Essays and Recommendations

          Then onto everyone’s worst nightmare, the essay section. They are going to ask about your interests, your plans for the future (I had none), and maybe something that feels personal like your biggest regrets or challenges.

          These essays are all designed to see if you are the kind of student they want. If you want to be extra, you can look up some of that university’s marketing and figure out what kind of students they seem to be targeting, then tailor your responses. But honestly, this kind of approach is hit or miss. I don’t recommend it but that’s an option.

          A lot of guidance counselors say that colleges want to see 2 things in your essays. 

1)      The first is if you can write well. This is why I said we have to follow modern American grammatical rules. I could go on a whole tangent about how grammatical rules are bureaucratic language and all that fun jazz, but for a college application, we kind of have to follow the bureaucratic nonsense. 

2)       The second thing that admissions officers want to see in your essay is if you will be a valuable productive member of their community. Think of it like online dating, they want the best applicant who will provide them with something. I know that sounds stupid, but it’s true. Colleges and universities want students who will be involved and engage. They want students who will make them look good. 

Higher education is a business, every student who scores well and is involved is earning them money

3)        I argue there is a third thing colleges are looking for. I had friends who took all the higher classes, had the ultra-weighted GPA, all As, and the eyebags to prove it. They were so caught up in getting every achievement that they forgot to have fun and develop their interests. Some of them struggled to get into the colleges they wanted. I am talking perfect attendance, straight A’s, team captain, valedictorian type people. So I feel like admissions officers are also looking for this elusive third thing; you.

          Universities seem to be leaning towards students with passions and strange interests rather than picture perfect responses. So my advice? Be quirky. But like, corporate quirky? It is a fine line.

          In my own college applications, I remember answering the “where do you see yourself in 5 years” questions with up-right honesty.

Meaning my responses were something like this:

In 5 years I could be anywhere. I don’t want to limit my expectations by saying “I will be the best at [blank]” because I am excited about trying and failing at a few things. I don’t want a perfectly scheduled life. Instead I want to try and see what works. The original meaning of the phrase “jack of all trades” was “jack of all trades, master of none, but often times better than a master of one.” I want to live by that philosophy, credit to William Shakespeare for that quote by the way. So the only solid goals I can set for 5 years from now are to be a good friend, a supportive big sister, an educated human being, a part of a community. 

          Do you see how I allowed some quirkiness without going full run on sentences? It is a fine line, and if you aren’t a confident writer it feels daunting. But that is okay. We can practice if you want. I think before you even open up those applications you should sit down and write down your favorite hobbies, school subjects, life events, or even people. Just write down what you love. And now when it comes to writing those essays, put your passion into it. Don’t be afraid to write in your own personal voice. No robots. Metaphorically and AI wise.

          So, let’s make a list. What do you enjoy? What TV shows or music or books do you consume? What posters are in your room? What is your favorite subject in school? Do you like to cook? Do you have favorite places to visit?

          Now let’s practice using those interests in our essays. Pick one interest for each essay, incorporate your passion for it. Maybe even make a joke. Try writing out a response to these prompts and then have a teacher or parent read over what you wrote. Tell them the goal is for your writing to sound like you while still following grammatical rules. You are marketing yourself as a good applicant to this university. And like I said, universities seem to like someone who is really really passionate rather than someone who did everything right.

          So these following prompts come from the Common App 2025-2026 version. Each one will have a word limit of 650 words. I recommend aiming for 500 words on your actual essays. But for this exercise, we are practicing, so write as much or as little as you want.

1.   Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

2.   Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

3.   Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

          I encourage you to do this with your real essays too. This is why I said to give yourself a soft deadline for these applications. It gives you time to write these essays and revise them. And feel free to look up example essays if you want to. There are thousands. 

          A lot of people (its me, I am the people) rush through these essays. I believe I tried knocking all of mine out in one sitting. But if you take the time to practice or even just revise and get some feedback, I think your essays will be in much better shape than mine. And there is nothing saying you can’t use the same essay for multiple schools. You wrote it, you get to send it wherever you want. One of the good things about the Common App (there are so few good things) is that most universities just use the standard prompts. Meaning they are all the same.

          Some universities have their own essay questions like “why do you want to go to this university specifically?” I think those are stupid but their purpose is transparent. They want you to pander to them. They want to know what programs you are interested in and what classes look fun. I do recommend saving some form of your essay responses, I wish I had put all mine in a google doc or something so I could look back at them. Be more organized than me, keep some copy of each essay response. Even those silly “why do you want this specific college” ones.

          Once you get through the essay section, you just have to tackle the recommendations. If you are like me, you probably have one teacher you just enjoy talking to. That is the first recommendation you need. Because that teacher knows you well. They probably even like you, and most importantly, you are more likely to have engaged in their class.

          Some of my teachers outright asked me what I wanted them to write. I think it is a good idea to let them know what your essays were about or what degree you are aiming to get. Really great idea if the person who is writing your recommendation is also the person who reviewed your essay responses, just saying.

          You probably need 2 recommendations, so after you get your academic recommendation, try for a boss or supervisor. Someone who you work or volunteer with. They may need more help on knowing how to format the recommendation depending on their experience. So be prepared to help them out. I had a chance to read all my recommendations before they were submitted, but that is up to you and whoever you ask to write them.

          And I think that is everything. I mean, pay the application fee obviously. If you have everything in there, then you are good to hit submit.