Don’t Forget to Laugh–After You Push the Button
My friend Jill sent me this cartoon this morning. I know she’s a really good friend because she endures my stories about college application essays even though both her two kids already landed in two great colleges. No one likes these essays. As far as I can tell, there’s a short window where students and their parents suddenly want to know everything about how to write a good one, but after that closes (the moment they push the submit button on their apps), they never want to think about them again.
And I don’t blame them. There’s just too much pressure to write something amazing without much help. And there are really no shortcuts. The best thing is to learn as much as you can about how to write this type of essay (yes, you are one of the lucky ones and have found the best source–HERE!–on how to write a kick-ass narrative essay, if I do say so myself.), and then pound out a rough draft. Get some outside help if you need it, but just start writing, then polish it up and send it out.
Yes, it feels great to get it out of your hair, off your plate and out of your college-obsessed brain. But it will feel even better if you have taken the time to find a great topic, write your essay in an engaging style and made sure it was clear, error-free and under the word count. If you are in the thick of your applications and your fingers are itching to punt that essay off your desktop, take a moment to remember how hard you have worked to reach this point. Let it ferment a while longer, come back and re-read it when you are in a better state of mind, make some changes and it will continue to get better. If you really hate it, consider finding a better topic!
Deadlines are looming. Those of you working on your University of California essays (deadline: Nov. 30!), keep plugging away. Do not wait until days or hour sbefore the end of the month. Things get glitchy when everyone waits until the last minute: Get yours in as soon as possible!
Once everything is in and done, then you can sit back and have a laugh, or go see Thor or Catching Fire or (my current fav) Dallas Buyers Club, or sleep past noon. Until then, keep cranking away. You will never regret the extra effort you spend toward landing in your dream school. (Even if you may never want to remember these crazy days again…)
