what did they do with that opportunity they were given? How far did they travel in their high school journey?”  ‍
• “It's quick and easy for candidates to share, and for admissions readers to assess a candidate's 'what,’” says the dean of admissions at Lafayette College, “However, the hope is to find the 'how' and the 'why' behind an applicant's 'what'. If a candidate is a chemistry loving, slam poet who pole vaults, cool, that's 'what' they are. But, 'HOW' and 'WHY' have they become a chemistry-loving, slam poet who pole vaults? Too many candidates stop at the 'what' and do not give the 'how' and the 'why.'”
• "As an admissions officer, I analyzed students' personalities ,” says the former admissions head at Dartmouth. “If … the student came off as arrogant, entitled, mean, selfish, or, on the flip side, funny, charming, generous, witty , I wrote that exact trait in my notes. It's not enough just to be smart at top schools. Students must also show that they'll be good classmates and community builders ."
• “We want to enroll students who will contribute to the life of the campus , so we are eager to see how you have contributed to your high-school community or the community in which you live,” says an officer at Dickinson College.
• “Applicants who are able to convey that they have spent their high school years exploring different classes, activities and opportunities immediately grab my attention,” says an officer at Drake. ‍
• According to an officer at DePauw University, “a successful applicant should highlight an ability to overcome obstacles and garner results . It’s about proving you can produce outcomes .” 
• During the pandemic, 315 admission leaders (including all the heavy-hitters, such as the Ivys), signed a “ Care Counts in Crisis ” statement, assuring applicants that they most value 5 attributes: self-care ; academic work; service and contributions to others; family contributions ; and extracurricular and summer activities.

Some supplemental essays also show what colleges value. For example, these are all about intellectual curiosity:

• Stanford — The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.
• University of Washington — [T]ell us about something that really sparks your intellectual interest and curiosity , and compels you to explore more in the program/area of study that you indicated.

Once you start looking more closely at how colleges actually make their decision, you see that colleges really care about a number of specific characteristics .

5 traits admissions officers look for in your college essay

The point of a college essay is to prove you’ll be successful on campus and beyond. As Emory admissions dean John Latting says, “The whole [admissions] process is about finding potential .”

The way you prove your potential is by showing that you have 5 special characteristics. They go by various names, but at Prompt we’ve boiled them down to:

• Drive — going above and beyond what’s expected
• Intellectual Curiosity — manifesting your love of learning
• Initiative — Changing the status quo
• Contribution — Giving back to the community
• Diversity of Experiences — Having a unique background or experiences that give you a new perspective.

Go back to the last section and see how often these words (or similar ones) come up — you’ll see that it’s extremely often. 

To take a specific example, here how these characteristics align with the categories unearthed from the Harvard admissions litigation:

• Grit — that’s Drive
• Leadership — that’s a combo of Drive, Initiative and Contribution
• Helpfulness — that’s Contribution
• Courage — that’s adjacent to Drive and Initiative
• Kindness — well, that’s Contribution again

Now if you’re carefully comparing this list to the quote above, you’ll notice that we’re missing:

• sensitivity, and 
• Integrity. 

That’s because it’s true that they don’t match up to our 5 Traits. Humor is wonderful if you’ve got it, but “your college essay might not be the best place to try on that funny writer voice for the first time,” to quote the dean of admissions at Lawrence. (Diversity of experiences is similar, in a way, in that it’s a wonderful-to-have, but not something you can force if you just don’t have it.)

Integrity is a must-have — but most good essays around the 5 Traits should demonstrate integrity. Needless to say, any essay that implies a lack of it is a bad essay. As to sensitivity, well, if you’ve got it great. Not sure that one’s really make-or-break.

The point is that your essays aren’t a friendly “get to know you” space. They’re a vital component of your application; the colleges are grading your essays. And to score high you need to write about an experience in which you showed one or more of the qualities that they’re looking for — one or more of the 5 Traits. (If the experience also happens to showcase integrity and a sense of humor, all the better!)

Why colleges don't share what they're really looking for

At Prompt, we study the pronouncements of college admissions officials obsessively . We’ve gotten to know them , we read books about them, we follow them on Twitter. 

We don’t think that college officials are “lying” when they present this advice. Rather, there are many reasons why their advice isn’t as helpful as they probably think it is. Here are a few:

First , as we noted above, the advice to “tell your story” or “get to know us” or “be authentic” isn’t wrong. It’s just misleading because it isn’t clear about what actually gets evaluated. Most admissions officers probably think they’re giving helpful advice.

Second , offices are intentionally vague because it gives them more room to maneuver. If they say they’re looking for X in essays, everyone will write X . They want wiggle room for kids who write Y. 

Third , they may be thinking in different modes when they think about “writing an essay” compared to when they settle down to “evaluate” an essay. In Originals , Adam Grant describes how different these two modes can be. His book describes an experiment that randomly assigned some participants to think like managers and others like creatives. Those in the “manager” mode evaluated novel products correctly only 51% of the time; those in “creative” mode were correct far more often, at 77% of the time.

This is kind of the opposite. Admissions officers likely think broadly when giving advice for writing essays — they might be thinking about how they’d like to read essays, or how great essays are original, or focus on small, everyday topics. But that likely goes out the window when it comes to getting through a stack of essays on their desk and using them to assign “personal scores” that can be used to advance or reject applications. 

Bear in mind how overworked admissions readers are. According to an evaluator at Brown, “[W]e keep up a rigorous reading pace with the regular decision applicant pool. We were expected to read five applications per hour, which equates to 12 minutes per application. In those 12 minutes, I reviewed the application, standardized test scores, the transcript, the personal statement, and multiple supplemental essays — all while taking notes and making a decision on the admissibility of the applicant."

Make sure you write your essay to appeal to that “boring, bureaucratic” admissions officer. The one getting through a pile of essays, on a hungry prowl for qualities that will show success. We’ve got some stats to prove it can make up to a 10x difference in your chances of admission. 

