With two boys having gone through the college essay process, I know at one week into the school year, the blinking cursor on that WORD document is the only thing on the page. Or maybe it’s full of sentences like, “I don’t know what I’m good at, but I think it’s…..” or “I’m a great candidate for your school because I like your school a lot…”

If procrastination was a strength, there would be plenty of things to talk about in that essay. To help you and your college student feel better about the process, I am reposting tips I shared back in 2016 when my oldest was applying and my hair turned gray instantly.

1. Don’t worry about word count. If all a writer can think about is keeping a piece to 250 or 500 words, it’s a creativity killer. What happens if your most brilliant thought occurred at word number 255? You would lose an amazing line that just might sew the whole essay together. It’s a lot easier to cut away than it is to add more to make the word count.
2. Write like you are talking to your BFF, minus the slang and OMGs; that’s the voice a reader wants to hear as it’s authentic to you and your age. I can tell just by the tone if an essay is written by a parent, so you know the admissions reader will too. Be yourself; you’re awesome! On the flipside, don’t be overly sophisticated either. At the beginning of college essay hell, my son wanted to write the most intelligent, perfect sentences. It wasn’t fun to read nor did it get to the heart of the story or sound like him. To me, just get the story out and then work on finessing the most eloquent line.
3.  The first pass sets the foundation, the bones. Getting started is THE hardest part. It’s what makes a lot of writers run from their laptops. But once the bones are set, the next part is fun! This is where you add the color, the descriptors, or “flesh.” If possible, wait a day to let the story settle into your head, then come back and look for ways to improve. A lot of writing ideas happen away from the computer, say the shower or sleeping, seriously.
4. Work without a formal outline. I don’t know what exactly will go into my essays but I follow a general flow in my head. The first paragraph is the hook; place the reader in the middle of a problem, i.e. taking a driving test with a manual shift you barely can operate because the brakes went out on the family car or someone nabbed your prom date while you were out buying a zillion flowers to spell out the ask. In the next few paragraphs, give the backstory, i.e. how you got into the predicament, and a little about yourself and your strength, i.e. confidence, creativity. In the last paragraph, tell the reader how the problem was solved and what you learned.
5. Set a time limit.  Set a timer for at least twenty minutes and no more than an hour. Take a break to stretch, play music or grab some water, then go back for another session.
6. Don’t tell a story blow by blow. I am so guilty of including step-by-steps in a life story because that’s how I remember it. The reader really only needs the essence, a couple of lines to get the gist. This is where editing comes into play. Sometimes it’s easier to write down everything you know but then when you look back, you will find one sentence that stands out and that is the line to build a story or paragraph around.
7. Editors/Parents: Ask questions to get more out of your writer. A lot of what is lacking in any writing is depth. The writer is very clear in their head about setting up a scene but what is in the head does not always come out on paper. For example, our son saw a poster with a bass clarinet in his band class. He immediately knew he wanted to learn to play it. And that was the end of his desire. So, we (hubby and I) asked what was it about the instrument that made you want to play? Was it the color or size or sound? Describe it.
8. Read the essay out loud. You will catch mistakes as your brain slows down to read and your ears will hear the clunky sentences or grammatical errors. Almost finished with the essays! Circa 2015