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When it comes to writing college admissions essays, some students know exactly what they want to write about. Others have zero clue. The good news is that admissions essays tend to be relatively open-ended, giving students the freedom to write about almost anything they choose. As such, it is important to start with plenty of material. Your first idea may be a good one, but considering how robust the human experience is, you probably have a treasure trove of ideas brimming beneath the surface waiting to be uncovered. So how do you go about discovering this potential gold mine? Today’s post contains a handful of pre-writing exercises to help you brainstorm and effortlessly launch into your college admissions essays.
TIMED FREE-WRITING ⏱️
If there’s one thing college admissions officers are looking for, it is your authentic voice. Think about it. No one else can lay claim to your voice; it is uniquely and definitively your own. And yet many students have no idea how to write in their own voice. Well my recommendation is to engage in timed free-writing. As its name suggests, free-writing is writing without any limits or constraints. Think of it as posting on social media without any filters. Scary, huh? It’s a powerful technique because it can reveal your true feelings and beliefs (of course, you can always add a filter later). So here are the steps:
Find a location to write where you will not be interrupted
Set a timer for a minimum amount of time (at least 5–10 minutes)
Take a deep breath, begin the timer and WRITE
Don’t monitor/edit/erase anything that comes out on the page/computer screen
Once time is up, reread what you wrote and highlight anything significantly YOU
If you’re having trouble coming up with something, use the following phrase to prompt your thinking: “If you really knew me, you’d know…” and add facts about yourself. If you are truly writing freely, your unique voice will come through. You may be surprised with what comes up, but understand that this is how you sound when you are relaxed and natural. It’s probably similar to how you sound when you’re around people who make you feel completely at ease. Use this voice when you begin writing your college essays.
OBJECTIVE CORRELATIVE EXERCISE
An objective correlative is an object that serves a symbolic meaning in a story. In our lives, we come into contact with any number of objects, some with little meaning and others with much significance. However, how often do you stop to reflect on the value of these objects in your life? This is a wonderful exercises to do at home since many of our most treasured possessions are in our homes. To begin with, I want you to take a look around your home and take an inventory of the items that have some significance to you. The first items students tend to think of are usually their phone or their computer. However, I want you to go beyond and consider less common possessions. Are there any items given to you by a relative that have special meaning? Anything that you’ve found or earned or won (or lost)? What are the top three objects you would grab if you had to immediately abandon your home due to a disaster? Make a list of at least ten items and then jot down the stories behind these objects. Take a trip down memory lane and recall the anecdotes associated with them. Use the five senses to remember specific details that take you back to the moment. That level of detail can work wonders in a college essay. Once you have your objects and their associated anecdotes, one or more of these could serve as a focal point for your personal statement.
VALUES. OPINIONS. SKILLS.
With a quick Google search, you can find a list of values, opinions and skills. Write down a personal list for each category. Reflect on how these were formed or shaped over the course of your life. What did you undergo to develop those values? Why do you hold this particular opinion? Where did you learn that specific skill? There is a story behind all of them. These values, opinions and skills will be at the core of who you are and what you want to do in life, so make sure they are rooted in actual experiences. You can then translate those experiences into compelling anecdotes that reveal your inner qualities.
ASK OTHERS FOR MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES
Asking others for guidance in the college admissions process can be tricky since it is a highly personal experience. While only you can be the authority on you, family and friends can often lend helpful insight as well. You’d be surprised at the stories others can recall that you may have tucked away in your memory. And for good reason! Perhaps those stories are embarrassing or maybe you don’t want to toot your own horn too much. Either way, you should consider asking trusted friends and family to share some of their memorable experiences of you. Keep a list of these anecdotes and review them to see if there are any common threads. You may just discover a theme for a college essay.
Whew!
That’s quite a bit of pre-writing, and we haven’t even started the essays yet. However, this level of advance work will make the actual essay writing go much more smoothly. You will have established the proper mindset to tackle the unique challenges of college admissions essays. You will have also tapped into your authentic writing voice, which will serve as your most powerful tool throughout this process.
So … what are you waiting for? Time is ticking. Begin these exercises today and watch your world unfold before you.