Our team of expert writing coaches have helped 50,000+ student write 90,000+ essays that have boosted their chances of admission. Create an account to use free college essay resources , or explore college essay coaching options today .

Related posts:

• The Purpose of College Essays
• The Qualities Admissions Officers Look For
• Great Academics Aren't Enough
• What Harvard Admissions Data Reveals

The above articles and a step-by-step guide to approaching the college essay writing process can be found in our Help Center .

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10 Skills to Highlight on Your College Applications

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• Key Skills to Emphasize on Your College Apps

How to Highlight Your Strengths In Your College Application

How to show your skills in your college essays.

As part of their holistic review of your application, colleges want to consider your personality and character alongside your grades and extracurriculars. Skills like these can’t always be quantified in the same way as your grades can; nevertheless, they can help determine whether you’ll be able to flourish in a college environment. While top colleges certainly do want students who have a track record of academic success, they’re also interested in bringing in students who have qualities that will allow them to use their academic skills to do great things on campus and throughout their lives.

Highlighting these so-called ‘intangibles’ may seem less important than a stellar academic record and impressive list of extracurriculars, but they can be a powerful way to make your application stand out from the crowd, and present you as a strong and self-aware candidate. In this post, we’ll go over ten skills that deserve starring roles in your college applications, and why demonstrating these skills helps to show that you’re a qualified applicant for your colleges of choice.

Colleges want to know who you are beyond your grades and your activities. A college isn’t just a place where you go to school — it’s also where you work, socialize, build communities, and live your life for four years. Similarly, you don’t attend college alone, so how you interact with the people around you is important, whether they’re peers, instructors, or others. Each college has a different culture and different priorities, so looking around on your school’s website and examining what their particular values might be can help you personalize your application for that institution. 

You’ll also need to demonstrate that you have the potential to grow by making full use of the college’s resources. Obviously, colleges aren’t looking for students whose hard work and high performance are limited to their high school years. They’re interested not only in your past, but in your future, and whether you’re likely to become a student whose presence will enrich the campus environment.

10 Key Skills to Emphasize on Your College Apps

It’s clear that colleges are looking for more than high scores and lists of awards when they evaluate applicants, but you may be wondering what particular qualities will impress admissions committees. Here are ten specific skills that can help you to stand out as a strong candidate when it comes time for you to apply to colleges.

1. Commitment

Commitment is important to colleges because it’s a key ingredient to success both in and outside the classroom. Showing commitment means following through on obligations, maintaining focus and effort, and engaging with academics and activities in deep and lasting ways. These are all attractive attributes that will help colleges see you as a person who can add to a college environment throughout the four years that you’re on campus. One of the best ways to show commitment in an application is through an activity or subject that you’ve put significant time and effort into. Demonstrating your involvement with the drama club all four years of high school or your personal decision to take four years of language classes when your school only requires two proves to admissions officers you stick with things and follow through.

If you don’t have an activity or academic effort that you’ve put significant time and effort into, that doesn’t mean that you can’t show commitment in your application. Consider mentioning in your essay a time that it took particular effort, will, or sacrifice to participate in or remain involved with an extracurricular or academic activity. This can be another way of showing commitment without the months or years of participation. So, commitment can look like playing on the Frisbee team for two years, but it could also be a story about a time you gave up going on a weekend trip so that you could focus on finishing a presentation. 

2. Creativity

At its heart, demonstrating your creativity means showing that you’re able to think outside the box (to use a particularly uncreative metaphor) and come up with new concepts, approaches, and interpretations. Creativity can be expressed in your involvement with the arts, of course, but it’s also a quality that can show up in many different situations, from technical innovation to problem solving, in any field.

When colleges consider your application, your creativity is a quality that can really set you apart as an individual—and suggest your great potential to have an impact on the world. Whether you’re making a breakthrough argument in an academic paper, resolving an issue for an extracurricular group, or dreaming of your future startup, this skill will definitely come in handy as you plot your future.

What does creativity look like on a college application? As we mentioned above, the good news is that you don’t need to be an artist to show it. Talking about a creative hobby, like writing, painting, or singing is one clear way of showing creativity, but creative problem-solving or a unique approach to accomplishing tasks can make your point just as clearly. Maybe you didn’t participate in the school play, but you sold bouquets outside of it to raise money for your sports team. This would certainly stand out to admissions officers as an expression of your innovative thinking. Creativity could also look like combining lines of code to try out a new feature on the app you built.

3. Critical Thinking

For most students, the college academic experience will be much different from that of high school. One of the biggest differences is that in college, you’ll be expected to not only absorb and integrate factual information, but also to think more critically about sources, perspectives, contexts, and intellectual frameworks you encounter—including the assumptions you hold yourself.

When colleges evaluate applicants, they’re considering in part whether those applicants will be able to handle the demands of college coursework. Demonstrating that you’re able to investigate and interrogate academic material in a sophisticated way will speak highly of your academic skill, maturity, and potential. This can look like self-reflection or thoughtfulness about any number of topics. The important thing is that you show that you’re able to consider information and evaluate it without automatically accepting it. 

When it comes to highlighting critical thinking in your application, our recommendation would be to focus on your essays. Essays that demonstrate critical thinking tend to be focused on times when your mind, or someone else’s mind, was changed, or you learned something new that altered your view of a situation. One example that we’ve seen that was particularly effective was a student who wrote about what happened when she and her best friend had radically different opinions on gun control. Her essay evaluated how they each arrived at their position, and how two people with similar values could believe such different things about this critical issue. 

4. Initiative

Coming up with brilliant, creative ideas is a great thing, but it’s only half the battle. In order to have an impact, no matter what scale you’re acting upon, you also need to be able to turn those ideas into realities. Your skill in getting projects that matter to you off the ground will reflect well on you when it’s time to apply to colleges.

