byu application essay word count

Humanities Center

Think clearly. Act well. Appreciate life.

2024 BYU Humanities Center Essay Contest

Theme: Creativity and Resilience

Word Count: 1,000 words maximum

Deadline: March 14, 2024

Prompt: The Humanities often require us to think creatively about the kind of work we do and the way we approach this work. How has this creative reflection helped you become more resilient?

• 1st Place: $500
• Runner-up: $250

Both undergraduate and graduate students are invited to participate. Please send all submissions and any questions to [email protected]

Things to Consider:

• Synthesize your personal experience with other thinkers or ideas. You are encouraged to include a secondary source, but it is not required.
• Focus on one key event or moment from your humanities education. This could be a memorable experience in a class or a museum, or a striking idea you pulled from a literary work or piece of art.
• Resilience has many definitions—any of which you might consider referencing. Biologists, for example, discuss resilience as the “return rate to equilibrium,” while psychologists speak of resilience in terms of “bouncing-back” and recovery. In this sense, researchers frequently identify resilience both as (1) flexibility, adaptability, and the capacity to transform, and (2) a kind of recovery, a form of healing. In other words, resilient individuals—and resilient communities—manifest the ability to respond to complexity, uncertainty, pain, and ever-changing environments in ways that promote healing and wholeness.
• Creativity also has many definitions you might consider referencing. Morris Stein wrote that “Creativity is the act of making things or solving problems in ways that are both new and useful,” while Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi found that creativity was commonly used to refer to people who express unusual, interesting, or novel perspectives and ideas. According to these definitions, creativity is closely related to (1) a sense of usefulness, and (2) a sense of newness. There are many ways in which something could be useful or new, especially when we consider that the term “creative” does not only describe people, but may also describe objects and activities as well.

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Your Top 25 College-Admission Questions Answered

Advanced parenting series part one.

Old-timers often remind whippersnappers that life was harder back in the day. But when it comes to college admissions, it’s today’s teens who are climbing uphill both ways. So what’s a well-meaning parent to do? We consulted with admissions experts and seasoned moms and dads to answer your most pressing questions.

Face the Facts

1 What are the odds?

While there is a growing sense that college admission is a crapshoot, it’s primarily the already-selective colleges that are getting more selective; more than five hundred schools have an acceptance rate higher than 75 percent. At the most extreme, Stanford’s 2015 admission rate was 5 percent. BYU’s admission rates went from 85.8 percent in 1968 to 50.5 percent last year.

Admission to BYU is difficult partly because it’s the true-blue dream school of most of its applicants. The school has an unusually high yield rate, which means that most students who are admitted choose BYU over other offers—78 percent compared to the average 34 percent. The top rank for yield rate, or “popularity,” has gone back and forth between Harvard and BYU since 2008, when U.S. News & World Report began ranking the “most popular university.” Since then, BYU has held the No. 1 spot three years and the No. 2 spot four years and has tied with Harvard once.

2 Am I the only parent who’s stressing out?

Nope. Alum David Dorough, who graduated with a MAcc in 1996 and is now a controller at L.A. Turbine, describes what many parents feel: “I had good grades and was involved in band and other activities, so I felt pretty confident when I applied to BYU,” he says. Fast-forward to when his daughter applied last year: “She was more prepared and qualified for college than I was—yet I was more concerned about whether she would get in.”

3 How early should my student start worrying about college?

Though good study habits and a love of learning should certainly start young, the time that matters most begins in middle school. For example, many colleges expect students to take calculus their senior year, so students should be ready to take Algebra II by ninth grade. BYU Admissions recommends taking four years of math and English, two to three years of lab science, two years of history or government, and two or more years of a foreign language.

4 My high schooler has good but not stellar grades and test scores. Is she doomed?

In 2015 the average GPA for admitted BYU students was 3.84, and the average ACT score was 28.95 (out of 36). But a student with an ACT below 29 shouldn’t give up on applying. “The average ACT and GPA just keep climbing,” says Kirk Strong, director of BYU Admissions. “But we want people to know that’s not all we look at. We use a truly holistic evaluation, which means we combine objective and subjective data.”

Do the Honors

5 How much do colleges care about AP classes?

For college hopefuls, a high-school schedule packed with honors, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses is the new normal. In yearly reports by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, colleges consistently rank grades in these college-prep courses as the top factor in admission decisions.

