Tips for the college essay
From the Pros
From Mary Beth Stephens, MBS College Coaching LLC: Write your story. Don’t let anyone else write it for you. It’s your voice. It’s the only time the admissions office gets to hear from you. Don’t write it as if your proving a point. This is unlike any essay you’ve ever written in high school. It’s about you, not your grandmother, not your teacher, not the mission trip.
From Springfield Academic A personal statement is about you, not about a person you admire. If you are applying to a highly-selective college, your essays will need to go above and beyond. Check out Essays that Worked, a site containing strong essays from the Class of 2023 at Johns Hopkins University. Get started on your essays the summer before your senior year.
From Scott E. Queener, Ph.D., Director, Student Success, Lincoln Land Community College: Be sure to give the essay a lot of thought. Think about where you want to be after college and then write about how that particular college or program can help you get you there.
From the Moms
From Denise Beauman: Prepare your general essay have it reviewed by a trusted teacher for improvements and then use that same essay for all scholarship applications. Change the essay as needed per the scholarship requirements of info. Our student didn’t do a different essay for each scholarship she just changed it as needed.
From Julie Kaiser: Be yourself and don’t let your parents write it.
From Lisa Whelpley: My son used MBS College Coaching, which was a fantastic experience. We didn’t have to have battles about him finishing the essay. We didn’t edit it or ask to edit it. In fact, we didn’t even see his essay until it was ready to submit. This ensured that it was our son’s voice. And, it kept him accountable to someone who was not family, which helped him keep deadlines so that he was done with the essay. When applications opened up on July 1, he was ready to apply!
