by Rajesh Bhusal, co-founder of Klustur
How is your college essay coming along?
Ask this question if you want to send a shudder of fear down a high school senior’s spine. The CommonApp essay is arguably the most important part of the college application. It is also one of the toughest essays they will write in high school, since the task requires a level of introspection and self-knowledge that students may not be used to from their high school assignments.
It is only natural that someone who has to write what will be one of the most defining essays of their life to seek out examples of how others have tackled it. Every year around this time, high school seniors most likely scour the internet to find the “best performing” college essay examples (if you are already done with essays by mid-October, good for you!).
And the internet is a great source to find essay examples — it is a burgeoning industry in itself, with many websites boasting to host the “real examples” of college essays that have helped others get into the school of their dreams.
But I want to step back for a moment and ask this question — should you be reading other people’s essays? Will it really help you?
It may not not be as helpful as you may think, and if you are reading dozens, it might even prove to be detrimental. Here are two things that you should keep in mind.
You are reading the final product.
When reading essay examples, you should always note that you are reading the final version of the essay. The person who wrote it probably spent countless hours, so that each sentence is finely crafted. If you are readying fully-formed essays when you are just starting out, you may be dissuaded by what may seem to be an insurmountable task to accomplish.
It may prove too tempting to take a similar approach.
This point cannot be more emphasized enough. You may not realize that you are doing it, but reading dozens of examples of other people’s essays may steer you towards adopting a similar style / approach. Remember, the essay is supposed to be personal — do not lose the opportunity to show how unique you are.
The college essay is by nature a deeply personal essay (reckon this is why it’s called a “personal statement”?). So while it will give you an idea of the general structure and examples of personal experiences you could possibly discuss, if you do it too much, it could hinder your unique voice from shining through.
So what shall you do?
Everything in moderation. Read a few essays to give a general idea of what the task entails, but spend the many hours you would have spent reading essay examples to do deep introspection of your personal experiences instead. And trust me, it’ll pay off.
About the Author:
Rajesh Bhusal is the co-founder of Klustur, and a graduate of the University of Chicago, 2015. Prior to Klustur, Rajesh was in Chicago and Delhi working for data analytics company and a development agency, respectively. He is now based in South East Asia for his work on Klustur. You can reach him at hello@klustur.com
