How to Write an Exceptional Essay for College Applications

How to Write an Exceptional Essay for College Applications

by Gina Catanzarite

As the end of another school year approaches, kids’ thoughts turn to a summer of sleeping in and lazy days spent lounging by a pool . . . unless you’re finishing your Junior year of high school, in which case your stress level is rising like mercury on a sunny day because (insert ominous music here) IT’S TIME TO THINK ABOUT APPLYING TO COLLEGES!!!

Without a doubt, one of the most stressful parts of the college admissions application is completing the essay. (More ominous music. . .) Essays have become extremely popular as an educational tool in our country, and young people frequently need to write them for applications for college or for scholarships and other competitions.

What do you think college admissions officers want to learn about you from that essay? Proper grammar? Proof that you can write a thesis statement? How intelligent you are?

Nope!

Take a look at some of these actual essay questions from college applications:

“Describe yourself as fully and accurately as possible in 140 characters.”

“Anna Quindlen says that she ‘majored in unafraid’ at Barnard. Tell us about a time when you majored in unafraid.”

Don DeLillo, Libra, said, “This is what history consists of. It’s the sum total of all the things they aren’t telling us.” What is history, who are “they,” and what aren’t they telling us?

The essay questions are prompts to help you reveal your personal philosophies and personality. They are meant to showcase your critical and your creative thinking skills, as well as your ability to make abstract connections. They require a deeply personal tone with a theme that unfolds largely through personal observations, recollections, and reflections on the writer’s life and experience.

Unfortunately, that rarely happens when so many people “help” the college applicant polish an essay before submitting it.

These people who try to help are well-intentioned to be sure, but what happens is that the student writes a very academic-sounding term paper—thesis, body, conclusion. Parents read it, guidance counselors read it, English teachers read it—and everyone makes comments and edits until it gets distilled, even duller and more generic than it was to begin with!

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), their number one tip for writing effective college admissions essays is to be yourself. You can achieve that by following these guidelines, used in Luminari’s popular Teen Writer! camps:

TIPS TO WRITE BETTER COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ESSAYS:

·       Relate it to a deeply personal and significant experience and the life lesson you learned.

·       Explore the value of the life lesson you learned. How did/will it change your future?

·       Use precise details and descriptive writing to paint a vivid picture in the readers’ mind.

·       Include research or data to support your opinions.

·       Consider using the “YOU” voice to engage the reader more personally in the essay, e.g. Everyone probably has a clear memory that involved the school bully, and I do, too. VS. You probably have a clear memory about the bully from your high school. So do I.

Most importantly, let the answer grow out of what you want to say, not what you think someone else may want to read. When you write from your soul, the essay will be meaningful, personal, and a reflection of someone with the maturity and self-awareness who is ready to embark on the next phase of life... as a successful college student!

Looking for more tips to create more great writing? Check out Luminari’s 2016 Teen Writer! Fantastic Fiction camp running from June 27 – 30. Learn more about Teen Writer! camp activities and scholarships we offer for reduced tuition!

AND. . . read even more unusual college essay questions here:

Buzzfeed | 22 of the most creative college essay questions

Washington Post | Unusual College Essay Questions

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Gina Catanzarite, owner/operator of Arania Productions, and an award-winning television producer, author, media consultant and teacher who has worked both nationally and locally in her fields since 1987.

Gina is the instructor of Luminari’s Teen Writer! camps, being offered June 27 – 30, 2016, in Pittsburgh, PA.

Teen Writer Beware: How to Spot a Scam

by Gina Catanzarite

Thanks to the Internet, young writers have more access than ever before to find exciting writing competitions and scholarship opportunities. Now that school is back in sessions, you can be sure that many of them will be heavily promoted to teens seeking scholarships, prizes, and chances to be published.

Unfortunately, many disreputable organizations prey on eager teen writers-- promoting sham competitions with high entry fees and meaningless "publishing credits" as prizes.

Before entering any teen writing competition, follow these words of advice.  And, see our list below with links to competitions run by reputable organizations.  

Sources for Reputable Teen Writing Competitions

• ALWAYS review contest guidelines and promised prizes very carefully. Have a parent, guardian, or school guidance counselor review the competition rules with you if you are unsure if the contest is reputable.
• Reputable writing competitions rarely charge large entry fees.
  NEVER enter competitions that charge substantial fees.
• Beware of “anthology schemes.”
  In short, these schemes ask you to submit your work for a “competition” and “winners” will be “published” in an anthology. Sometimes they charge entry fees for each piece of writing you submit. If your work is “chosen” as a "winner," it will be “published” -- and then, of course, you can buy a copy of the anthology. This is a money-making scheme! Everyone who submits writing gets “chosen” to be in the anthology. The organizations that run these schemes make their money from submission fees and sale of the "winners" anthology.  These schemes are very common, and no industry professional sees them as credible samples of “published” work. Do not waste your money or your time on these anthology schemes.

