There are many ways to write a college admissions essay, and students' approaches range from the meticulous (pre-writing, outlining, and then writing) to the more free form. While we have offered advice on how to write the admissions essay, giving you advice on what to do is only part of the story. Here are some things that you should avoid when writing your college admissions essay (or any essay for that matter):

1. Writing Too Much: After several years of having no word limits for the main essay, the Common Application has gone back to the 500 word maximum. This word limit might seem like a dare to more verbose writers, but it is a limitation that you should respect for several reasons. Rather than looking at it as an imposition or dare, you can view it as a challenge. As Shakespeare wrote, "Brevity is the soul of wit." While writing concisely can be difficult, it is almost always clearer and more compelling for the reader.

The more practical reason for not writing pages and pages is that going over the word limit almost guarantees that the admissions officers will not read your essay thoughtfully. Since many of them read dozens (if not hundreds) of essays each admissions season, being brief can help them approach your essay without trepidation and remember it fondly when they are done (rather than remembering it as a 1,000 word behemoth that they had to read at the end of a long, dark day in January).

2. Picking a Topic Only Because You Think It is What the Admissions Officers Want to Hear: This might be the most tempting trap of all of the ones listed here. When it comes to selecting a topic, some students immediately think about their activities list and try to decide which activity or project would seem the most impressive to the admissions deans. While it isn't necessarily bad to write about a topic like community service, problems arise when you are writing merely to impress rather than writing about service because it is genuinely important to you and a significant focus in your activities and your life.

This ploy can backfire because it can be obvious to the readers that you are writing what you think they want to hear. Also, selecting a topic for this sole reason can lead you to writer's block, since you might not have an intriguing story or unique angle to use in your writing.

A way to avoid this is to think about a possible topic and ask yourself, "Why do I want to write about this?" If your only answer is, "It sounds like a topic that is important," then perhaps you should consider your other options.

3. Making Up Events or Exaggerating the Truth: This problem often goes hand-in-hand with pitfall number three. Students who pick a topic for the sole purpose of looking good to admissions often find that they have a hard time writing anything interesting about the topic, and they resort to making up important details or exaggerating the events. At first, this seems like a very simple undertaking. A few keystrokes, and "volunteering at a daycare center" can become the seemingly more impressive "running a daycare center for underprivileged children."

However, this presents several issues. Besides the fact that most admissions officers are savvy to this trick, there is also the issue of your integrity. Dean Sarratt at Vanderbilt University once told her students, "Today, I am going to give you two examinations, one in trigonometry and one in honesty. I hope you will pass them both, but if you must fail one, let it be trigonometry." Yes, college is important, and getting into a college of your choice might seem vital. However, it is not worth compromising your character.

4. Telling the Reader Things that You Could Be Showing: "Show, don't tell" is the English teacher's mantra for good reason, but many people have a difficult time mastering this important skill. Essentially, the idea is a variation on the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Rather than telling readers what they should be getting from your essay, you need to relate specific anecdotes that illustrate your main point. For instance, compare simply stating "I was so bored on bed rest that I thought I would go crazy" with:  

I sped through the entire series of The Office three times. My cell phone Sudoku record shrunk down to 1:29. I wrote a song about Arnold Palmer, the golfer. I wrote a song about Arnold Palmer, the drink. By July, I had run out of useless things to do and decided that if I was going to be stuck in bed for the summer, I would use this time to try some things that I had always wanted to try, but never had time to do.

The Power of Words

We are pleased to announce that Stephen Gibson of InScholar will be offering graduate school advising in our Brookline offices each week. He guides college graduates to finding a "best fit" graduate school and discusses how career management is an integral part of advanced study.

Previously, Steve spent nearly 30 years as the associate director of the graduate school of engineering at Northeastern University where he also was charged with recruiting and admissions. In this capacity, he visited students and administrators at universities nationwide. Steve earned a master of science in information systems and a bachelor of science in anthropology and sociology from Northeastern University. He is a charter member of the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professional Association where he has presented papers at the national conference. He is an applicant to the Independent Educational Consultant's Association. Steve can be reached at 978-408-6148 or by email at info@inscholar.com.  

Summer is the time that final report cards have arrived and students have time to reflect on the school year. Some parents may have known that there were some issues and that some changes needed to be made, but they did not know how to proceed. Could a boarding school experience be the answer? What can a boarding school provide?

It can provide a fresh start.

Students are often with the same peer group for eight or nine years and in that time a lot happens. A history and sometimes a reputation can follow them. This is especially true in middle school, when the teenage growth spurt hits. Some may find that they have outgrown their peers on various levels.

Boarding school provides a new environment where the student body interacts and makes friends across grade lines. If a school is well known for a particular strength, such as the arts, athletics, ecology or some other area of interest, there will be others attending with whom the student can easily relate.

It can provide more structure.

Boarding schools run on schedules from morning to night. There are set times to get up, to eat, to attend class, to play sports, to study at night and to relax. One of my students had a difficult time getting up for school when he was at home. At his new school, he rises at 5:30 AM so that he is the first in the barn to collect the chicken eggs, check on the baby goats and feed the horses. By discovering an activity he enjoys he has become more responsible about commitments and has learned to manage his time more effectively.

Routines that are hard to maintain at home are a way of life at boarding school. Meals are served at the same time, everyone has sports after classes are over, and study hall happens every week night. Structure becomes the norm.

It encourages greater independence.

Boarding schools are known as Independent Schools and this applies to the students as well. Prior to coming to a boarding school, parents are solely responsible for the care and guidance of their children. Once they are in boarding school, greater responsibility is put on the students. While they have the support of school faculty and administrators, they learn to make choices for themselves and if they make a bad decision, suffer the consequence of their action and learn from it. When a parent "fixes" something for his or her child, the child loses an opportunity to grow and learn. It is harder for some than others but that ownership can be the first step toward real independence and adulthood.

Many very good boarding schools still have some availability. Often the admissions office will hold open a few places past their usual deadlines to accommodate an appropriate student whose family just hadn't considered it an option until now.

For more information, please contact Tory Dodge at tory@schoolstoknow.com or www.schoolstoknow.com.  

For rising seniors, now is the time to start thinking about writing the college essay. Our essay writing workshop will help students get a jump start on the process. At the end of the workshop, students will leave with a solid first draft of a compelling personal statement to use during the college admissions process.

Each workshop offers two experienced writing teachers for 6 students. Fee: $325. A meal will be provided. 

Please click on the appropriate link below to RSVP to the workshop date of your choice. Space is limited, so register today. The first four registrants will get an additional 1/2 hour essay review via email following the workshop!

Tuesday, July 19 from 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Sunday, August 14 from 10:00 am - 1:30 pm