At Essay Coaching we encourage our students to start first drafts without a care in the world. Run-on sentences, half-finished thoughts, a 27-item packing list for an Eagle Scout’s winter camping trip? Bring it on. Quirky details and unforgettable quotes are the lifeblood of a memorable college essay.
During our next several meetings, we return to the draft with an editor’s perspective. We remind ourselves of our big picture goals and carefully edit and polish the draft.
Editors review a piece of writing with different goals in mind, so they can imagine a reader’s experience. We do too, with the college admissions officer top of mind. Here are to-do lists for each of those reads.
Edit 1: Get Your Message Across
- Make sure your essay answers the entire question.
- Ask yourself, “What does the reader learn about me from this?”
- Move main points near the beginning or in first sentence of a paragraph
- Show, don’t tell” and reflect wherever possible
- Eliminate “Red Flags” — words that make you feel uncomfortable because they are too personal, emphasize your weaknesses, give the wrong impression, distract people from the big picture
Edit 2: Ask for Feedback
- Read the draft out loud to a trusted person
- Describe the kind of feedback you’re looking for—a “thank you for sharing” is one option
- Ask the listener to recall exact phrases
- Ask what they learned about you
- Ask about parts of the essay that confused them, intrigued them, made them uncomfortable
Edit 3: Smooth it Out
- Print and read the out loud to yourself
- Listen for awkward phrasing, inconsistency (for example, writing “you” when you mean “I”)
- Delete generalities and clichés
- Make verbs specific. For example, “went” can be flew, walked, drove, skipped…
- Smooth transitions between paragraphs
- Double-check spelling, punctuation, and grammar
Edit 4: Another Set of Eyes
- Print two copies, ask another person to read it out loud to you
- Mark up your copy with changes they suggest or errors you notice
- Listen for words that don’t feel right to you and adjust them
- Double-check spelling, punctuation, and grammar