Colleges always like to see applicants who have not only taken advantage of available opportunities, but also put extra effort into creating viable opportunities where none seemed to exist. Your proven initiative can show that you not only have great ideas, but also the practical skills to back them up. Maybe you started a fundraiser at your school for a new community center, or improved your Chinese grade by asking your teacher for extra material to study on the weekends. Prove initiative on your college applications by talking about projects that you’ve begun and led, the drive that led you to go beyond what was asked of you, or original ideas that sparked something bigger than yourself. 

It’s a good idea to highlight your initiative in the descriptions of your extracurriculars (for example, to describe your position as president of the Model UN team say “organized and hosted a one-day conference for local Model UN teams in the county”). For activities where you showed really large initiative, consider writing about that in a personal statement or supplemental essay.

5. Intellectual Curiosity

When it comes to academic performance, colleges aren’t just interested in your grades and test scores. They also want to know that you’re genuinely invested in your intellectual development and that you actively enjoy the experience of investigating the world around you. Many colleges use the phrase “a love of learning” to express the quality that they’re looking for in applicants.

Demonstrating this love of learning communicates to colleges that whatever you choose to study, you can be counted upon to continue seeking knowledge and understanding in your academic work. After all, the main purpose of going to college is to get an education, and by showing your intellectual curiosity, you’re telling colleges that you’ll take that educational opportunity seriously.

In the past, applicants have talked about reaching out to authors they love just to see if they’ll respond, writing articles that were published in local newspapers, conducting independent research on a topic they are infatuated by, or volunteering with museums to learn more about a subject or topic they loved. Do any of these stories sound like you? How has intellectual curiosity shown up in your life?

6. Good Judgment

Showing good judgment means demonstrating to colleges that you’re able to plan ahead, understand and accept consequences, and make choices that support your goals. It also means showing that you’re responsible and respectful in the way you handle the college application process.

It’s important to minimize talking about bad judgment in your application. What may be a funny story to share with friends may not paint you in the best light to an admissions committee. This doesn’t mean that an instance of bad judgment is a death sentence, though. If you have a disciplinary record, or something negative on your application, it’s best to be straightforward and honest. Our post about explaining exceptional personal circumstances can help you write about incidents of poor judgment in a way that is truthful and clear, but also focuses on the ways that you have learned and grown from this moment. 

How can you show good judgment? This one is more commonly assumed when there is no evidence to contradict it, but you can still emphasize it in your application by talking about times that you made the right choice when easier options were available. This can be a tough line to walk, as talking about the temptation to cheat, lie, or otherwise exercise bad judgment is not a good idea, even if you made the right choice in the end. Instead, we recommend focusing on stories of times that you went the extra mile to demonstrate strength of character, when the easier option might’ve been to let someone else deal with the situation. Maybe you tutored a peer or a younger sibling that was struggling. Maybe you chose editing that English paper instead of accepting a last minute concert invite. The best part of demonstrating good judgment is that usually, other qualities shine alongside it, like in these two examples, where generosity of spirit and commitment to academics are folded in with good judgment. 

7. Leadership

Leadership skills can encompass your ability to plan and oversee projects, your capability to provide substantive praise and criticism, and your power to inspire others and help them achieve their goals. Being a good leader doesn’t mean taking on all the work yourself; effectively delegating tasks and recognizing others’ useful talents are key skills as well.

Of course, one way to demonstrate your leadership ability is to have taken on leadership roles in your extracurricular activities. If you’re the captain of a team or leader of a club, this is absolutely worth emphasizing. However, how well you do as a leader matters just as much as whether you can get elected or selected for one of these positions. If you can demonstrate that you were a truly effective leader, that may really help you to stand out among the applicant pool. Something as seemingly small as taking the leading role in a group project can demonstrate leadership skill, as long as you write effectively about the ways in which you were able to guide your team to success. 

8. Open-Mindedness

One of the best aspects of attending college is that it introduces you to new things. Between the individuals you interact with and the contents of your courses, you’ll encounter an incredible and diverse range of people, ideas, and perspectives on campus, and many of these will likely be unfamiliar to you.

Being open-minded doesn’t mean that you have to agree with every new idea you encounter. What it does mean is that you’re willing and able to respectfully consider and interact with the full range of perspectives that you’ll be exposed to in college, and to appreciate the richness of that experience. 

You can talk about open-mindedness directly, by exploring times that you encountered ideas, beliefs, or experiences that were different from your own, or you can talk about it more broadly, by focusing on a particularly diverse environment you found yourself in and how that place positively affected you. The key to highlighting your open-mindedness is to write an essay appreciating the importance of diversity . 

9. Social Consciousness

Being socially conscious means you’re aware of issues and concerns that stretch beyond your immediate surroundings and into the lives of others, both on a global level and within the communities of which you’re a part. This knowledge will inform both the way you understand your academic work and the way you live. Competitive colleges will want to see that you’ve spent time thinking about issues like these.

In addition to mere awareness, colleges want to know that you’re working on having an effect on the world beyond yourself. There are many ways to do this; you don’t need to win a Nobel Prize or be elected president to be doing important work. What’s most important is that your goals involve some kind of larger impact. Consider writing about what causes inspire you, and why. Maybe your passion is biodiversity, and you want to talk about the impact that rare moth extinction will have on the environment. This may sound small, or overly specific, but that doesn’t matter. The key is to show that you are knowledgeable about and passionate about things outside of yourself. 

Another way to highlight social consciousness could be through your extracurriculars or awards and recognitions. If you’ve gotten involved in an extracurricular activity because it addresses a global issue you care about, make sure to highlight that activity and the actions you’ve taken on your application. Some students might have even earned awards for their dedication to humanitarian work which is another great thing to highlight.

10. Teamwork

While your individual accomplishments and qualities are of the highest importance when applying to colleges, your ability to work with others shouldn’t be glossed over. In the classroom and outside of it, you’ll never be truly alone in college, so it’s important that you know how to interact and collaborate with your peers effectively.