Here is a partial list of reputable organizations:

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

http://www.principals.org/Content/158/2010_Natl_Ad_List_101210.pdf

Continually updated list of approved contests and scholarship opportunities for young people. Almost all require an essay of some kind.

SCHOLASTIC, INC. ALLIANCE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS AND WRITERS AWARD

http://www.scholastic.com/artandwritingawards/enter.htm

This is the SuperBowl of student writing competitions – and you can choose your preferred format, from poetry to fiction to short story. It also has categories for visual arts awards. This is an excellent and respected competition to enter.

SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST    http://www.spj.org/a-hs.asp

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF PRESS WOMEN

http://www.nfpw.org/competitions.htm#highschoolcommunicationscompetition

NATIONAL SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION

http://www.studentpress.org/nspa/contests.html

National Pacemaker Awards are awards for excellence in American student journalism, given annually since 1927. The awards are generally considered to be the highest national honors in their field, and are unofficially known as the “Pulitzer Prizes” of student journalism.

Poetry Out Loud competition – National student recitation competition

http://www.poetryoutloud.org/

RTNDF -- High School Broadcast Journalism Project

http://www.hsbj.org/Announcements/5freedoms/

Journalism Education Association -- Aspiring Young Journalist Award

http://www.jea.org/awards/aspiring.html

Voice of Democracy essay contest

http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.leveld&did=150

2015 Luminari Award (Teen Writer) Winning Entry

Written by Charis Allen

Merriam-Webster defines diversity as “the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization.” Although, Webster dictionaries have been highly accredited, this definition is not entirely accurate. In this century, the word diversity has become synonymous with the word “ethnic” and therefore people associate the word diversity with racial differences. However, I would argue that diversity is not limited to race. Rather, diversity is differences in language, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, community origin, or any other entity in which people can be different in.  With this definition of diversity, it is clear to see why diverse perspectives are significant in public creative writing. Diversity in opinions and ideas are important because they can raise awareness about an issue, shape public opinion, and expose people to other perspectives. I would like my writing to do all of these things.

Poetry, one of my favorite art forms, is often used creatively to communicate a political or social issue. In a poem submitted anonymously to the Dare2Care Poetry Competition, the poet tackles the issue of parents accepting their children for who they are. The poem titled “With Roses in Hand” talks about the emotional difficulty of telling your parents, who has assumed you were straight, that you are not. This creative writing exposes readers, like me, to the perspective and experiences of another individual. This poem has given me a deeper empathy for gay teens, who may be dealing with this. Also, the view expressed in this poem is different than my experiences and of the experiences of other authors that I have read. The diverse opinion expressed is significant for multiple reasons. Specifically, for me, this poem had the power to evoke within me a new feeling, educate me on the issues faced by other people, and has made me more sensitive.

2015 Teen Writer! Fantastic Fiction

After the Civil War, former slaves were emancipated and tensions arose between white supremacists, who sought to maintain a hierarchy, and African Americans who wanted to reclaim their rights. In efforts to make white supremacy felt, lynching was used to kill African Americans. This national phenomenon was written about by authors who condemned lynching.  For example, Ida B. Wells, born in Holly Springs Mississippi, was a strong advocate against lynching. Her books On Lynchings and The Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynching in the United States sent reverberations through the nation.  It informed the national audience about lynching, the hatred that caused it, and how often black Americans were murdered for exercising their rights.  It caused people to think critically about the social consequences of white supremacy and made them reevaluate what the phrase “all men are created equal” meant, for all citizens. In this way, Wells was able to shape public opinion about lynching. With this book she was also able to expose Americans who were not aware of lynching, to the issue. “Her assessments of facts on lynching were then interpreted by a national audience and they then were able to craft their opinion, around her writings.  Her diverse opinion was a significant contribution to the anti-lynching movement. Ida B. Wells had a different opinion on lynching, than the majority population of Mississippi. Her creative yet factual portrayals of lynching were a potent shaper of Walter Francis White’s position on lynching, who later was a strong voice in the Brown v. Board of Education Case. I want my writing to have same influence on American history and opinion that Wells had.

