Image courtesy of NDLA.
Julie Williams, a retired history teacher at Hillview Middle School, now coaches high school students on college essay writing. For ten years, Williams volunteered as an interviewer for Yale graduate students and discovered what many interviewees and applicants lack: authenticity.
“I noticed that the most successful applicants were not necessarily those with the highest grades. What made the difference in college admissions was whether these people presented themselves as authentic, reflective people who were ready for the challenges of college life,” Williams said.
Below are Williams’ three key pointers to help students prepare for this year’s college year, inspired by the common “mistakes” she’s noticed as an essay coach:
The comparison channel is “that mean-spirited show that tells you you’ll never be as good as the hotshot whatever,” Williams said. The comparison channel is a quick way to lose confidence in your personal story. Instead of scrolling through social media and comparing your accomplishments to others, “tune your channel to your own life and write your essay from there.”
Although reading other people’s essays can be inspiring, you shouldn’t use that purpose as a blueprint for your essay. Your words reflect both your voice and your story, so it’s important not to let other writers influence your style.
The premise of a good college essay is not to use a large vocabulary, but to create a narrative. “Be patient with yourself, but also pay attention to the form: You are not proving a thesis. You are writing a factual narrative about an aspect of your life and reflecting on what you have learned,” Williams said.
The best way to achieve a naturally written narrative is to create a timeline of your accomplishments and write your essay as if there were no prompt. As you freewrite, recall the experiences you think about most: This is your brain’s way of telling you what matters most to you.
“The best essays tell an original, honest story, use an authentic tone and strategic details that leave a lasting impression of the development of a thoughtful, reflective young person,” Williams said.
One of the most powerful essays Williams has read during her career is a story about her student’s relationship with her father before he died of brain cancer. It centers on a Tolkien book he bought her and how she read it when she missed him. “The essay was tender, real and compelling,” Williams said.
The goal of an authentic essay is to capture experiences outside the classroom and highlight what the report card can’t show. “You don’t have to be the class president. You have to be authentic,” Williams said.
Williams can be reached at [email protected].
