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my essays got into every school i applied to, including yale, harvard, princeton, stanford, uc berkeley & more… and i’ve coached over 200+ students who have also gotten into their dream schools… & here’s the CRINGIEST THING you can do on your college app essays:

tell, not show.

we’ve all heard the phrase “show, not tell.” unfortunately in high school, we don’t get a ton of opportunities to practice this! instead, we’re often writing critical analysis-type essays rather than narrative driven essays. my students sometimes approach their college essays like the dreaded 5-paragraph essay: beginning paragraph w/ a thesis statement at the end, 3 body paragraphs, & a summary “in conclusion” essay.

the truth is... your college essays are not arguments, they are STORIES.

if you’ve never read creative non-fiction essays before or memoirs, I encourage you to read even just one chapter. you’ll be surprised at how much like fiction these read in the sense that they are filled with voice & “scenes”: including descriptions about their environment, the sensory deets, dialogue, etc. these writers are skilled at bringing us into specific moments in their lives, & when we read their writing, it’s like we’re there with them.

that’s the goal of your college essays: to transport us to specific moments in your life.

don’t tell me, show me. don’t tell me that you had the worst basketball game of your life. show me sweat dripping off the bridge of your nose, the excruciating pain in your ankle as you tumbled to the ground, the crowd going dead silent. don’t tell me you learned a great lesson about leadership & perseverance when your start-up failed. show me the numerous all-nighters you pulled & dozens of people you called to right your mistakes. don’t just fly-by the most important moments by offering a lame recap; zoom in on those scenes & transport us there.

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