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December 11th, 2023
These photos are from a couple of days ago, at the company party. Oh, just 9 more days of work and I'm going to have a holiday break, can't wait!
I'm applying to Erasmus mundus again this year. Of the required documents, I still have to adjust my CV and motivation letter. There'll be 3 programmes and I wrote a motivation letter for each one. I can only say that I have my favorite and this one goes to my choice number 1! The preliminary results come out on 02/15, I hope I pass this stage, fingers crossed! 🤞🏼✨
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If I ever meet the CEO of College Board it's on sight
#why does it take $12 and a gazillion weeks to send a score digitally to a college#why does it cost like a hundred dollars to sign up for an AP test even if you register by the deadline...#...and like a gazillion more dollars if you register late#oh and then if you want to cancel it costs even more money#and to top it all off#you can't even SEE how you fucking did on your test all you get is a fucking rating out of five#like seriously wtf#what did i get right?? and what didn't i??#and they have a monopoly on the whole college admissions process which means your email and name and other important info is w/them...#...which means they get to sell it to other colleges 🤩#so now my email gets a gazillion messages from colleges i wouldn't even consider applying to#there is literally nothing good about the college board#it is the epitome of capitalism#fuck the college board#college applications#appblr#sat test#ap tests#capitalism#privacy#college board
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new city // new study spot // august 22
#need to save money for a proper desk#anyway hello#I’m back#studyspo#studyblr#studying#study motivation#study inspiration#study#study tips#nightlyqueue#studygram#study inspo#college#nightlystudying#studyinspo#appblr#school#learning#books#bookblr#langblr#sunset#pretty#aes#light academia#dark academia#study aesthetic#bookshelf
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Reintroduction
Hello! It’s 2023 and I’m turning 26 in 6 months. It’s crazy how I’ve been on Tumblr since I was in High School (I think?) — which like at least 13 years ago — and now I’m working and studying Masters in International Studies at De La Salle University. I also got into kpop, and I am so in love with BTS! But I also like Seventeen, Le Serrafim, Mamamoo, TXT, and Twice. Never in my wildest dream thought I’d be fangirling them, but I did!
This makes me feel old. I think only a few people stay here now and even the layout changed. Oh, how I missed how I use to spend all my time here.
Anyway, hello there! I decided to revamp my account and finally use it for #Studyblr because I missed posting about my workspace and I also need motivation and tips.
So excited to see what other people are doing as well! Happy studying, everyone! May we all succeed!!!
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oh actually it seems we are favored by the gods
i just got notified that i was admitted to my top choice grad program!! i am so pleased. i took myself out to dinner to celebrate! i am still vibrating with excitement and unfortunately do not really contain any further coherent thoughts concerning this development at this time. perhaps i will write more on this later? perhaps not. anyways, stay tuned! now this blog becomes a grad student blog instead of a grad-school-hopeful blog!
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Hey! I read your college advice post and noticed that you graduated from UT Austin, which has been my dream school since I can remember. I’m about to be a senior and I was hoping if you could give some tips on how to write a good college essay for UT?
Hey! This is going to get rambly so I apologize now lol.
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First things first, I was ranked 11 in a class of 600 and therefore in the top 7 and 10 percent of my class and was automatically accepted to UT. From what I've heard, they quite literally might've put my application in an accepted pile without reading any of my essays or extracurriculars.
Next, I was a very dreamy high schooler and wanted to go to the Ivy League and become some CDC researcher developing vaccines (this is a way more insane thing to say in 2022 than it was in 2014), but what did I choose to write about in my essay? The school library. I was called my library's mascot. I got to school every morning 2 hours before class to do homework and wait for the library to open. I worked in our "bistro" which was a stockroom where we sold coffee and did homework while I hung out with my friends. I had a stack of mugs and repaired my textbooks in the workroom. My librarian was like a second mother. I was in book club and anime club in the afternoons and decorated with the students for the holidays. I wrote the coziest vignette of community and home that I knew.
At the time, I didn't know that this is exactly what I was looking for in college. I wanted to be surrounded by people I didn't necessarily call friends, but just people who knew what it was like to be one of those in-between kids who didn't do sports, or band, or theatre, but loved to be consumed by stories. I applied to UT as a Biology major with a focus in microbiology and was accepted. I would graduate UT 4 years later as an English major with a certificate in Creative Writing with a focus in Poetry, but I feel like that conclusion would probably make much more sense than biology to anyone who read my essay.