Group projects still exist in college, and most extracurricular activities are community-based. Internships, working in a scientific lab, and many other activities will likely involve working with others on a task that’s not your own — that’s often how people gain the skills and experience to later become innovators and leaders. Sometimes, this requires putting the needs of the group or a decision you may not agree with over your individual needs and ideas.

No matter what field you eventually enter, collaboration is everywhere, and great things come from embracing it. Colleges need to be sure that your individual skills are paired with the ability to work well with others and, when necessary, prioritize the team’s success over your own. One example that stands out from past essays is a student who played for the opposing team in a rec league kickball game. The other team was down a player, and was going to have to forfeit, meaning no one got to play. This student joining the other team gave everyone a chance to play and enjoy the game, even though it wouldn’t officially count. The student was able to showcase his ability to meld seamlessly onto a new team, learning new skills and strategies along the way. 

The best place to highlight your more subjective traits and abilities are your essays, and along with assessing your writing abilities, this is what they’re designed for. Make sure that in choosing anecdotes and topics for your essays, you’re selecting stories that showcase the best of your qualities. This can be a powerful way of showing without explicitly telling admissions teams about these traits.

Along with your essays, an interview can be a great place to demonstrate these qualities. Not every school offers an interview, but if they do, and you are able to participate, this is another opportunity where your intangible traits can shine. As you prepare for your interview, along with going over common questions and answers, consider what impression you want your interviewer to have of you. What aspects of your personality do you want to shine in this interview, and how can you make sure they do?

Finally, your recommendations are another place where colleges can learn about your personal qualities. If you have a quality that you want to make sure colleges hear about, consider talking to your recommenders about what you hope they’ll highlight in their letters. Remember to choose qualities that that recommender has seen you demonstrate and can talk about specifically.  

Your essays are a great place to showcase your intangible skills and abilities. You can share these skills through the stories you tell.

After rereading your essays countless times, however, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. You can even request that your reviewer focus on helping you highlight a particular trait or two. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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College Admissions

Applying to college soon? Curious about what colleges are looking for in applicants, especially when it comes to SAT or ACT scores? Not sure how you stack up against other applicants at your dream school? 

If you feel like you have more questions than answers about what colleges look for in admissions, you're note alone. The college admissions process can be very confusing, and it's easy to feel lost and frustrated. In this article, we'll tell you what colleges look for in admissions and how to make your application the best it can be. We'll cover: 

• What colleges look for in applicants 
• Why SAT and ACT test scores are important 
• How understanding college admissions criteria can help your own college admissions process

Let's dive in! 

What Do Colleges Look For in Applicants?

When colleges look at applicants, they're hoping to find students who will succeed in college and beyond. Most universities are looking for students who will excel in their classes, but will also contribute to the on-campus community in their own unique ways.  

So how do colleges identify these amazing students? Colleges use your scores (SAT/ACT scores, GPA/transcript, class rank, and other test scores) as well as your extracurriculars, application essays, and letters of recommendation to judge your readiness to attend their school. They want to know that you'll be a good student, but they also want to ensure you'll add to their college community both now and as an alumni. 

How Do Colleges Judge Applicants?

Now that we have a basic overview of what colleges look for in applicants, we'll address each part of the application and discuss how the college judges you based on that particular section. 

SAT/ACT Scores

The main value of SAT/ACT scores is that they provide colleges with a standard way to judge students. Every applicant will have a varied background: they've attended a different schools and/or and taken different classes. However, nearly every applicant will have taken the SAT or ACT. 

Colleges use your SAT/ACT score as an indicator of whether you're ready to attend their school. To show you're academically prepared, you'll need to have a score within the average SAT/ACT score range for admitted students to that school ... or perhaps even higher. To give yourself the best chance of admission, you should aim for a score at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for admitted students.  (We'll talk more about how to find this range a little later.) 

It’s important to note that some schools don’t make taking the SAT or ACT an absolute requirement for admission. These schools , for instance, have a “test-optional” admission choice for prospective students. In addition, because of cancelled or rescheduled test dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools have chosen to go test-optional for 2021 and 2022 ...and some may continue that policy in the future (like the University of California schools ). 

GPA/Transcript

Colleges are looking at your GPA and transcript for two major reasons:

• To see what classes you chose to take.
• To see how you did in your classes.

Colleges want to see what classes you took in high school and how you performed in them  to ensure you're prepared to attend their college. Based on your GPA/transcript, admissions counselors can gauge whether you're ready to take on the courses offered at their school. 

To gauge your own academic preparedness, we recommend you check out the admissions profile for your dream school. See what the average GPA is for admitted students at that college. You can find it by conducting a Google search for "[College Name] + GPA + PrepScholar." That will bring you to our admissions page for that school.

Once you've figured out what the average GPA range is for admitted students, try to get your GPA into a similar range to give yourself the best chance of admission.

For s tudents interested in competitive colleges ( Ivies , Stanford , Vanderbilt , etc.), when admissions officers look at your transcript/GPA, they're hoping to see that you opted to take the most difficult classes at your high school and that you did very well in them.

So if you hope to be accepted to a top tier school, and your school offers IB/AP courses , you should be working those classes into your schedule. Top college admissions officers typically say that they'd rather see that you got a B in an AP or IB course than an A in a regular non-AP/IB course (when IB/AP courses are offered). If there are no IB or AP classes offered at your school, obviously admissions officers don't expect you to have taken any.

All that being said, what can you do to make your GPA/transcript strong? First things first: work hard and keep your GPA up. From there, take the  hardest classes that are offered at your school and do well in them. (And of course, all of this requires lots of hard work!) 

You'll always have a higher grade than G!  

Your class rank is tied to your transcript and GPA. The higher your grades are (and likely, the more A P and/or IB classes you take and get As in), the higher your class rank will be. And your class rank will be an important admissions consideration if you plan to apply to super competitive schools. 

Top tier colleges ( Harvard , MIT , UPenn ) really only want students who are ranked in the top 10% of their high school class. One student we talked to did a high school summer program at one of the Ivies. The program he took part in was known to accept almost all participants into the college. He was not admitted. When he asked why, he was told that it was a big deal to them that he was not ranked in the top 10% of his class.

