myUface Blog

In our last essay-writing post, we heard from an actual admissions officer about good and bad traits of college application essays.  In the next three days, I want to challenge us to spend some more time inside the mind of the people who will be reading your applications.

In general, most of the essay-writing advice on the web is going to focus on you, the writer.  This is important, but we should never forget that what really matters is not how you feel about your essay, but rather what the person reading it feels.  We need to spend more time thinking about our audience.

So what about that reader?  Let’s take some time and think about some key aspects of that reader’s experience of college essays, and see if we can learn anything useful.

Where are people reading your essays? College essays are typically read in an office environment.  There are computers, desks, chairs, phones, etc.  The language of the office is precise, technical, bureaucratic.  Why does this matter? If you write an essay about something outside, something happening in another environment, with language that is active and colorful, you may be able to get your reader to sit up and feel refreshed, or to feel that your essay is something new and different. 

Example: The most challenging moment of my life came on the side of a windy, bare mountainside.  The air was crisp and cool, the sun was bright, and as far as I could see, I was the only living thing.  The problem was, I was lost.  I had become separated from my classmates on a hiking trip, and now, as I looked around me, there was nothing but rocky ridge after rocky ridge, separated by dark, forested valleys.  How would I find my classmates?  What would happen to me if I didn’t?

Do you see how the above immediately takes you out of your environment and makes you imagine yourself standing with the writer on a mountain?  Do you see how the descriptions  – “windy,” “bright,” “crisp”" – contrast with the typical office space?  These contrasts will create pleasure in the mind of most readers.

This doesn’t mean your essay has to be about hiking or nature.  It could be about a busy street, a crowded shopping mall, a loud and noisy classroom – just don’t make it about a quiet, clean office, and the challenges you faced in filing papers.

Tomorrow we’ll speak about what else our audience members are reading.

Posts in this Series

1. Tell Us About Yourself: Final Advice for Essay Writing - 08 Oct
2. Should You Pay To Have Your Essay Edited? - 01 Oct
3. The Greatest Editing Trick For College Application Essays - 29 Sep
4. How To Edit Your Essay - 28 Sep
5. The "What They Want to Hear" Mistake - 17 Sep
6. Know Your Reader, Part Four - 16 Sep
7. Know Your Reader, Part Three - 15 Sep
8. Know Your Reader, Part Two - 14 Sep
9. Know Your Reader, Part One (This post)
10. Listen to an Admissions Officer Discuss Essays - 11 Sep
11. How to Write an Essay for University Applications - 09 Sep