How to write a college essay: A guide for teens (and their parents)
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Writing a college essay is about more than checking a box or hitting a word count. It’s the chance to tell colleges your story in your own words. It can be a big factor in your future acceptance. According to a NACAC survey, 19% of colleges say essays are a major factor in admissions, while another 37% consider them moderately important.
And that’s what makes it kind of thrilling… and totally nerve-wracking. But the good news is that the best college essays aren’t about being perfect. They’re about being real. If you’re staring at a blinking cursor wondering how to even start, or if you’re a parent trying to help without hovering, you’re in the right place!
This guide covers how to write a college essay that’s personal and powerful.
Step 1: Forget about your grades and test scores
A college essay is your chance to show admissions teams who you are beyond the numbers they see for your grades, SAT, or ACT scores. The essay is where you get to share something that doesn’t fit into a chart or spreadsheet. Start to think about what matters to you and how your experiences have made you who you are.
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Your college essay is not the place to repeat everything you accomplished in high school. It’s where you show your personality and your perspective. The goal is to give colleges a sense of who you are and how you think.
Step 2: Start with a story vs. a topic
The best essays usually begin with something that actually happened, not just an idea. Instead of writing about leadership, write about the time you stood up for someone when it was uncomfortable. Or, if you choose resilience as a theme, focus on a day when things didn’t go your way and what you learned from it.
Where to start: Think back to a time you felt strongly about something. Maybe you were proud, scared, overwhelmed, or excited. These kinds of emotions often surround significant times in your life. And could make a great college essay!
Step 3: Connect it to the why
Now that you have your story in mind, think about why it stayed with you. What made that moment important? Did it change the way you see yourself? Did it teach you something you still carry with you today? It could even be what you value or how you deal with challenges.
College admissions officers are not expecting your story to wrap up with a perfect bow. What they really want is to see how your experiences have shaped who you’re becoming, and how that might play out on their campus.
Step 4: Write like you talk
It’s totally normal to want to sound impressive in your college essay. You might be tempted to change out everyday words for fancier SAT words or write in a way that feels way different than how you actually speak. But when you try too hard to sound impressive, it usually ends up feeling stiff.
What colleges really want is to hear you. The goal isn’t to show off how many big words you know; it’s to help someone on the other side of the screen understand who you are. Pretend you're telling your story to someone who’s genuinely interested in what you have to say. That’s the tone you want.
Step 5: Edit, and then edit some more
Once you’ve got a first draft down, take a break. Seriously. Walk away from it for a day or two. When you come back, you’ll see things you didn’t notice before. Maybe a sentence that’s doing too much, or a part that just doesn’t sound quite right.
Try reading it like someone else would. Better yet, read it out loud. It might feel a little awkward, but it’s one of the best ways to catch spots that don’t flow the way you meant them to.
Keep working on it until it sounds like you and gets your point across clearly. And when your brain is officially too close to it, ask someone you trust (a teacher, a counselor, a parent) to give it a read.
A note for parents
If you’re reading this with your teen, first, thanks for being here. Your support matters! It’s totally normal to want to help, but sometimes he best way to be helpful is from the passenger seat. Ask questions, help them brainstorm, and offer to read drafts. But avoid the urge to rewrite (we know it’s hard!). What’s more helpful is being a sounding board and a cheerleader, and making sure they get the support they need to manage everything else happening during application season.
Between choosing schools, figuring out the money side, and keeping everything on track, there’s a lot going on. If you’re figuring this out together, these resources can make things feel a little less overwhelming:
Writing a college essay can feel like a big deal, because it is. But it’s also a chance to share a personal piece of you. No one else can tell your story the way you can!
Manage your money and safety. Ask your parents about Greenlight’s money and safety app for families. Invite them to sign up for Greenlight one month, risk-free.†
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