College EssaysDo’s and Don’ts

Peterson’s Best College Admission Essays by Mark Alan Stewart & Cynthia C. Muchnick

Personal Relationships and Influences

DO• Favorite Teacher• Coach• Arch-Rival• Struggling Student at

School• Neighbor• Distant RelativeDON’T

• Immediate Family• Best Friend• Dog/Cat

Issues

DO• Individual Rights• Consumerism• Fairness/Justice• Free Trade• Internet Issues (privacy,

alienation, education)

DON’T

• Environment• World Peace• Prejudice/Discrimination• Drugs• Crime

Significant Events

DO• Ordinary field trip turned

unexpected adventure• Song, Poem, Novel that made

a deep impact• Unexpected gift from

unexpected source• An informal social situation

that you replay over and over• Teachers or authority figures

let their guard downDON’T• College Admission Process• Big Trip to Faraway Place• Wilderness Survival• Winning/Losing a Game• How Hard Work Pays Off• Most unforgettable experience

Personal Qualities

DO• Those little habits that

sometimes annoy others• A time you put your foot in

your mouth• An attachment to a

personal possession• Study habits you would

like to change• Your unusual awkwardness

in social situations

DON’T• List of your favorite things• Your determination and

tenacity• Your diversity

Theme and Content

DO• Convey a positive message• Strive for depth, not breadth• Convey your true and genuine thoughts/feelings• Write about something you feel strongly about• Write about what you know or have experienced

firsthand• Write about other people as well as about yourself

Theme and Content

DON’T• Try to sell yourself• Write an important or scholarly essay• Try to guess what the admission committee wants• Rehash what the reader already knows about you• Waste your essay to explain red flags in your application• Write anything that might embarrass the reader• Write an essay that reads like a newspaper• Even think about mentioning popular TV shows, movies,

musicians, or actors

Structure and Format

DO• KISS – Keep It Super Simple• Use logical, frequent paragraph breaks

DON’T• Limit yourself to the 5 paragraph essay format you learned

in English class• Use poetry unless it’s the only way to get your message

across• Use drawings unless you are a serious artist

Style and Tone

DON’T• Try too hard to be funny• Insult or offend• Whine, complain, or appear bitter, sarcastic, angry or

boastful• Come across as overly humble

Opening Sentences

DON’T• Introduce yourself to the admission committee—

“Hello, my name is….”• Ask the reader’s permission to tell him/her about yourself

“Please permit me to discuss my…”• Reiterate the topic or question or itemize the points you

will make in subsequent paragraphs“In this essay you will read about…”“I will discuss…”

Opening Sentences

DO start your essay with:• An enigmatic statement that makes the reader wonder to what or

to whom you are referring• An obscure quotation (avoid popular quotations)• A thoughtful question• A trivial observation that anyone can relate to but that nobody

else would ever think to mention• A paradox• A gross generalization• A confession• An overly obvious statement

Essay Endings

DO end your essay with:• Closure – a sense that you have come full circle• Final sentences to end any suspense and to answer any

question that you might have posed earlier• Short, forceful sentencesDON’T end your essay with:• Words like “finally,” “in sum,” or “in conclusion”• Repeat or sum up in any way• End your essay with a quotation

Final Guidelines

DO • Use analogies, but don’t overdo it• Incorporate dialogue into your essay• Mix up sentence length – have more short than long• Use an active voice instead of a passive voice(active) The applicant wrote an outstanding essay.(passive) A less-than-outstanding essay was written by the applicant.• Proofread and Revise• Use ample margins 1”-1 ¼” on all sides• Use high resolution laser printer• Use highly readable fonts and a font size of 11 or 12