Class rank also matters when it comes to admission to state schools, too. In some states, like Texas , students who graduate in the top 5-10% of their class are guaranteed admission in state schools. So if you do well in high school, you'll be guaranteed a spot in an in-state public school once you graduate

If you're hoping to attend a top tier school or plan to take advantage of in-state schools' admissions policies, class rank matters . Try to take the hardest classes and get your grades up to stay near the top of the class. Regardless of your class rank, however, make sure you're keeping your GPA up. You'll want to make sure it's well above average if you want to get into your dream school! 

Maybe your hobby is fashion-forward jogging. Whatever your hobby is, your potential colleges want to know about it. 

Extracurriculars

So what do colleges look for in admissions when it comes to extracurriculars?

Like we mentioned earlier, colleges are looking for top notch applicants who will add to their campus communities. Extracurriculars are one way colleges can learn more about you and whether you're a good personality fit for their school. All colleges like to see that you got involved in extracurriculars, and they especially like to see that you held a leadership role in them.

Top tier colleges (Harvard, Stanford, Yale) want to see that you have an expertise in some area, and you can build that expertise through your extracurricular activities. It doesn't matter what that area of expertise is, but whatever you choose, explore it deeply. If you like science, try to win the state science fair , compete in science olympiads , and/or intern at a local lab. If you like acting, compete with your debate team in the acting categories (Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Duo Interpretation), stage a play for free at your local children's hospital, and/or do regional theater.

If you are hoping to attend a top tier school like Harvard—and want to impress them with your extracurriculars—our article How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, by a Harvard Alum discusses this in more depth.

But having great extracurricular activities on your college applications is important for everyone , no matter which colleges you apply to. To learn more about what extracurricular might be good for you, check out this article. 

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation give admissions officers an important glimpse into how others perceive you as a student, community member, and person. Because these letters are anonymous, t hey're often seen as authentic and honest glimpses into who you are and whether you're ready to succeed in college. 

NOTE: Some colleges don't require letters of recommendation nor personal essays, so make sure to check the admissions website for your target colleges.

You want to have great letters of recommendation that rave about who you are, what your passion is, and how great you are at what you're passionate about. Check out these examples of great letters of recommendation and the breakdown of what makes them so great .

Personal Essays

Like a letter of recommendation, your personal essays (if required) should reveal who you are and what you want from your education and beyond . These essays give admissions counselors more insight into who you are as a person, and how you'll fit into their unique campus.

These are an important part of your college application, so be sure to start them long before they're due. But don't worry: we have tons of college admissions essay resources to help you out! Check out these example college personal essays along with tips to create a memorable one. And of course, don't miss this blog that goes over everything you need to know about writing a personal essay in the first place. 

What about AP/IB tests? How do those scores affect your admissions? 

Other Test Scores

Other test scores include AP/IB exam scores, SAT Subject Tests ( these only apply through June 2021—after that they are being discontinued ), and any other non-SAT/ACT exams that you've taken that you're choosing to include on your application. Just like the ACT/SAT, colleges look at these to evaluate your readiness for their college . Additionally, many schools award college credit or placement if you score high enough on AP or IB exams. 

Colleges use these other test scores to double-check that you're ready for their school. If you got a perfect SAT score but failed every AP exam that you took, then an admissions officer may question if you're prepared for their coursework. Basically, don't let your other test scores be a red flag. T ake your other test scores seriously but know that they won't hurt your chances unless the scores are really low (failing for AP or IB exams).

That said, don’t stress about one not-so-great AP test —your AP test scores will only hurt you if they are all bad. Just try to get the highest scores you can on your AP and IB exams so that your high scores give colleges another reason to accept you!

Why Is Your SAT/ACT Score so Important?

There are two main reasons that your SAT/ACT scores are important to colleges. Let's discuss each reason one at a time.

Reason #1: Your SAT/ACT Score Is How Colleges Compare You to Other Applicants from Around the World

While applicants to one college will come from different backgrounds, will have attended different high schools, will have taken different classes, and will have done different extracurricular activities, all of the applicants will have taken the SAT and/or ACT (at least at non- test optional schools ).

Your SAT/ACT score reveals whether your GPA and transcript are accurate representations of your preparedness for higher education. Colleges use your SAT/ACT score to figure out if your high school grades were inflated or accurate. For example, if you have a 4.0 GPA with a perfect SAT or ACT score, colleges will likely be impressed and think your GPA is reflective of your academic potential (since your scores were so high). However, if you have a 4.0 GPA with 1000 SAT score or 20 ACT score, colleges may think your course grades were inflated.

Additionally, a high SAT/ACT score can also make up for a lower GPA. If you have a 3.0 GPA with a perfect SAT/ACT score, colleges may be willing to overlook your lower GPA and consider your SAT/ACT score as an indication that you're prepared for college.

As mentioned above, some schools don’t require applicants to have taken either exam. But, even test-optional schools may use SAT and ACT scores to compare applicants. For instance, if you have a 4.0 GPA but no test scores, but another prospective student has a 4.0 GPA and high test scores, this student has provided more proof of their academic potential than you (and may get chosen instead). So, your best bet is to take the SAT or ACT, even if your target school is test-optional.

Colleges use SAT/ACT scores to compare apples to oranges ... or, you know, students to other students!

Reason #2: Colleges Are Judged by Their SAT/ACT Score Ranges

Yes, the SAT/ACT is important to schools because they use it to judge your readiness for college. However, it's also important to schools because if you're admitted, your SAT/ACT score will be incorporated into their yearly SAT/ACT statistics.

Every year, colleges publish their freshman admissions profile (see an example from Princeton). In this profile, colleges provide the data on their admitted students. This data includes either the 25th/75th percentile SAT/ACT scores (sometimes referred to as the middle 50%) or the average SAT/ACT scores of admitted students. The 25th percentile score means that 25% of admitted students scored at or below that score (and therefore 75% of admitted students scored above). The 75th percentile score means that 75% of admitted students scored at or below that score (and therefore 25% of admitted students scored above). The average score is just what it sounds like, an average of all the admitted students scores.

