July was a fun month for us here at Ensphere!
College application season got off to a great start for our seniors, most of whom attended one of our college essay workshops. We had an excellent turnout of students and parents on Saturday, 7/26 at the Upper St. Clair Rec Center. We enjoyed helping you brainstorm, analyze the structure of an effective essay, and talk about your reactions to sample essays. We hope you got some good ideas flowing!
Remember, the college application essay is one of the most important factors in colleges’ admissions decisions. The essay is your opportunity to show admissions officers who you are beyond grades and SAT/ACT scores. It’s also a factor you have 100% control over—which is why it’s one of our favorite parts of the application process! Now is the best time to devote yourself to working on your essays and making sure they sound like you.
As you sit down to start your essays, give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm and free write. Spend a few days simply writing as much as you can. Explore the topics that you’re passionate about, and give yourself the time to write about several different ideas, memories, people in your life, and other topics that excite you.
Once you have a good amount of material to work with, you can begin looking for stories within the rough material you’ve written. Ask yourself, “What story can I tell about this idea?” You want to tell your story cohesively, with a beginning, middle, and end. Refer to your notes on the structure of a successful essay for examples!
If you get stuck, remember your purpose: to show the reader who you are and what you are passionate about. You can be passionate about almost anything! Basically, tell us something about yourself that we wouldn’t know from your transcript, test scores, or resume.
Over the next couple of months, as you finish your essays, you can send them to us for feedback and editing. We’ll review up to three essays for Ensphere clients. Just make sure to send them to us at least two weeks before you need them back.
Have fun writing! We can’t wait to see your essays.
Erin, Director of Student Services
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