Keep in mind that each college considers advanced courses differently on their applications. Some schools look at an applicant’s weighted GPA; BYU looks at unweighted GPA but gives applicants who take AP and IB classes extra consideration.

6 How many AP classes should my teen take?

It all depends on your teen: If he thrives on being surrounded by other academic-minded students, two or three AP classes per semester may be in order. But if slipping grades or a packed schedule are a concern, consider signing up for only his strongest subjects. BYU Admissions recommends not taking an AP or IB class unless the student can maintain at least a 3.3 GPA.

Above all, make sure your teen isn’t loading up on AP classes just because he thinks it looks good.

“I frequently saw kids with perfect SAT scores and perfect grades and a gazillion AP classes get rejected,” wrote Ben Jones, former director of communications for MIT admissions, in a candid blog post on the MIT Admissions blog. “Why? Because often these kids knew how to grind but brought nothing else to the table.”

7 Does the college credit make a difference?

In addition to allowing students to prepare for college, AP classes can help students to earn college credit, which saves hundreds of dollars per class at lower-tuition colleges and more than a thousand dollars at higher-tuition colleges. To avoid earning duplicate credits, check the websites of your teen’s top-choice colleges to see which course credits apply to each AP test.

To the Test

8 How much do test scores matter? How high should the score be?

Test scores are right behind grades in importance to college admissions offices. As for the actual number, it all depends on which schools your teen is considering. Simply search online to find the average test score of admitted students, and use that as a target.

9 Should my kid take both the ACT and SAT?

Many colleges now accept scores from either test, so it’s beneficial to focus on just one, says Fred Zhang, cofounder of PrepScholar, which offers customized online test prep.

To find the best fit, have your teen take an official practice test for both the ACT and SAT (available free on each test’s website). Compare the scores (the ACT website has a chart to convert from ACT to SAT scoring), and if one score is one hundred points higher than the other, go for the higher-score test. If the difference is less than one hundred points, see what matches your teen’s situation—the ACT is typically better for those with test anxiety, and the SAT is better for those with strong language skills. Keep in mind a new version of the SAT will debut March 2016.

10 What study resources are out there?

The ACT and SAT websites offer official test-prep materials that range from free to $70, and books on the subject abound. Personalized services like Kaplan, The Princeton Review, PrepScholar, and Magoosh range from $50 to $7,000.

Online, check out video tutorials by the Khan Academy. Also useful are the blogs of college consulting firms like PrepScholar, IvyWise, Magoosh, and Noodle—their posts are packed with insider tips and timely analysis of admissions trends.

11 How much time should my teen spend studying for the tests?

Forty hours total is a good baseline for test prep, Zhang says, and ten hours is the absolute minimum to make it worth taking the ACT or SAT. For students who struggle with test taking or who want a super high score, closer to one hundred hours of study is in order. That may seem like a lot, especially for an overscheduled teen, but Zhang argues that test prep has the highest ROI of any college-prep pursuit.

“Students spend thousands of hours on getting good grades and hundreds of hours on extracurricular activities, but PrepScholar data shows that students who spend even just ten hours studying improve their SAT score by an average of 200 points—which can make a big difference in admission to competitive schools,” Zhang says.

12 How many times should my teen take the ACT or SAT?

Students should consider taking the ACT or SAT two to four times, Zhang says. In 2014 nearly 60 percent of students who retook the ACT increased their composite score. Another trend that’s helping students: about one hundred schools (not including BYU) now practice superscoring, which means a college takes your best score on each section across every time you took the ACT or SAT to create a combined, stronger superscore.

Extra, Extra

13 How can my teen stand out from the crowd?

If you comb through the admissions criteria from dozens of schools, a pattern becomes clear: colleges are looking for how students have contributed to their community in the past and how they might contribute to the college community (and its reputation) in the future.

“We really like students who make a contribution,” says BYU’s Kirk Strong, “because to us that’s part of the university education—that you are involved in clubs, teams, and wards, and that you’re going to share your gifts and talents.”

“Students should consider their interests and how they could apply them to serving the community,” suggests Sari Rauscher, the college counseling director for the Waterford School, a private school in Sandy, Utah. For example, one Waterford student with an interest in phlebotomy organized several blood drives at the school.