The general public looks at this data to perceive the selectivity of the school (the higher the range, the more competitive or "better" the general public thinks that college is). When you think of top-tier schools such as Dartmouth , Brown , or Columbia , you likely think, "Wow those are good schools!"

But why do you think they are good schools? You might think of their alumni or campuses. However, many lower ranked schools such as Denison have beautiful campuses with famous alumni like billionaire Michael Eisner . You might think of their low admissions rates, but there are other colleges with comparable admissions rates to the Ivies , and their rates don’t necessarily reflect the academic excellence of students they admit. 

One of the main reasons you associate top tier colleges with prestige is because of their published SAT/ACT score ranges and their ranking among other colleges. When doing research on applying to schools, you likely came across the US News & World Report ranking of US colleges. Each year, US News & World Report assembles their rankings based on several categories including the SAT/ACT scores of admitted students.

If you're admitted to the school, your SAT/ACT score will be factored into that school's overall national ranking in US News & World Report . Top tier colleges such as Princeton, Yale, and Stanford want your SAT scores to be good so that it reflects well on them. Even "second tier schools" such as Vanderbilt, USC, and Emory care about this because they hope to continue to rise in the US News & World Report rankings.

What Does This Mean for You?

If admissions officers are judging you so heavily by your SAT/ACT score, you want to get a score that will meet their standards. As I mentioned earlier, colleges are hoping to admit students who are in or above their SAT/ACT score range (or at or above the average).

Here at PrepScholar, we recommend that you try to get your score at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score of admitted students to give yourself the best chance of admission. Let's set that as your SAT/ACT score goal.

Setting a Score Goal

To give yourself the best chance of being admitted to your dream school, you need to set a score goal that is at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for that school.

How do you find out what the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for that school is? Here at PrepScholar, we've created a very cool resource to locate each college's 25th/75th percentile score and to calculate your chance of admissions to a given school based on your SAT/ACT score and GPA.

To access this resource , simply Google Search, "[College Name] [ACT or SAT score] PrepScholar." For example, I looked for Emory University page:

The first two search results are both from PrepScholar. The Admission Requirements page give GPA, SAT, and ACT data. The second page only gives information about the SAT and GPA.

Start by looking at our complete admission requirement articles for your target colleges to get a sense of the SAT and ACT scores of admitted students . Here's a sample of our Emory University admissions guide : 

Scroll down, and you'll find the SAT and ACT data:

As we mentioned before, aim for a score at or above the 75th percentile score , so for Emory, that would be a 34 or above on the ACT or a 1520 or above on the SAT. Why aim so high? You want to give yourself the absolute best chance of admission. You want to be in the top group of applicants. You want the admissions officer to see your application and say, "duh, they should get in." Okay, they'll likely say something more eloquent, but you get my point.

You might be thinking, " 25% of admits score below the 25th percentile, can't I just score slightly below the 25th percentile and get in?" In theory, yes, you can. In reality, it's unlikely.

Colleges will admit certain applicants with lower SAT/ACT scores because that college needs that student for some reason. For example, colleges sometimes accept athletes , legacies , or students with another exceptional talent (the #1 ranked debater in the US or a world-class violinist) who have lower SAT/ACT scores. Also, colleges sometimes accept students with lower scores who are the children of significant alumni donors or the children of other wealthy or famous people.

Unless you fall into one of the above, try to aim for a score at or above the 75th percentile score. While these students may not make up 25% of the admitted students, it's better to be safe than sorry. Get your score at or above the 75th percentile to give yourself the best chance!

Planning Your Prep

Now that you've set your SAT/ACT score goal, you need to create a plan to reach it. Check out our guide to planning your study based on the amount of improvement that you're hoping for and based on the amount of time you have to study .

Need a launching off point for your test prep? Check out our complete guides to SAT and ACT prep . Taking the test really soon (within a month)? Check out our cramming guides to the SAT and the ACT.

What's Next?

Interested in learning more about the college admissions process? Learn about how to get a college application fee waiver, learn about the best extracurricular activities for your college app, and plan your college application timeline.

Not sure where you'd like to go to college? Figure out how to find your target school.

Still not sure whether the SAT or ACT is right for you? Let's help you pick the right test for you!

As an SAT/ACT tutor, Dora has guided many students to test prep success. She loves watching students succeed and is committed to helping you get there. Dora received a full-tuition merit based scholarship to University of Southern California. She graduated magna cum laude and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. She is also passionate about acting, writing, and photography.

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What are colleges looking for in my application essay?

Knowing what to include in a college essay is half the battle. Admissions teams look for many things, but the most influential are authenticity, writing ability, character details, and positive traits. The purpose of the essay is to shed light on your background and gain perspective on your real-world experiences.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, what do college essays look for.

Need a bit of help here folks. I'm starting to outline my college essays and I'm wondering if there's a checklist or set of qualities that colleges are especially keen on seeing in essays. Are there certain attributes or experiences I should highlight or focus on in my writing to have a better chance?

Hey there! No worries, a lot of students have similar concerns when they start tackling their college essays. The essence of a good college essay is that it should provide a window into who you are, your personality, your values, and your potential contributions to the campus community. Admissions officers are looking for a compelling narrative that showcases your unique voice and perspective.

Focus on authenticity and self-reflection over trying to impress with achievements. They want to read about your genuine experiences and thoughts. You might consider highlighting moments of growth, resilience, creativity, or leadership. How have your experiences shaped you into the person you are today, and how will they influence who you might become in the future?

Remember to be specific rather than generic; for example, instead of saying 'I love helping people,' describe a particular instance when you helped someone and what it meant to you and the other person. It's these details that can really help your essay stand out. Last but not least, ensure that your writing is clear, coherent, and free of grammatical errors. Get feedback from mentors or teachers, and revise it until it feels right. Best of luck with your essays!

