A ONE Institute
Mar 13, 2024
Avoid Writing Essays Like This!
Today, I’d like to share some thoughts with parents and students about essays. After reading this, you’ll gain insights into effective essay writing techniques and learn how to avoid common pitfalls.
Essay Writing for College Admissions: How to Approach It
When it comes to writing essays for college applications, many students grapple with the question of how to approach them. Universities want to understand who the applicant truly is through their essays. They seek insights into qualities such as:
Resilience: The ability to bounce back from setbacks.
Grit: Perseverance and determination.
Negotiation Skills: Connecting with others effectively.
Leadership: Taking charge and inspiring others.
Assistance: Being a helpful team player.
Through essays, universities gain a glimpse into the applicant’s character. However, there’s a common pitfall: when students try to define themselves using a single word, they often end up with similar keywords. Imagine thousands of applicants employing the same approach—inevitably, their self-descriptive terms overlap.
But what do universities truly seek? They want to know how applicants developed these qualities and how well they can articulate their experiences. So, how can you achieve this?
Let me explain using the phrase, “The past can change.” Within an essay, you’ll find three critical components:
Past - Events/Accomplishments: Reflect on your achievements and experiences.
Present - Cognition/Attribution: Understand your current achievements.
Future - Impact on Your Life: Consider how these experiences shape your future.
The key lies in connecting the past to the present. Remember that memories of the past can shift based on your current perspective.
Some students vividly recall their past events and emotions, making it easy to document them. However, others struggle. To write compelling essays, you must be acutely self-aware. While some students can eloquently describe their past, others risk blending their past experiences with their present thoughts.
Avoid superficially recounting past events. Otherwise, your essay might delve into clichéd topics like overcoming challenges during study abroad, family issues, friendship struggles, or triumphs in sports, music, or art. These generic narratives won’t stand out.
So, here’s the advice: don’t rush your essay preparation. Spend about a year honing your self-definition skills. Only then can you craft an essay that truly reflects your unique journey and character.
How to Sharpen Your Definition of Self: A Practical Approach
Let’s discuss how to precisely define your current self. To illustrate, imagine calculating the volume of a shape covered by curved surfaces. To find the volume of this shape, we need to take cross-sectional slices from the side and integrate them to determine the volume. In three-dimensional space, volume is derived from the area of two-dimensional planes.
Similarly, our thoughts and experiences exist in dimensions beyond the three-dimensional physical world. When we write about them, we essentially project these multi-dimensional aspects onto a two-dimensional plane—our written words.
Writing helps organize our thoughts and objectify our experiences. As you express your current self in writing, you engage in the process of introspection and elevate your understanding.
So, if you want to define yourself sharply, start by practicing writing about your present. Even a single sentence matters!
Write about even the smallest details—the events and emotions you experience. Our bodies have a mechanism called the amygdala, which filters out changes to maintain stability. Even positive changes can trigger a perceived risk response, leading to resistance against change.
Imagine a student attempting to fill an entire sheet of paper with writing every day. The amygdala perceives this as a risky endeavor and releases substances to prevent it. Therefore, start with small changes—one sentence at a time—to avoid triggering this resistance.
In a calm and focused state, write about your past experiences without distortion. Remember the quote from the 2011 movie Kung Fu Panda: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present.”
By consistently writing even a single impactful sentence, you’ll witness shifts in both your past and future.
While I could have summarized this as “Write effective essays,” I chose to provide examples ranging from mathematical volume explanations to the amygdala and Kung Fu Panda. Each example serves a purpose tailored to individual understanding.
At A-One Institute, we strive to effectively convey essential information and topics. The evidence of this effort is evident in the examples mentioned above. Feel free to explore our A-One Institute YouTube channel and reach out to us with any questions about our academy. Thank you!