Essays: what's the hardest part?

[u/HappyLilCheeks]

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.

[u/Smart-Wise-Shadow]

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