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How to Start a College Essay: 5 Effective Techniques

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Impressionable Openers

Descriptions and demonstrations, show vulnerability, be authentic, stay personal, fun & quirky, common mistakes to avoid in your college essay.

• Ways to Overcome Writer's Block

Frequently Asked Questions About Starting a College Essay

College essays are a huge part of your college career. If not huge, one of the biggest, and for someone who has been there and done that, I know the amount of pressure the beginning of a college essay, as well as the entire essay, can put on your shoulders.

Not only are you trying to juggle things like word count and grammar errors, but you're also trying to create the perfect college essay introduction that will attract admissions officers to your application or professors to your writing skills. And that, itself, can feel impossible, fill you with dread and self-doubt, but just breathe. I am here to help all present and future students know how to start a college essay.

Today is all about starting a college essay. I have come up with five easy and effective techniques that will help you create essays so good you're going to leave your readers wanting more , starting with your opening sentence! So, this is for all college students and college applicants. Stress no more! This guide was created to help you write a successful college essay. Let's get into it.

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The beginning of your essay should, first and foremost, always have a strong opening sentence . This sentence sets the tone for not only your readers but for the entire essay. Having a wobbly, almost interesting opener can steer an admissions officer and/or professor away, so you want it to be strong. And it doesn't have to be complicated! Less is more in this situation. Here are a couple of ways you can accomplish this.

• Look within and be relatable
• Use your real life for inspiration
• Think about ways to evoke emotion

Here are some examples of impressionable openers:

• Example 1: When I was 11 years old, my mother told me she had cancer over breakfast.
• Example 2: Maybe yellow isn't my favorite color.
• Example 3: I sat next to this girl in class who made me feel stupid.

DISCLAIMER : your opener should ALWAYS adhere to the essay prompts. These are just a few examples that can capture your reader's attention almost immediately.

In order to keep readers interested, visuals are key . Image-based descriptions will not only add value to your writing, it will give your readers front seats to your essay's journey. These descriptions let actions speak for themselves.

Here is an example of a description and demonstration in an essay:

• Example 1: "I was sitting on a bar stool when the word 'cancer' hit me like the smell of her coffee brewing on the stove. The Rice Krispies were popping in my cereal bowl, and MTV Jams was playing in the background, yet all I could hear was the sound of doom all around me. The lips of my mother were moving, but I was frozen, crumbling on this stool like my mother's health. She was sick, and I didn't know how sick or what that even meant, and that terrified me."

Why This Works:

Here you can clearly feel the writers emotional state: shocked, still, scared. Not only is this moment at breakfast traumatic, you feel frozen in time with the writer. Using descriptions like this will evoke so much emotion and leave your reader wanting more.

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Something one of my teachers told me in high school was any good essay will have personal elements in it, no matter the topic. That always stuck with me and became the way I approached my college essays. Showing vulnerability in your writing will always guarantee interest. It also evokes emotion.

You can show vulnerability by:

• Being honest
• Explaining what's going on inside underneath the exterior
• Describe what's going on around you at the moment
• Letting go of the fear of being seen
• Connecting with the topic
• Being transparent about mistakes/flaws

Examples of showing vulnerability:

• Example 1 : My mother telling me she had cancer over breakfast was not on my bingo card this year.
• Example 2 : I never thought losing someone I love would change me.
• Example 3: I had to lose everything in order to gain everything.

I know being vulnerable can be tough for some , but showing this side of you to college admissions officers and/or professors will not only make you stand out, but it can also help free you of things that might be weighing on your mind. Not to sound corny, but it can be therapeutic and make you a better writer . Just make sure you are staying on track with the essay prompt, and you're set!

Whether it's believed or not, an admissions officer wants to see pieces of you in your personal statement, so starting your essay by showing authenticity is a major major key. Along with being vulnerable, there are a few ways you can achieve this.

• Reflect : Take the time to reflect on your experiences, values, and beliefs that have shaped who you are today. Let your values, passions, and interests shine through in your writing.
• Mind Your Voice : Write in your own voice and avoid trying to sound like someone you're not. Authenticity comes from being genuine and true to yourself.
• Tell Your Story : Share personal anecdotes and insights that show your unique perspective.
• Be True to You : Focus on what matters to YOU (as long as you're on topic!). Write about what is meaningful and important to you rather than what you think admissions officers want to hear.

Above all, be open . Showing introspection and self-awareness in your essay will show any admissions committee who you are beneath the surface, as well as your personal growth.

You can also begin your essay being as random and silly as you'd like . It goes hand-in-hand with other important factors like vulnerability and authenticity. But don't get too crazy . Beginning your essay with something strange will definitely draw readers in. Let me show you what I mean.

• Example 1 : I start my mornings off in silence and solitude to keep people away from me.
• Example 2 : Sometimes, I like to circle big words in complex articles to learn new words. Yeah, but to also keep one in my back pocket for later use.
• Example 3 : Being the youngest child means getting away with everything you want, and that's exactly how I like it.

Do you see how each sentence draws you in? Not only are they light-hearted, but they also make you want to know why you want to keep people away in the morning and what kind of weapon you're forming against others with new words. And every youngest sibling will attest to feeling that exact same way. All of these examples are sure to make your essay fun, show who you are, and leave readers wanting more.

Years of writing college essays have taken me through every high and low of the process possible. And when they're good, they're great! But for some reason, my mistakes stick out more than anything. So, I've compiled a list of common mistakes to avoid when writing your college essay .

