Get Going Workshops

by Joanne Levy-Prewitt

Short Essay’s Tell Colleges Who You Are, What Your Goals Are

Many colleges require that applicants write a long essay; some require that students address a specific prompt; others are content to have an open-ended personal statement that reveals the applicant's unique experiences or characteristics.

However, many colleges also request additional, short essays that ask the applicant to explain or expand on his reasons for applying, or tell more about her favorite activities that might not be obvious on the general application.

Students, if you've already written those long personal statements or essays, take a break, but don't shut down those word processors, yet. The short essays are a crucial piece of the college application and should not be taken lightly.

The Common Application, used by nearly 300 colleges nationwide (www.commonapp.org), has a required short essay that asks students to elaborate on a favorite activity. Because the short essay allows only 150 words (more a paragraph than an essay), students should use only a sentence or two to explain or identify the nature of their favorite activity.

After that, students should explain why they chose the activity and what made it worthwhile. For students who have made a strong commitment to only one activity in high school -- athletes, for example -- the short essay is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate personal growth, perseverance or maturity, and to explain what made the activity compelling. One hundred fifty words don't allow for much reflection, but it is ample space to show enthusiasm, drive, commitment or compassion.

Many colleges also ask students to write a short essay explaining why they want to attend their school. I call this the "why" essay, and it requires homework. If you haven't visited a college (not necessary, but preferred), be sure to conduct extensive research about the programs, majors, professors, clubs and organizations on campus. Then explain why those are a good match for you and your background, interests or learning style. Be sure to mention any unusual talents or hobbies that might enhance the vibrancy of the campus, and discuss how you plan to incorporate those pursuits into your studies or extracurricular activities on campus.

If you're applying to a college in a large city, it's probably not a good idea to mention that you can't wait to hang out at the beach, attend professional ball games or get cheap tickets to plays. Many college representatives in large cities know that they need to compete for your attention and will be impressed if you express genuine enthusiasm for becoming part of the campus community rather than using the college as a way to connect with the resources in the city at large.

Colleges are notorious for requiring additional supplemental essays about a favorite work of art, summer activity, personal passion or intellectual pursuit. If limited to a certain word or character count, these can be tricky to write. My best advice here is to recommend that with everything you write, make certain that you are showing a new and interesting aspect of your personality. For example, if you choose to write about your passion for hybrid roses, your essay needs to be more about you -- your curiosity, drive, tenacity and commitment -- than about the plants.

Although I'd hate to discourage a creative interpretation for a short essay, students need to be economical with their words. This isn't the best forum for flowery prose, and it isn't possible or advisable to fully develop a thesis or theme in the same way that one would in a long personal statement. Application readers will appreciate it if students think carefully about the question and answer it thoughtfully, yet succinctly. It may be a cliche, but when it comes to short college essays, good things come in small packages.

COPYRIGHT 2007 JOANNE LEVY-PREWITT