The Problem with Being Un-Special

When I was faced with describing my “greatest accomplishment” in a college admissions essay, I was at a total loss. In inviting such a description, the committee had managed to pinpoint my greatest shortcoming. I was exposed as the bland, provincial, un-special person that any college would thumb its nose at: I hadn’t accomplished anything. I lived in the suburbs, in Connecticut. I hadn’t overcome discrimination based on my gender, sexual orientation, or race. The most exotic locale I’d traveled to had been Nova Scotia, a cold, mosquito-ridden province on the coast of Canada.

The problem was that when I pictured a “great accomplishment,” I literally pictured a mountain – the mountain from the logo for Paramount Pictures, snow-capped and triangular – and imagined that a person with real accomplishments would have already climbed it. This accomplished individual would see the mountain as something conquered, a standing tribute to his or her talent and determination, not to mention the unique and fascinating circumstances into which he or she had been born. I couldn’t come up with a single thing I’d done that could possibly compare to that. We didn’t have snow-capped peaks in Connecticut. And if we did, I certainly hadn’t gotten around to scaling any. I did well enough in school – was that an accomplishment anyone wanted to hear about? Sometimes, when a friend came to me with a problem, I was able to offer comfort and advice. Over time, those moments had grown in number – but could I count them together as one big triumph? Whatever they had accomplished, it wasn’t something you could measure.

After reading the question, I immediately felt jealous of people who’d suffered terrible hardships. What had I done to deserve so much happiness, so much stability right up through age 17? Troubled by this response, I reverted to feeling annoyed with the admissions committee. What did they expect from me, really? I was 17 years old. Of course I hadn’t accomplished anything! And they wanted to hear about my “greatest” accomplishment, as if I had more than one!

The funny thing is, I can’t even remember what I wrote. Maybe that means my answer was as bland as I’d feared. Or maybe it goes to show that no one’s mind is swimming with remembered accomplishments. Most of us don’t have the image of a looming mountain to refer to when pressed, to pull out and present as evidence of our worth, our  unique status. The admissions committee wasn’t expecting a story about a mountain. I needed to dig. Accomplishments are subjective: what they really wanted to know was what I valued, and how I applied my time and energy to it. Whether I’d achieved my goal wasn’t as important as how I’d gone about it. A good essay wouldn’t depend on the accomplishment I chose to write about; it would depend on how well I communicated what it meant to me. My task was to make a genuine mountain out of a molehill, and to help the committee see it that way.

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This article is an example of ways to choose a college admissions essay.

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In a recent article on the way standardized tests are graded, NY Times writer Todd Farley reveals that the people grading students’ essays don’t boast the credentials we might expect. The scores they assign are often influenced by emotions and circumstances.

No matter who ends up grading your admissions essay, there are certain qualities of good writing that every reader can appreciate, and it never hurts to include these in every essay you write. The reality is that all people, including editors who evaluate writing for a living, will find boring writing to be just that – boring. Writing that engages the reader, either because it’s humorous, insightful, dramatic, or lyrical, is far more likely to produce a favorable response, which may lead to a higher score.

Here are some guidelines for writing admissions essays that even “people off the street” will appreciate:

1)     Give your admissions essay a title. A good one.

Imagine, as Mr. Farley points out, that your reader has a whole stack of essays to  pore over, and it’s getting to be that time of day when his or her energy plummets. Choose a title that will rescue your reader from his or her afternoon slump. Don’t choose a title until you’ve finished writing the essay – how else will you know what it’s really about? Here’s a hint for coming up with your title: pick a word or phrase in the essay that expresses something essential about your topic. Or just pick a good word or phrase. Make that the title. Fiction writers do this all the time, and it can end up sounding mysterious and professional. It’s pleasurable for the reader to come across that phrase in the text. Suddenly, your title makes sense!

2)     Grab the reader with an interesting first line.

This is your “hook”: your chance to capture the reader’s interest and compel him or her to continue. If your essay begins with an anecdote, deliver us right into the action: “I was poised at the starting line, waiting for the gun to go off,” or “Andy handed me the news article that would change my eating habits forever.” Aside from starting a story with a bang, a good first line can include a confident statement. Consider using strong language, and avoid watering it down with a phrase such as “I believe.

3)     Section your admissions essay into multiple paragraphs, and begin each paragraph with a strong transitional sentence.

This sentence marks a slight change of focus – hence the new paragraph – while linking what is about to be said to what has been said already. Transitions give your essay a sense of continuity and wholeness.

4)     Know your strengths, and play to them.

If you’re funny, be funny. Obviously, the topic itself is something you should take seriously, but the occasional humorous line can lighten your tone and greatly improve the experience for your reader. If you aren’t funny, then be insightful or observant. Bring out the drama in a situation that is inherently dramatic. Most importantly, be you – at your best – so that your writing shines through any reader’s fatigue. Maybe you’ll get lucky and land someone alert. In that case, he or she will appreciate what you’ve done even more.

5)     Practice, practice, practice. The best way to improve as a writer is to write, and other people’s input can take your admissions essay to the next level. Top Test Prep offers admissions essay critiques and editing.

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