I would like my readers to have the same kind of emotional response that I had, when I read “With Roses In Hand”. Not only did the poem make me more aware about the struggles other people face, but it also caused me to reflect on my role in that issue and what I can do to help. I want my works to evoke emotions and make the reader feel an obligation to the issue and the people affected by it. Similar to Ida B. Wells, I want my historical writings to be factual, yet present information in a creative way that engages the reader. Both of these authors were luminary individuals who had honest convictions about what they were writing about and had profoundly distinct writing styles. In order to have the same power that their writing yielded, I need to find out what makes me a luminary.

DEADLINE EXTENDED for TEEN WRITER! Scholarship

Calling all teen writers!

The deadline for our Teen Writer! Luminari Award scholarship competition has been extended! Entries will be received through midnight June 20, 2015. The winner will be announced by June 26, 2015.

The Luminari Award is a merit-based scholarship. It is designed to recognize teen writers who display noteworthy commitment to academics and community issues. This scholarship competition is open to teens who will be in 8^th – 12^th grade in Fall 2015.

One entrant will be selected for a full scholarship to attend the 2015 Teen Writer! Fantastic Fiction camp held in Pittsburgh from July 6 – 9, 2015. This scholarship is valued at $395.00.

To submit an entry for the Teen Writer! Luminari Award scholarship:

• Write a 500 - 700 word essay on the importance of contributing diverse opinions and ideas to the public through creative and journalistic writing. Also state how you, personally, want your writing to broaden the minds of readers.

• EMAIL YOUR ENTRY essay to:  Luminari.inspire@gmail.com and in the subject line, write "TEEN WRITER LUMINARI AWARD ENTRY."

• In the body of the email, please INCLUDE your name, your parent or guardian's name, and contact information.

Essays will be read and judged, and one winner will be selected, by a panel of writers and academics.

From coming up with story ideas to developing great plotlines to building characters and writing with style, Teen Writer! Fantastic Fiction is an exciting four-day workshop based on techniques the pros use to build skills and get published! Learn more about the 2015 Teen Writer! camp and the many exciting activities planned for this year by visiting our website http://www.luminari.org/Teen_Writer!_Series.html 

Don’t miss out on this exciting scholarship opportunity!

Luminari: Call for Writers

Luminari is seeking writers with an interest in sharing their knowledge and expertise in a variety of topics including current events, diplomacy, economics, politics, journalism, cooking/nutrition, creative writing or environmental issues. A writer for this series should have an interest in providing clear and useful information to the public in a fun and informal manner (previous writing experience is helpful).

This is your opportunity to submit educational, informative and encouraging content that promotes growth in all aspects of life from business to personal development. Submissions may be published both in the Luminari eNewsletter “LUMOS!” and the Luminari Blog.

Luminari eNewsletter

Luminari Blog

How to Participate...
Once Luminari receives your initial article, you will be invited to participate as a regular contributing author to the Luminari eNewsletter and Blog. 

Acceptable Article Format:
WORD COUNT: Entries may range in length from 500 to 1,200 words.

Submission Requirements

COPYRIGHT: If you have used any reference material to help prepare your article, it is vital that you include the proper credits along with your article. Without this you may be found liable for copyright infringement. If Luminari feels that an article does not display the proper copyright credit, we have full authority to refuse your article without notice.

How to Submit Finished Article

1. E-MAIL SUBJECT: LUMOS! SUBMISSION
2. Submissions may be provided by e-mail in the body of the message in plain text format or as a Word attachment.
3. Article Title
4. End Article with 35-50 Word Biography of the author; include Full Name, and Title)
5. PICTURE: Luminari will accept/publish photography and artwork with any submission. Please submit with your entry a FULL COLOR digital photo as an attachment to pilardesigns@aol.com in one of the following formats: PDF; JPEG; TIFF

PLEASE NOTE: 

1. EDITING. All articles may be edited for content and space at the full discretion of the editors.
2. At the present time, Luminari does not pay for submissions. This is a labor of love that is an indirect way to promote yourself or subject dear to you. Even though the content does not endorse you or your business in any way, you are introduced through the biography at the end of your article where you can tell the readers who you are, where you can be reached and display your Web site information. Be creative, this is in essence your advertisement for yourself.

QUESTIONS? Please contact us at: Luminari 

Your Contributions Strengthen and Grow Our Community. On Behalf of Luminari staff and readers, Thank You for Your Support!