Entering the college process, it seemed as though the actual applying part would be the most nerve-wracking aspect of the experience. However, the aftermath proved to be much more tortuous.
For nearly two months, my mind could not help but drift back to the restricted early action application I sent to Boston College. Even involuntarily, I would race through every detail of it, frightened by the voluminous opportunities there were for mistakes. “What if the difference between ‘yes’ and ‘no’ is a typo?” As the deadline to hear back from the school drew near, I found myself making frequent trips to the mail to check for a letter that felt like it would never come.
Then, it arrived.
With the anticipation now a tangible force weighing down on me, I tore open the letter like a belated birthday present, finding out I had been accepted to Boston College’s College of Arts and Sciences. It is funny how a piece of paper can instantly validate all the effort and worry that preceded it.
The acceptance is undoubtedly a great way to start, but with a list of schools that has expanded from eight to 12, there is still much work to be done on my applications, coming primarily in the form of college essays.
Generally, there are two types of essays to deal with throughout the college process: the personal statement and the supplemental essay. These essays are a great chance for students to display how there’s more to them than a GPA and SAT score.
Personal Statement
Like the name says, the personal statement is a piece where applicants can convey their ability to express themselves and show who they are beyond the numbers and stats of test scores and grades. It is also the piece of writing that will be sent with the applications to every school, making it incredibly important.
Because of the significance of this document, many students (myself included) seek a plethora of eyes to help proofread and make the essay the best it can be. It could be parents, teachers, even friends – the more eyes on the work the better.
No personal statement should be sent without a considerable amount of constructive criticism and polishing. It is meant to show who a student is beyond numbers, a good personal statement could help an applicant capture the favor of the admissions committee, even without spectacular grades or tests scores.
Supplemental Essay
Not all schools will be satisfied with a personal statement alone, and they will want additional samples of writing in the form of supplemental essays. The most common form of these is an essay along the lines of: “Why do you want to attend this institution?”
For these questions, a large amount of research is helpful. Anybody can Wikipedia a college, but in order to make this essay unique, I’d recommend at least going on to the school’s web site. Along with this, it might also help to call the school to find things out and talk to friends who attend the institution. The point of such a generic prompt is to generate an answer rife with details specific to that college, so research is key!
However, there are also several deviations from that standard essay. Throughout my application process, I have written haikus about my goals, summarized the plot of a movie made about me in the year 2050 and submitted page 217 of my 300 page hypothetical autobiography. My personal favorite is when the prompt of a supplemental essay gave me no direction, merely asking me to write whatever I felt like.
Overall, the college process is long and daunting, and the applications are far and away the most tedious aspect of it. However, after four years of high school and making it through the SAT, it would be foolish of me to mess everything up now due to my reluctance to write an essay. All I can do is keep working, and hope for more decisions like Boston College’s. It’s hard to believe I’ll be graduating in a matter of months…
Eric Barbera is a senior at the Garden School in Jackson Heights.
