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Before the applications process

• Encourage your child to explore passions, ideas and experiences beyond what a typical high school student might experience so that they have unique topics for essays
• Help your child understand the criteria they seek in a given college, and research those criteria so they are applying to schools that match their interests (and can write essays that express this match.)
• Insure your child has solid writing experiences in high school curriculum, supplement if necessary. (They should go into this writing process understanding how to form a thesis, create an outline, and review draft work.)
• Provide your child with examples of first person writing to read if they do not receive any in school. (i.e. well-written magazine essays, short memoir essays in books)

Getting organized to start writing

• Before any essay work begins, have your child make a list of all required essays and their topics.
• Brainstorm all possible essay topics unique to your child.
• Look for overlap among questions to reduce the number of original essays needed.
• Make a weekly deadline plan to complete all writing and revision work. Remember the best essays are developed over several drafts!

The Personal Statement (or main longer college application essay)

• Use first person active voice
• Avoid teenage lingo, slang, being overly conversational, being overly flippant/casual
• By the end of the first paragraph, a reader should know what the essays is about AND why it is meaningful to the writer in a clear, clever, well-written thesis.
• Aim for between 500-800 words total (4-6 paragraphs).
• Use an outline to be sure the essays stays tied to the thesis.
• Use descriptive language and anecdote to give foundation and authenticity to your thesis.
• Do not write your resume/activity list in prose. Choose a focused topic and thesis and let it speak for the larger you and your experiences.

Other application essays

• Activity essays: Usually short. Emphasize why it is meaningful over most details of what it is. Admission readers want to know what it is that makes you give your time to this pursuit.
• “Why this school” essays: specific details and authentic responses matter most. Don’t oversell. Be clear, realistic and direct.
• Supplement essays with unique questions: Review your personal statement and other app essays. Don’t overlap. This is your chance to tip the scale by sharing something they would not learn anywhere else.

Permission Statement

This article is provided as a service of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted young people 18 and under. To learn more about the Davidson Institute’s programs, please visit www.DavidsonGifted.org.