College Supplements: Avoid These 5 Pitfalls

1. College Supplements: Avoid These 5 Pitfalls As the author B.J. Neblett once said, “We are the sum total of our experiences.” Whether you have teamed up with fellow classmates to sell locally sourced gift bundles, started a club to break down language barriers, spent countless hours building scenery for your school’s annual musical, designed an app to teach kids math, or created a personal needs pantry for your peers, your experiences matter. But there are steps you can take to help you stay focused and get the most out of your supplemental essay. No matter what phase of brainstorming, writing, revision, or evaluation you're in right now, take some time to consider these five missteps that I commonly see with my clients.

2. 1. Avoid a Superficial Responses: Go at Least 3 Clicks into a College’s Website The most common supplemental essay prompt is some version of “Why do you want to go to our school?” The most common mistake I see in initial drafts from students is that the response is too generic. Moreover, exploring the college’s website provides you with the added benefit of gaining a better understanding of the school. What you learn may endear you more to the institution — or it can help you realize that you are better suited for a different campus. 2. Avoid the One-Perspective Reply: Connect Ideas A University of Texas team reviewed thousands of college application essays to determine if they could predict academic success based on candidate submissions. Professor David Beaver concluded that “Even when a college sets an essay title that seems to be asking for the applicants’ personal story, it’s a safe bet that the admissions officers (whether consciously or not) are looking for people who can put their own history in a broader context." The study showed that writings that categorized things alongside connecting concepts and ideas predicted the most academic success. This essay goes well beyond a dull answer to the prompt with clear personal examples and gives insight into this student's unique experience of the world. For bonus points, it also mentions a specific college offering (the FYE).

3. Reach Out for Help Are you experiencing writer’s block on your supplemental essays? Do you need an extra pair of eyes to review what you have already written? Veridian Prep has multiple readers on hand to evaluate every essay. We work with candidates to incorporate the correct tone in their responses and help students manage the timeline of their submissions. You can reach us here any time! And I encourage you to read our post on tips for writing your main Common App Personal essay here. Read More: https://www.veridianprep.com/blog/college- supplemental-essays-5-pitfalls-to-avoid