I hope you write with passion and honesty on whatever your topic is and get in with the major you want!
And if you don't trust me, my fave May Gao does essay reviewing cheap or free for less advantaged students: https://www.collabadvising.com/essays
Going to add more about UT below, I swear I loved it, there's just a lot wrong with the way most schools work and I don't want you going in completely blind.
NOTES ON UT
Freshman classes are designed to weed people out of in-demand majors (CRUEL!!! but I was told this on multiple occasions faculty). Intro classes are notoriously difficult for calculus, biology, chemistry, and organic chemistry. You will probably fail your first test. It's okay (my roommate was our high school valedictorian and failed our first chem test and cried all night). I got back to back 32, 33, and 76 on chem tests and barely passed with a D. I survived. Fun Fact: former VP of the school got exclusively Cs in his intro classes.
Pick the major you want the most BUT if you are unsure or may want to double major, choose the major that is the most selective. This includes Comp Sci, any of the communications school, the business school, and engineering. These majors are extremely hard to once you are in and attempt to do an internal transfer. When I was trying to transfer into Moody for film, they told me they only accept 1 internal transfer A YEAR.
This school is a class divide. Coming from a working-class Hispanic family and from a not great public high school, I was absolutely broken by the amount of people with summer houses, no debt, loans, or work-study, who studied abroad multiple semesters, went out every night or even every weekend. If you are not White, Indian, or Asian, you will have to be active to find your people. There are tons of culture groups and clubs, but it's jarring when most of your classes are homogenous just because of who actually gets into UT.
Best of luck and feel free to message me here, twitter, or instagram if you have any other questions!
#ut austin#ut#the university of texas at austin#university of texas#college essays#college applications#applytexas#apply texas#common app#college advice#application advice#appblr
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12/19/2022
Barely posted anything original on this blog in years, but I feel like it's worth an update - I sent an email to a potential faculty advisor for grad school today! This is a huge step for me because I've been terrified to reach out to faculty at other schools for a long time. Cross your fingers that she responds to me!
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well i graduated from barnard a couple weeks ago 🤠
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If you’re a 12th grader, you’re probably knee-deep in college applications and essays. You probably know this already, but just in case you need a reminder, there are thousands of amazing colleges in the US.
Apply to the Ivy League schools if you’ve been dreaming about them for years, but don’t apply to only them if you’re just chasing after the brand name. Believe it or not, not everyone at Harvard or Yale is happy with their decision. They might have had a much better college experience somewhere else. Everybody is different. Find the best schools for YOU. 🎓
No matter where you apply, good luck! 🙏
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Most universities are not particularly interested in students who approach college as the 13th grade—just the next step on a path laid out for them by their parents since before they were born. They instead seek out students who demonstrate passion and curiosity, especially about their chosen field of study.
In your college applications, it’s important that you demonstrate your interests (not just state what they are, but show them at work in your life) and that those interests inform your prospective major. You can and should demonstrate your interests in your college essays, your activities lists, and even in your transcripts.
Here are some specific tips on how to prove you’re invested in your intended major:
1. TAKE AP, IB, AND HONORS COURSES IN THAT FIELD
If your high school offers advanced courses in a field you’re passionate about, take those courses. Honors, AP, and IB credits demonstrate that you’ve devoted ample time and energy to a given field.
I would also recommend approaching advanced classes from the opposite direction. If you’re like most high school students, you’re not yet sure what you want to major in or what your academic interests are. Take advanced classes in subjects that you perform well in. You might find that these courses create entirely new interests for you that weren’t there before.
Throughout high school and college, you will likely develop new passions and a deeper understanding of what you love. Advanced courses are one of the ways in which you can discover what those passions might be.
2. JOIN A STUDENT ORGANIZATION … OR START YOUR OWN
Interested in computer science? Join a coding club at your school. Or, if none exists, create one. If you’re interested in something—whether it be coding, poetry, chess, or pottery—chances are there are other students at your school who are interested, too.
