Summary of online interview with Kim Lifton, President of WOW Writing Workshop
The following is a summary of an interview with Kim Lifton from WOW Writing Workshop entitled, “How to Write a College Essay That Will Get You Noticed”. I absolutely agree with the invaluable information she imparts, and I use a similar approach to help students tell a great story that shows admissions officers who they are and what they will bring to campus through the values and traits important to them. This is a full 45 minutes, so many people won’t want to sit through it.
What exactly is the personal essay?
The essay is about reflection and growth through an experience and NOT about the experience itself.
Admission officers want an essay that helps them make a decision to admit a student.
They want an essay that will round out an application but not repeat it.
The essay should illustrate that a student can write well, but it DOES NOT and have to be a piece that would be published in the New York Times or on the level of Shakespeare.
It should demonstrate how a student thinks.
It should show who the student is beyond grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc.
Students should ask themselves, “What do I want colleges to know about me?”. Then they should answer that question.
How to approach the essay in general
Look at it as a gift and not a burden - this is a great opportunity for the student to tell their own story. It is one of the only places that the student has complete control of an application section.
Students are very used to approaching an English class essay - a structured 5 paragraph essay after reading a piece of written material.
The college personal essay has NO structure requirements, and admissions officers look for totally different aspects than an English teacher. (I want to stress my deep admiration for English teachers and all that they do.)
This essay is about something the student has learned about him/herself WHILE having some experience. It is NOT about the experience itself.
This essay should show personal reflection (on the level of a teenager) and show something unique to the admissions officers.
It DOES NOT have to be a deep learning or extreme experience. Sometimes the more mundane topics have the most impact.
How to approach more specifically
Step 1 is to determine what values or traits are important to the student (When I work with my students, I send a list of values for them use as a starting point. Most high school students have no idea what a “personal value” is at the beginning of the process.)
Brainstorming to find a topic is the next step (My approach is to give a myriad of open ended questions to students and see if anything applies to the student. I talk to the student about how potential answers can morph into an essay that shows the values/traits the student has already identified. Interestingly, we usually find 2+ areas that can be combined in a way to create an amazing and unique essay.)
ANSWER THE PROMPT - incredibly important!!
Remember that there is no “right” way to write this essay.
How parents can help the most
Help at the beginning of the process - help with brainstorming activities.
Don’t tell them what to write even if you think it was a learning experience - it has to actually mean something to the student.
Do not have a lot of “guest editors”. The more adults that have an opinion (and don’t know what admissions might be looking for) the higher chance the “voice” of the student will be lost. (I cannot stress this enough as I have seen it a lot. Everyone is well meaning, but it isn’t their story nor do they normally know what admissions are looking for in a personal essay.)
An essay that is too perfect is a red flag for admissions. They know what high school senior writing should sound like. Kim mentions that admissions officers from Duke and Johns Hopkins have specifically told her that they want to hear more of a 17 year old “voice” in essays. Essays like this make them excited.
Trust them and support them in this journey. This is THEIR essay not the parent’s essay.
Please watch the video if you want to get the whole story. It is full of great information. The Common Application essay prompts should be coming out soon. I will post an update when they are available for the 2021-2022 application cycle.