14 How can I help my kid be well-rounded?

When it comes to extracurricular activities, a well-rounded student has long been considered ideal, but many colleges in recent years have focused on creating a well-rounded student body. The new sought-after breed of student is labeled “pointy” or “well-lopsided”—“with demonstrated excellence in one particular endeavor,” as Harvard’s admission guidelines define it.

15 How can we prioritize all these to-dos?

The key to success is to focus on what interests your teen. Joan Johansson of Troy, Michigan, who attended BYU from 1982 to 1983, has had two children go to BYU and three go to BYU–Idaho. She says each of her kids found their own path. Their local high school was competitive, and many students only chose activities that would build their résumé. “Our kids have kind of taken a step away from that,” Johansson says. “They first focused on schoolwork, and then they carefully chose the extracurricular activities that brought them the most happiness. They were not so focused on the future that they didn’t enjoy the present.”

Words Count

16 Do colleges really pay attention to the essays?

YES! Essays follow grades and test scores in their importance, as rated by college admissions offices.

17 What are colleges looking for in the essays?

“I talk to the kids a lot about how the essay is your only chance to show you are a real person,” says Melinda Pickett, a 1988 BYU grad who is the college-application maven of Roseville, California. She’s helped dozens of kids in her stake—including two of her own—apply to BYU and University of California schools. “The essay is your chance to show something other than that you checked the exact same boxes as every other kid who went to seminary, got good grades, and served on a church youth committee.”

As with extracurriculars, colleges like to see in the essay how a student’s individual gifts and background will benefit the school community. At the same time, they don’t want to feel pandered to. “It becomes obvious when the student is not writing from the heart,” Strong says. “They’re approaching it with too much of a technical writing focus and trying to figure out what we want them to say. It’s so refreshing when they just write about themselves and their feelings and interests.”

18 What should my teen write about?

There aren’t necessarily right or wrong essay topics; “I had a student who wrote about wearing purple tights!” Rauscher says. Above all, it’s essential that the essay is true to the student’s voice. That means you (and any other adult) should be fairly hands-off in the writing process; you can proofread and help brainstorm but not rewrite. Students should start writing essays at least four to six weeks before the deadline to allow time to revise.

The Right Course

19 How does my teen narrow down which schools to apply to?

Perhaps your teen has no idea where to start or is simply looking to add a few more options beyond a dream school. Begin a discussion by asking what she is looking for in a college experience. For example, what program or major is she interested in? Is a diverse student body, a strong sports program, or a particular element of campus culture important? Does she want to stay close to home? You’ll probably have strong opinions about what you think she should do, but take time to listen before doling out advice.

Once your teen can answer those questions, unleash the college search engines. Popular options include Cappex, Noodle, the College Board’s Big Future, and College Confidential’s SuperMatch. (If you or your teen prefer to do your own data-crunching, you should use DIYcollegerankings.com as your guide.)

If you don’t have the time or budget for a campus visit, fret not: you can still glean information from the school’s website. Make sure to examine both the soft data—descriptions of student life, locale, and academics—and hard data, like the school’s graduation and placement rates and average alumni starting salary.

20 How do the CES options compare?

Church Educational System (CES) programs exist to provide higher education in an atmosphere consistent with the ideals and principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. CES schools are also consistently ranked for offering a high return on investment. “I would encourage all of our applicants to take a look at the full spectrum of CES institutions,” Strong says.

Here’s a quick rundown of what each school offers:

BYU in Provo is the oldest and largest of the CES institutions. It offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees, and the academic achievements of its faculty and students are nationally recognized. BYU also offers fifty-five study abroad programs and nineteen Division I sports teams that excel in national competitions.

BYU–Hawaii in Laie, Hawaii, is the most diverse of the CES schools (and one of the most diverse universities in the United States). Its strengths include international business, hospitality and tourism, cultural studies, exercise science, and biochemistry. The nearby Polynesian Cultural Center offers many work opportunities for its students.

BYU–Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho, offers both two-year and four-year degrees in a variety of majors. The school also offers a hybrid of online and in-class learning. The Concurrent Enrollment program gives high-school juniors and seniors the opportunity to begin earning BYU–Idaho credit online, and the Pathway program offers a flexible and low-cost college experience through online courses combined with local gatherings.

