What should I be looking for in my child's college application essay?

Question

I'm looking to be as supportive and as objective as possible - so what should I be looking for when he's creating his personal essay(s) as a part of his upcoming college applications?

Answer 1

Just make sure it relates to core characteristics that are relevant to the information the college needs about the type of person he is.

Colleges don't need "so, this is what I do with my free time" type of stuff. They don't need "This is how busy I keep myself, look at all my activities." They need "this is a unique aspect of myself that has inspired me to...." They need "these areas/thoughts/ideas are fascinating to me."

Anything involving a true struggle or epiphany or otherwise very important moment or period is important. Having one's own hobbies and beliefs is important to the applicant, but not to the admissions committee. HOW one's hobbies and beliefs have contributed to one's vision of his or her future is what they need to see.

Finally, be sure that the essay itself is in fact written in essay format. Introduction with a central theme (thesis), a body that supports the theme/thesis, and a conclusion.

Answer 2

Be careful about being overinvolved. You probably want to make sure that he has read the prompt properly up front and ask about what he intends to write, so that if it is off-base you can gently coax him into rethinking it. Remind him to spell-check. But schools are becoming very concerned about the authenticity of student applications these days, and it is very apparent to most admissions officers when the parent was too heavy-handed. They want to hear the student's voice, not that of the parent. I know you want the best for your child, and are trying to be as helpful as possible, but probably the best thing you can do for him is to back off a bit.