The Process, Part 2: Who Are You? Essays, Extracurriculars, Extras

1. Essays

The college application essays - variously referred to as personal statements, statements of purpose, diversity statements, and more - provide the best opportunity for you to stand out. Depending on the school, there may only be one essay or several. The essay prompts may be vague (“Describe yourself and your experiences”) or oddly specific (“You’re on a voyage in the thirteenth century, sailing across the tempestuous seas. What if, suddenly, you fell off the edge of the Earth?” - yes, this was a real essay prompt). Word limits and other rules also vary by school, so make sure to read the instructions carefully!

The ultimate takeaway with your app essays is to let your personality shine through. Trying to fake your personal voice or avoiding talking about yourself will make for a bad essay. You also don’t want to just list accomplishments - this is the space to be creative and weave an interesting story. And remember, the essay readers will have read thousands of other essays besides your own. So choose to write about something that is important to you, show why it matters to you specifically, and connect it to how it will make you a successful student at the relevant school. Stories of overcoming personal hardship or discovering unique passions often fit the bill here - but again, it depends on both the essay prompt and your own background. It can also be a good idea to have family, friends, and mentors look over your essays to provide feedback and edits.

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2. Extracurriculars

Besides submitting files to colleges, you’ll also likely need to fill out some forms as part of your application. Often in these forms there will be a place to list extracurricular activities. While these may not seem as important as your GPA or essays, having a diverse set of extracurriculars can be a big boost. Being on a high school sports team shows commitment and teamwork abilities. Volunteer service or other community involvement shows a desire to help others and give back. Jobs show maturity and discipline. Student club memberships showcase your passions and interests outside the classroom. And taken altogether, being involved in several activities outside of school will show colleges you can balance work and life and be an active participant in your community - essential attributes of college students.

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Even if the forms don’t ask for extracurriculars, they will still likely come up in the course of applying. They may be included on a resume you are asked to submit, or discussed in your essays, or even asked about in a later interview. Having several such involvements you can share in your application will add to who you are as a person above just some numbers on a paper. You can read more about extracurriculars at our map on the subject here.

3. Letters of Recommendation

Many colleges will also request 1-3 letters of recommendation to be submitted. The strongest letters are those that come from teachers or counselors who know you well and/or whose classes you excelled in. A teacher who can provide feedback on not only your high grades but also your personal qualities can go a long way in strengthening your application. So if you’re still early in your high school journey, getting to know your teachers and building relationships can pay off enormously later on! You can also request letters from other adults who may know you well, such as coaches or job managers or other professionals at organizations you volunteer or participate in. Besides requesting such letters several weeks or months in advance to give your writers appropriate time, it’s also a good idea to provide them with information about yourself such as transcript, resume, and app essays. Staying in touch with your letter writers through the application process will help both you and the writer!

4. Other Tips

Colleges may request other materials that I have not discussed in this map. For example, sometimes resumes/CVs can be submitted, and we have advice on writing a strong one here. For a full list of college application tasks, check out this table.

Now that you know about everything that goes into a college application, you may be wondering when you should start assembling your own. Applications for most schools are due in the late fall or winter prior to the year you wish to attend the school. This means that you will need to submit applications around November or December of your senior year if you want to go to college straight from high school. Since it can take some time to put together applications for all your schools, and you may be busy with classes in the fall, it’s not a bad idea to begin prepping your materials in the summer between your junior and senior year. Just make sure to check the deadlines for each school you plan to apply to! After applying, you can expect to hear a decision around March-April, and deadlines to choose a school are usually around April 15-May 1. For a more detailed timeline, see the graphic below.

The other thing to know is that not all schools require their own applications. A huge coalition of colleges will accept the Common Application, which means you only have to write one application and can then submit to all of them (though you’ll still have to pay for each school you wish to send one to, and there may be supplemental sections for certain schools). You can find the list of schools accepting the Common App here. Other schools have banded together for their own “common app” networks too, such as the UC schools. However, even with these shared applications, you’ll likely end up having to create several versions of your applications, so it can help to stay organized with an application tracker. While many of the materials included in the application can be used for different schools, make sure to personalize essays and meet all the requirements of each school you apply to.

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