LDS Business College in Salt Lake City focuses on quickly preparing students for careers. Its programs include social media marketing, computer programming, interior design, health, and business and paralegal studies. LDSBC also offers small class sizes and generous scholarships.

You can read more about each of the CES institutions at besmart.com.

21 How do we figure out which schools we can actually afford?

It’s easy to both overestimate and underestimate the real cost of college. One helpful tool is the net price calculator, which any college accepting federal funds is required to provide. Search “net price calculator [college name]” to find it. The purpose is to calculate the cost of attendance minus financial aid, based on what similar students paid in the past. Schools are allowed to choose how detailed to make their calculators, so consider the results an estimate, not a guarantee.

22 How important is “demonstrated interest”? Does early decision help?

As colleges are flooded with higher numbers of applications, a student’s demonstrated interest in the school has become more important—three times as important as ten years ago, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

If your teen is set on one school, he should consider applying early decision, which means an applicant is committed to attending that school if accepted. According to IvyWise, early decision applicants are 20 to 70 percent more likely to be accepted.

Another important way to demonstrate interest is through the “Why this school?” application essay, which is sometimes optional. Encourage your teen to consider it mandatory and to research how the school would be a good fit.

Oh the Places You’ll Go

23 What if my teen doesn’t get into her dream school?

From the start parents should teach kids that a particular school is not the only gateway to success—and that success can take many different forms.

“In so many ways it doesn’t matter where you go; it matters what you do when you get there,” says Rauscher of the Waterford School, adding that most students who don’t get into their top-choice school end up realizing a second-choice school is a better fit.

Alum Wendell Williams, a partner at Lombardia Capital Partners who graduated with a MAcc in 1995, says he vividly remembers the day his daughter found out she didn’t get into BYU—and the tear-filled days that followed. “It was crushing,” he says. “Her older sister, my wife and I, my wife’s parents—we all went to BYU. We said to her, ‘You have a different path. And that’s OK.’”

24 What are our options when the first choice falls through?

Ideally a student could opt for a backup school they applied to, but there are always alternatives if that isn’t an option. Students can apply to colleges with later admission deadlines, take classes at a community college (just make sure they’re transferrable), learn new skills with massive open online courses, join a national service organization, get a job, or start a small business.

Williams’s daughter was able to gain acceptance at Utah Valley University and will soon be applying to its nursing program. “She loves it,” Williams says.

25 Sigh. Why does it all have to be so hard?

Yes, it is hard. And certainly the system could be improved. But as your teen (with your constant encouragement) sticks to doing hard things like test-prepping and essay-crafting and flute-practicing and community-serving, she’s gaining one important characteristic: grit.

In a buzzy TED talk, psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth introduced grit as the most important predictor of student success—more than IQ, social intelligence, or any other factor. “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals,” Duckworth said. “Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out. . . . Grit is living life like a marathon, not a sprint.”

That grit can help your soon-to-be-grown-up teen forge success in college—and beyond.

What Matters Most to Colleges

Source: 2014 State of College Admission Report by the National Association for College Admission Counseling

Want to learn more about the specifics of applying to the BYU Marriott School of Business? Visit marriott.byu.edu/apply

Written by Holly Munson Illustrations by Scotty Reifsnyder

About the Author Holly Munson is a freelance writer and editor. She graduated from BYU with a degree in journalism and lives in Philadelphia with her family.

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How to help your child get into BYU: The application essays can make or break their acceptance

By college essay builder | posted - sept. 28, 2022 at 3:00 p.m., (college essay builder).

Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

Does your child have what it takes to get into BYU?

The stakes of getting accepted to BYU are getting higher and higher. It is estimated that over 12,000 students will apply to BYU — Provo this fall. And using last year's acceptance rates , more than 4,000 won't make the cut.

With such a large pool of applicants, the BYU Admissions Committee is often tasked with choosing between highly-qualified applicants who all meet the minimum requirements. And since BYU is not currently requiring standardized test scores, it is even more difficult for applicants to stand out.

With all of these factors, parents want to know:

"Is there anything I can do to improve my child's chances for acceptance to BYU?" The answer to this question is an absolute "yes!"

How the BYU application essays can make or break your child's acceptance

By the time your child begins their BYU application, nearly all of the application criteria (transcripts, activities, awards, etc.) is fixed and can't be influenced or changed — with one notable exception: the essays.

