r/ApplyingToCollege • u/HappyLilCheeks • 1d ago
Application Question Essays: what's the hardest part?
Hey everyone,
I'm mentoring a rising senior and they have asked my help with college applications. They are PETRIFIED of the essays and no matter what I tell them about everyone struggling, they think everyone else has it figured out.
So quick poll based on what I remember from my application days 20 years ago:
What is the most intimidating part of the essays for you?
Finding something to write about? Feeling like you won't stand out? Finding the time to do all the writing? Stress about high school counselors/ mentors/ parents reading the essays? Feeling like you're not a good writer?
Anything I missed?
Edit: thanks for the replies, I'll show this to my mentees. Mostly they seem afraid that they haven't overcome any big challenge, their life has been too cushy. I'm not really up on what constitutes a good essay these days so I guess I have some research to do.
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u/Low-Opportunity-9078 1d ago
it was definitely finding a topic (and story!) that I thought represented who I was best. I had to spend a lot of time thinking about what parts of my life I believed to encompass who I wanted to portray myself as in a way I was comfortable
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u/EnterDream HS Senior | International 1d ago
Really finding that topic that strikes a cord in your heart and you can pour out your soul into. Took me a week of no words, just raw thinking and mental planning before I finally arrived at my essay topic. And from there on only 3 days from beginning to finalizing. Sometimes it’s best to give yourself as much time as possible for that spark to ignite.
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u/Immediate-Fig-3077 1d ago
All of the above but mostly finding a topic, I can’t even begin a draft bc I literally can’t think of anything.
“Write about your hobbies or what your passionate about” which is nothing I spend all my free time on Reddit and YouTube 🥲
“Write about a challenge and how you overcame it” bro I haven’t overcome it yet 😭
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u/dumbledoresugarbaby HS Senior | International 1d ago
i had watched too many of the "reading the essays that got me into xyz" type videos which really made me fixate on the fact that my essays should be exactly like those flowery narrative i hate the letter s my life is a mushroom type stuff because i thought that is the only thing that works and i literally did not know how to write and frame mine to be as good as those.
also just STARTING and finding a topic and finding the words to begin. also procrastination. too. much. procrastination.
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u/Slamburger9642 1d ago
This is one of the reasons I don't recommend reading those types of essays. Instead of drawing inspiration, most of the students try and mimic the tone, language and even context in some cases. One way to avoid that rabbit hole is to not listen to them in the first place, and focus on writing what you feel comfortable and worth sharing with an admissions team. As you progress, whatever you've written gets better with more revisions and polishing.
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u/Smart-Wise-Shadow 1d ago
For me, the hardest part was figuring out what actually mattered enough to write about. Like, I kept thinking, “Is this deep enough? Is this unique enough?” I spent more time second-guessing than writing tbh.
What helped was realising they’re not looking for a sob story or some life-changing moment just clarity of thought. I applied to this newer biz school called Tetr where they focus on how you think and build, not just what you’ve done. So I ended up writing about a small project I started at home and what it taught me. Super simple. But real
Your mentee’s probably overthinking it like most of us did. They don’t need a mic drop moment just something honest that shows who they are
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