• Avoid Being Cliche - While you want to be captivating, you want to avoid overly used syntax and phrases that could potentially lose your reader's curiosity. For example, "in today's day and age," "follow my heart," "don't judge a book by its cover," etc. are all cliches that can be avoided by thinking outside of the box.
• Using Vocabulary to be Impressive - I know you want to impress the admissions committees, but it's important to stick to what you know and not what you can allude to. That is, use verbiage that resonates with your personality. Using extravagant words can work against you, and they can also sound forced. College admissions officers want to see the real you, so show it to them.
• Steer Clear of Controversy - Though it's not said enough, your college essay should tell your personal story and not touch on things that can stir the pot. For instance, talking about politics and religious beliefs may not be the route you want to take UNLESS it's called for in the college essay topic. And if so, stay on track with the essay prompts.
• Procrastinating : Waiting until the last minute to start writing your essay will bite you in the butt. You will feel rushed and end up writing a poorly crafted piece. Give yourself enough time to complete an essay draft, edit the draft, and repeat this two-step cycle until your essay is complete.
• Lack of originality : This goes hand-in-hand with avoiding cliches. Your college essay should exude a lot of your personality, so show admissions officers and teachers who you are! Include your cultural background, test scores that you're proud of, any future aspirations, etc. This all depends on the essay prompts, of course, but in my experience, every essay topic has room to show who you are.
• Ignoring the prompt : This is a major key. STAY ON TRACK. Make sure to carefully read and understand the essay prompt, and write your essay accordingly. The last thing you want to do is write a college essay that has nothing to do with the prompt. Reading is essential here.
• Lack of focus : If you want to know how to start a college essay, that means knowing how to stay focused. Find a quiet space, turn off electronics, hide your phone, and really nestle into how you want to capture your reader's attention. This will help you use your five senses clearly, keep your writing strong and not write an overly wordy essay. Focus is the tool here.
• Poor organization : Make sure your essay has a strong structure with clear transitions between paragraphs. An outline will work best to accomplish this. If you go into starting your college essay without a plan, be prepared to hit all roadblocks.
• Neglecting to Revise and Edit : Like procrastinating, don't fail to revise and edit your work. Always, always, always proofread your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors , as well as clarity and coherence.
• Not Seeking Feedback : Listen, I know that completing an essay is an accomplishment in itself, and you immediately want to submit it, but it's so beneficial to have others read your essay for feedback. You can only spot so many holes in your work when your eyes are constantly reviewing it, so a second, third, or even fourth set of eyes can help point out areas for improvement.

Above all, trust the writing process. Though I do want you to be aware of your jargon, don't get too wrapped up in thinking you're making a mistake. That's what editing is for! Once you complete your college essay, you should always revise and edit accordingly . What you thought sounded good might make you edit it to sound great. Just keep in mind that many colleges are looking for honesty and authenticity vs how well you can sound on paper . So, if you're aware of these factors, you'll be good to go.

Ways to Overcome Writer's Block

Take it from someone who has suffered from chronic writer's block, it's a pain to get through . Imagine being on a writing streak so good that when you stop, the entire essay writing process stops as a whole. It's definitely a challenge, but after 10 years of writing essays and really honing my craft, I learned a few things that have helped me get through even the thickest of writer's blocks, and I want to share them with you. Check them out:

• Take a break : This works every single time. Take a short break and step away from your computer to clear your mind and come back with a fresh perspective. For me, 15 minutes is all I ever need. If you need more time, that's okay. Just try not to make your break a rest.
• Freewriting : Sometimes, I'd start writing without worrying about my structure or grammar to get the ideas flowing, and surprisingly enough, I found my essay taking a pleasant turn.
• Change your environment : Move around. Don't underestimate the effects of a different location or workspace to stimulate creativity. Try coffee shops, bookstores, a park, or a new room in your house. New environment, new energy.
• Set small goals : This one is actually the most important. Some people get overwhelmed with the word "essay" for things like lack of proper writing skills, pressure to write a great essay, etc. But if you try breaking down your writing task into smaller, manageable chunks to make it less overwhelming, it can help. For example, set a goal of three paragraphs one day, take a day to edit those paragraphs, two more the next day, and so forth. Find a formula that works for you.
• Brainstorming : Write down all your ideas--everything. No matter how small you think the idea is, write it down. Even if these ideas seem unrelated, they will help you generate new thoughts and connections.
• Read or listen to music : It took me a while to realize this helps, but engaging in other forms of art can inspire new ideas and break through mental blocks. And new creativity can lead you to impress admissions officers.
• Talk it out : As a writer, it's hard to let people in on the creative process, but discussing my ideas with a friend, family member, or colleague helped me gain new perspectives and insights.
• Relax and Meditate : Hear me out: it works! Practice deep breathing and/or meditation to reduce stress and anxiety that may be contributing to writer's block.

I won't sugarcoat it: the college application process can be intimidating , but it doesn't have to throw you off your game. When it comes to college essays, I see them as opportunities to be fun and expressive. Trust me when I say if you have fun with it, you'll attract the reader's attention , paint vivid details, and write an essay that will leave the admissions officer wanting you at their school. So, take it one step at a time and watch your personal statement come to life.

How can I make my college essay stand out to admissions officers?

Simply put, be yourself. As long as you stay on track with the essay's topic, showing pieces of yourself will allow admissions officers to know more about who you are. Essays are meant to show readers who you are, how you feel, and what you think naturally, not robotically, so be authentic in your writing, and you'll be sure to stand out amongst the rest.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when writing a college essay?

Some common mistakes to avoid in your essay are using cliches and boring wording. You also want to avoid procrastinating, wasting time, not focusing, not editing, etc. When writing your essay, you want to make sure you give your writing the time and attention it deserves, so make sure you're aware of what is pulling you away from your writing. This will help you stay focused. If you have any other doubts, refer to the section about mistakes in this article and let it guide you to success.

How important is the college essay in the admissions process?

Your college essay is key in the admissions process . It's an admissions committee's first impression of you as a writer and potential student, so it should be taken very seriously. Trying to cut corners or rush through the writing process will be obvious, and it will stand out more than things like test scores, academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and any other positive influence you've had in your life. So, don't take the easy way out and really work on your essay.

Feeling confident in your college essay skills and want to explore some other essay content? Explore our blog on the comma splice to enhance your technical writing skills!

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