You can demonstrate passion for a field or cause by joining an organization on campus and working your way up the ranks to, say, secretary or even president. You can also demonstrate initiative and leadership by starting an organization of your own.
Not sure where to start? Ask a counselor or teacher at your school about how you might get something new off the ground. With the right support, you can develop your interests and set yourself up for a strong college application.
3. JOIN A CLUB AND VOLUNTEER
You can also look beyond the walls of your school for club and volunteer opportunities. Join a mystery book club or a Spanish conversation club at your local library branch. Volunteer as an elementary school assistant at your local school district. There are so many possibilities that you can find with just a quick Google search.
4. TAKE FREE ONLINE CLASSES
There are a ton of free online courses on subjects ranging from psychology to political philosophy, from computer science to principles of accounting.
You can find courses on the iTunes U app, many of which include syllabi and course readings alongside lectures. There’s a drove of Massive Open Online Courses available, many of which will even provide a certificate for completing the course. MIT hosts a wide range of free courses online, such as this Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python.
Many of these free online courses are offered by prestigious universities and taught by some of the most renowned faculty in their respective fields. By completing one of these courses, you can get a head start on university-level work and develop a new or existing passion.
5. CONTACT AN EXPERT
Do you live near a university? If so, reach out to faculty members to ask if they might be interested in your volunteering as a lab or research assistant, or even if you could stop by just to ask them some questions during their office hours. You might receive no response from a number of professors, but you would be surprised by how many would be more than happy to at least discuss what they do and why.
Along the same lines, if you’re passionate about business, reach out to local business owners. You might even find opportunities for employment. At the very least, you’ll gain vital insights into the kind of work you might want to do in college and beyond.
6. READ, WATCH, AND LISTEN ON YOUR OWN
Subscribe to The New Yorker, or The Economist, or Wired, or any number of magazines focused on literature and culture, or economics, or technology, or whatever it is you want to major in. Watch documentaries. Listen to podcasts. Finding media that will fuel your passion and leave you informed has never been easier.
The kind of knowledge you can gain from reading, watching, and listening first-hand cannot be matched by second-hand commentary. No visit to Sparknotes, or advice from your uncle, or other kind of second-hand knowledge can stand in for the real thing. Hearing or reading about the thing is no match for hearing or reading or doing the thing itself.
With a novel in your hand or even a computer science course on your screen, don’t just be a passive consumer—take notes not only on the content, but your reactions to it. What makes you excited? What leaves you confused? What gets you frustrated?
By staying engaged in a field of study, you shouldn’t only learn new information. You should also learn a lot about yourself.
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I'm being completely genuine here but how the fuck did people apply to college pre-internet?
How did colleges get all of your basic information - DOB, SSN, intended major, parents' levels of education, basic personal information, activities/extracurriculars, etc.?
Did you mail all of your supplementary material? Letters of recommendation, SAT scores, AP scores, essays, everything?
You had to wait for an unknown amount of time for a letter in the mail?
It's so foreign to me.
#i've bitched about the common app before but if i had to do what i currently do by hand i think i'd explode#i'd have lost it a long long LONG time ago if i was applying to college without internet#anyone who had to do this feel free to share your experiences about college applications pre-internet#college applications#appblr
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Question! I’m going back to school in a month and want to buy some nice/aesthetic stationary (that won’t leave me broke for a month). Any recommendations for online shops?
#I’ve been out of the loop for too long#i only remember kawaiipenshop#studyspo#studyblr#studying#study motivation#study inspiration#study#studygram#study inspo#college#nightlystudying#studyinspo#school#appblr#learning#bookblr#books#academia#light academia#dark academic aesthetic#dark academia
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appblr… ya girl is done with law school. I cannot believe it.
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Yes! Hello?? (Updated!)
I felt like the old version of this post was outdated! So i'm updating it!
Last week on Dragon Ball Z:
By now i have applied to (3) grad schools for Library and Information Science!
I have heard back from one program so far, but not the other two! (I was accepted!! so my going to grad school to become a librarian is certain now!)
I JUST got hired as a library assistant (for a very nice library in the fancy city where my grandma lives) yesterday!
Things that haven't changed:
Still on a quest to eventually become a librarian!
My name is still Rune! And it is still very nice to meet all of you!
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