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Essay Studio
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What admissions readers love, what makes them groan, and how to make your student's essays stand out.
Admissions officers read 20-50 essays a day during peak season. These topics and approaches trigger an instant eye-roll. Not because they are bad topics, but because they have been done thousands of times in exactly the same way.
"I tore my ACL and learned to never give up." Unless the injury fundamentally changed the trajectory of your life in a way that goes beyond "I learned resilience," skip it. Admissions has read this essay 10,000 times.
"I went to [developing country] and realized how lucky I am." This reads as privilege tourism. If the experience truly changed something, write about what you DID afterward, not what you felt during.
"Being on the soccer team taught me teamwork." Obviously. What specific moment on that team changed how you think? That is the essay. The lesson itself is too generic.
"I had to balance homework with my extracurriculars." That is called being a student. Admissions is looking for genuine adversity or genuine insight, not a description of normal life.
Using obscure vocabulary to sound smart. It backfires every time. Admissions readers value clarity over complexity. If a simpler word works better, use it.
A chronological listing of accomplishments with no personal insight. The application already has an activities section. The essay is about who you are, not what you did.
An essay with no vulnerability, no failure, no rough edges. Admissions wants real people, not robots. Perfection is boring and unbelievable.
Opening with someone else's words is a lazy way to begin YOUR story. Just... don't.
"According to Merriam-Webster, perseverance means..." This is the single most hated opening in admissions. It signals zero creativity.