How Do You Know When Your College Essay is Finished?
I spoke with a prospective student the other night who asked me a question that no other student had asked: How do you know when you’re done with your college essay?
He also expressed that he had been hearing wildly different opinions from his peers as to how long it takes to write the Common App personal statement – from two hours to 100. (I told him it would definitely take longer than two hours, because writing is a process, this piece of writing in particular matters, and he should expect multiple revisions. But 100 hours? Yikes!)
So, how do you know when you’re done?
Writers will half-jokingly (only half!) tell you “never.” I look back at my old work – words and paragraphs I’ve labored over and revised numerous times – and I still see tweaks I’d make now if I could. But at some point, we have to say “good enough is good enough.” And that is certainly true of college essays.
Soooo … done? When?? Here is my checklist:
Is it something only you could write? Your essay could be gorgeous writing with profound truths, but if another student could just as easily put their name on it, and it would work, then you’ve written a statement, but not a personal one.
Can your essay be summed up in a sentence? It’s hard to capture the truth of your life in 650 words, which can sometimes lead to a piece of writing that feels like it meanders, or says a whole lot of nothing. To avoid this pitfall, ask someone to read your essay and state in their own words what it’s about. Why is this important? Because that’s what admissions officers will be doing when they gather in committee to review your application. And if they can’t sum up your essay quickly and easily, they will have a much harder time advocating for you. Here are examples of how I’d describe a few of my former students’ topics (with their permission to share):
“This is the kid who’s totally fascinated with cemeteries.”
“This is the kid who’s obsessed with animals and pooped in the woods at the same time as a bear.”
“This is the kid whose life changed when they did the ugly dance.”
“This is the kid who has a giant trophy in their room from when their team won a huge tournament. And they hate it.”
Does your essay speak to the “why” and not just the “what” of your experience? In other words, does it show some sort of growth or realization or desire or curiosity? Using the above topic examples, here’s why the students wrote what they did:
They feel that exploring history and poring over relics gives life to someone long past. And they, too, want to be remembered and cause wonderment after they are gone.
Studying animals teaches us how to be better humans, so they want to pursue a career that will allow them to continue to learn from, and protect, the animal kingdom.
Letting go of the pressure to be perfect allowed this student to really live in the moment, and showed them how to more fully embrace the future.
As captain of their sports team, this student has worked hard to build a strong sense of community, which is more important than any win. And thus, the trophy belongs to every player.
Does your essay convey a handful of positive character attributes? I wrote about this in a previous blog post, but in short, does your essay show – without you having to say it out loud – some good qualities (such as empathy, curiosity, persistence, and honesty)? After reading your essay, would someone think you’d be fun to sit next to in the dining hall? Or kind to the kid on your dorm floor who seems lonely? Or that you’d ask really interesting questions in a seminar?
Is it grammatically correct? Obviously this is super important. But I advise making sure the above four points are covered first. Technical editing comes after the big ideas make their way onto the page.
Is it under 650 words? If not, check out this blog post I wrote about how to cut down extra words.
Have you read it out loud? This is the very last thing I do with my students, when they think their essay is DONE done. Why? Sometimes you can hear little hiccups that you don’t see. (Especially when you’ve been editing and revising something over and over and over.) Also, it feels celebratory!
If you’ve got seven “yeses,” then you’ve got a finished essay. Congrats!!