Hey guys!
I'm Greg, coming at you from Beijing, and today we're going to discuss the Common Application
college essay.
The admissions essay is possibly the most difficult and most stressful part of the college
admissions process, and for good reason.
Your standardized test scores and GPA give you a direct way to compare yourself to other
applicants.
It's simple; if your score is higher than the school's average, then you're probably
good to go.
Even when it comes to extracurriculars, you know how much you're doing outside of school,
and you can compare it to other students on a relatively objective scale.
But the college essay?
There seems to be no objective way to grade that.
The common app throws a few super general prompts at you, gives you no guidance except
for a maximum word count, and then expects you to write some tear-jerking, award-winning
piece about your sad, uneventful life.
Today, I'm going to teach you how to write an essay that will make every college admissions
officer who reads it fight to have you accepted.
It's time to separate the good essay from the great essay, because if you're applying
to really great schools, 'good' just isn't good enough.
Now, I want to let you in on a little secret.
It's a rule that every successful college admissions essay follows.
It seems really simple, but it's so easy to lose sight of for a number of reasons.
The goal of the common app essay isn't to show how creative you are, or how different
you are from every other high school kid.
The admissions essay is part of the college admissions process because the college wants
to get a chance to know about YOU, YOUR values, YOUR stories, and YOUR experiences.
It might seem pretty simple, but in reality, 90% of these common app essays are about some
inspirational family member or some generic setback that everybody faces.
I hate to say it, but 99% of these essays get thrown out 30 seconds after the admissions
officer starts reading them, because they're so cliche, and admissions officers have way
too many essays to get through to read through that crap.
I know what you're probably thinking: my story isn't special, I'm just a high school kid!
If the admissions officer doesn't pity me because of my torn ACL, or admire my uncle
who was a Vietnam vet, my essay will turn out boring, because there's a million kids
that do mock trial, and even more that do volunteer work.
Well yes, you're right.
A lot of people do Mock Trial and volunteer work.
But not everyone will be able to say that they started doing these things after discovering
their passion for helping others, which was sparked when a complete stranger helped you
carry your bags through the airport that one time you travelled alone.
Now, that's an example of turning two pretty cliche ideas into something that's cohesive,
has meaning, and is just a powerful essay.
Let me explain.
Based on my experience, a fantastic college essay spends 150 words describing some significant
experience, person, object, thing, conversation, dog, it could be really anything, but it has
to be really specific.
Now, how do you choose this thing to describe?
Well, think back on your life, and think of some person or event or object that has been
really meaningful to you and allowed you to maybe start thinking in a different way, or
allowed you to join a few new clubs, or really got you interested in what you want to study
now.
By the way, the simpler this event or object, the better.
Admissions officers have lots of essays to get through, so you want to make sure that
anyone who's reading this for the first time will be able to get it like *snap* that.
It doesn't matter if this story or event is pretty common and happens to a lot of people,
all that matters is that you're able to tie this event to the things that you do, the
person that you are today.
When you do this, you show the admissions officer several things.
First, by starting with a specific story, you're giving the admissions officer a slice
of your life.
They definitely prefer very specific stories to broad overviews.
Next, you want to describe how this event or story started to change your perspective,
and maybe allowed you to start doing some new things.
You want to make sure to show the admissions officer your thought process.
I would personally say the best way to do this, is find something that relates to the
things you really love in school, your passions.
That way, colleges will be able to see that you're really a diligent student who does
extracurricular activities for a reason, not just to impress colleges.
If you want more information on how to group your extracurricular activities into more
broad passions, I recommend that you check out my "How To Get Into an Ivy League" video.
I'll link it right here.
Now, this is just one type of essay you can write to impress colleges.
Some people I've talked to at Princeton, didn't follow this roadmap at all.
But whatever essay you choose to write, or you're writing about now, the most important
thing to remember is that it's all about you.
Do not just describe some really important person in your life, because their achievements
are impressive or because they had a really sad story.
If, by the end of reading your essay, the admissions officer doesn't feel like they
really got to know you, then don't expect them to be that excited about your application!
Another important point I have to bring up is writing style.
Please, when you're writing your essay, don't have thesaurus.com opened up on another tab,
replacing every important with a 'ponderous' and every happy with an 'exultant.'
A lot of people think that putting fancy words into their essay, just for the sake of being
fancy, will impress colleges.
But, this logic is flawed for two reasons.
First college admissions officers see right through this.
Their vocabulary is probably a lot larger than yours, and they know when words don't
really quite fit right.
Second, as I've mentioned before, the college admissions essay is not a test of your writing
ability.
Colleges can look at your English grades and your SAT Writing score for that.
It is, however, super important that you're clear and coherent throughout your essay,
so that after skimming your essay one time, someone can already get the gist of what you're
saying.
Because in reality, that's what admissions officers are doing.
They spend probably 2-3 minutes on each essay.
Too many college essays struggle with structure, finding captivating hooks, and end up having
lack of direction.
How do we fix these issues?
Well, that's where our sponsor, Crimson Education, comes in.
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While Crimson offers a range of services for college applicants, I'm going to focus on
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For the essay process, they pair you with an expert that will help you find out the
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This is an exact simulation of an Ivy League admissions table, complete with ex-Ivy League
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At the round table, the team will grade your essay in rounds, mark it up, grade it, give
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Use the link in the description to get a free consultation from an Ivy League Admissions
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It's super easy, free, and helpful, I really recommend you check it out.
Plus, if you do so, you will be supporting my channel, which I do greatly appreciate.
You can also go to your school's guidance counselors, your parents, or people that you
REALLY trust for help.
The Internet may seem like a great place to get some help, but heed this advice.
NEVER post your essay online, or send it to some stranger that says they're going to give
you some "suggestions."
If you do this, you're running the risk of having other people copy your essay.
Now, that is a great way of decreasing your chances of getting into your dream school.
Even though the common app essay is really stressful, if you follow the guidelines that
Iaid out today, it can't hurt you.
Also, remember to start writing early, because if you wait until you're applying to all these
colleges, your time will start to disappear.
If you want me to post more videos, please give this video a like and a subscribe.
You guys don't know how much it encourages me when a video gets a ton of views, a ton
of likes, a ton of subscribes, it makes me feel really good, and makes me more willing
to put out more free information like this for you guys.
Alright, enjoy the rest of your summer!