Don’ts of the College Essay

Do not write about social, religious, or political lectures (no one likes to be lectured). If presenting a controversial topic, acknowledge and discuss other perspectives seriously and respectfully. Also, make sure to describe why this perspective is right for YOU – but not necessarily for everyone else. “Woe is me” (topics that elicit pity rather than respect) Your heroism (okay to talk about a heroic deed, but be sure to maintain humility) The travel journal The comedy routine and other gimmicks Your list of accomplishments (reiterating your resume or things mentioned elsewhere) Write too much, ramble on, thinking that more (words) is better. It is not. Brag, boast, toot your own horn, or come across as arrogant. Go off writing about what you want to say rather than what the question asks AND ignore the specified character/word counts. Stick with the prompt and your thesis! Come across as immature, negative, superficial, shallow, a phony, glib, a slacker, insecure, whiney, judgmental or disrespectful. Don’t’ give the impression that you know little about a college by writing trite, inaccurate or inconsequential things about a college or university. Don’t make something up about yourself just to impress the admissions readers. Don’t make excuses for anything, including a bad grade, an infringement of rules, a suspension, whatever. Excuses for poor grades, a bad semester, or lack of activities. Don’t use your essay to praise the college you’re applying to or criticize other schools, including your high school. Avoid clichés, such as “…as American as apple pie.” Don’t leave us hanging. Make sure there are no ideas introduced without being fully discussed. Don’t write what you think college admissions people want instead of what you really think.

Finally, don’t forget: PROOFREAD YOUR ESSAY Finally, don’t forget: PROOFREAD YOUR ESSAY! Don’t write an essay and consider it done without looking for punctuation or grammatical errors and having your paper edited by at least one person. Underline your thesis and indicate it is a thesis. Avoid being wordy, overblown or flowery. Stay away from colloquial, folksy or overly informal words such as “very,” “a lot,” “cool,” “awesome,” “it,” “things” and “nice.” Avoid using the same words over (and over and over) again, e.g., my friend, my friend, my friend, my friend, my friend. Do not start sentences with “And” or “There.” Delete all “you,” “your,” and “you are.” – Sounds likes you’re lecturing the reader. No exclamation marks !!!!!!!!!!!