Being a senior comes with many stressors. Facing the reality of what it means to be an adult, to exist as your own individual in the real world can be a really big change from the comfort of the bubbles we’ve been in during adolescence. Making decisions and not knowing if they’re right or wrong for us raises so much uncertainty, and this can weigh heavily on opportunities we decide not to take. Having key pieces of advice to apply to when faced with formulating your personal college essays can make or break your acceptance into university, and increase your levels of confidence as well.
One of the major things to know while you’re deciding whether or not college even is a path for you is to consider when is a good time to start drafting out your essays. Junior year can be heavy and hectic, after all it is considered the hardest year of high school. But taking the time to look over the essay questions on UC admissions website as well as your personal statement essays can help you to succeed in your future endevours while being a senior. Waiting until the last minute to formulate your essays can be extremly stressful! Personally, I find myself to be very nitpicky and often a perfectionist when it comes to writing about myself, so I’m glad I started brainstorming early on about the experiences I’ve had and how they can fit into each UC essay statement.
Another piece of advice offered by Mr. Snedden, our AP Literature teacher, is to get 10 sets of eyeballs. What he means by this is that you shouldn’t shy away from offering your work to teachers, mentors, counselors, parents, and even peers who can offer criticism or let you know what they think about your writing. Their opinions and viewpoints can be very crucial to letting you know what should be modified, what should or shouldn’t stay, what you should elaborate on or minimize writing about, and overall how your essay comes off as from a single read through.
Make it about you, unique to yourself! Nobody else has the same exact experiences as you, there is no one that can say they’ve endured and overcome the exact same things you have. More importantly, only YOU can determine how they have impacted you as well as the ways in which you’ve grown from each experience. Authenticity and vulnerability can go a long way in these essays, and you’ll find that being raw and real in what you’re sharing makes it a lot easier to narrow down what you need the reader to know.
Branching off from the last piece of advice, don’t write what you think a college essay reader would want to hear. There is no right or wrong way of writing when it comes to these essays, at least in that sense. It’s important to showcase your authenticity through your writing, it comes down to your ability to be introspective and reflect on who you are as a person and what it has taken for you to get there. The college admission team wants to know that you’re someone who can persevere through hardship and dedicate to attending their school, and that you are a person of character who they want on campus. They want to see authenticity through your writing. Write from the heart, not from a scope of pleasing other people in what you believe they want to hear from you.
Finally, make sure you have healthy outlets to release your stress, because there will be plenty when it comes time to submit everything needed. Find a quiet and peaceful environment that allows you to relax and breathe. Whether that space is a coffee shop, a quiet classroom, a park somewhere nearby, or a wellness center. Be sure to take care of yourself, nourhsing your body with meals to keep your brain functioning and getting enough hours of sleep to maximize productivity during the day.