The BYU application essays have become one of the most critical ways your child will be evaluated by the admissions committee. This is because the essays are the best way for the committee to get to know your child on a personal level to determine how well they have demonstrated their preparation and alignment with the Mission and Aims of BYU .

In fact, the BYU essays are the only real controllable factor your child has at this point that can either help or hurt their chances of getting accepted.

The wrong way to write BYU application essays

Just sitting down to "knock out" the essays without understanding what BYU is looking for is a huge mistake. Successful BYU essays require deep introspection, multiple drafts and a good deal of pre-work. Students who don't allow time for these crucial activities end up writing sub-par BYU essays that suffer from one or more of the following issues:

Too generic

It isn't natural for most high-school seniors to be vulnerable and genuine. This often results in superficial essays that don't give enough information about your child for BYU admissions to complete a proper evaluation.

This year, BYU has shortened most of the essays by 500 characters. The lower the character count, the more difficult it is for students to effectively address everything the prompt is asking for. Consequently, students can easily spend too much of their essay telling a story but not allowing enough space for important connections and reflections.

No effective feedback

Most students work on their BYU essays right up to the deadline and don't have the proper time to get feedback and make revisions. If parents do read the essays, they often don't know how to provide the most helpful feedback. This cycle often results in substantial errors in essay structure, content and grammar.

The right way to write BYU application essays: The 3 most important questions

Susie Boyce, founder of College Essay Builder , has been helping students write BYU application essays since 2007. Over the years, she has discovered three fundamental questions that all successful BYU essays must effectively answer. These three questions are:

Do my child's essays show that they value the aims of a BYU education?

Each BYU essay should correlate directly to one or more of the Aims of a BYU Education . It is critical that the stories and examples your child uses in their essays make the connection clear and personal. A close look at the BYU admissions website emphasizes that BYU uses the aims to evaluate all areas of the application — especially the essays.

Do my child's essays help them stand out from thousands of other applicants?

This fall, BYU will receive more than 70,000 essays. Given the sheer volume, how will you ensure your child's essays stand out and are memorable for all the right reasons?

The key to this question is helping your child identify events, people and stories from their life that highlight their genuine and unique experiences. This requires vulnerability; the essays should tell compelling stories showing your child's journey, growth and transformation. These personal stories can become the heart of each essay, connecting the reader to your child in an unforgettable way.

Do my child's essays demonstrate their character, values, testimony and potential as a BYU student?

BYU has provided some direct expectations about what they want to see in your child's essay on their admissions website :

"...make sure you read the prompt and answer what's being asked. If there's something about you we should know, make sure to include it in your essay responses!"

Why does BYU want your child to share so much? Because the essays are the best chance admissions counselors have to understand and evaluate your child's character, values, testimony and potential as a BYU student.

To effectively do this, your child must address each prompt completely and deeply. Take time to identify stories and examples that showcase how they have grown and developed in these four areas and write conclusions that make a powerful connection to what BYU is looking for.

The bottom line

You can do something to improve your child's chances for acceptance to BYU. Helping your child write their best BYU application essays is the most important way you can accomplish this goal.

But you don't have to do this alone. College Essay Builder has created a comprehensive application essay course for BYU that leads your child step-by-step through the process of writing all the BYU application essays. With the help of videos, downloads, templates and examples, your child will be writing their best BYU essays faster and more effectively than any other method.

In this course your child will learn:

• How to personalize the BYU Aims and meaningfully connect them to each essay.
• How to identify and tell compelling personal stories that demonstrate their potential as a successful BYU student.
• How to approach each essay prompt to address BYU's specific expectations.
• How to start each essay to "hook" the reader.
• How to conclude each essay to make a powerful connection.
• How to write clear and concise paragraphs that answer each prompt completely and deeply.
• How to edit and revise their essays utilizing proprietary feedback guides.

The stakes are too high to not do everything you can to help your child get accepted.

And the most controllable thing you can do right now to increase your child's chances of acceptance to BYU is to help them write their best BYU essays by enrolling them in the full essay course for BYU today.

And for a limited time, use the coupon code KSL50 to get $50 off the full course price.

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Frequently asked questions

How do i stay under the word count on my college application essay.

Write concisely and use the active voice to maintain a quick pace throughout your essay and make sure it’s the right length . Avoid adding definitions unless they provide necessary explanation.

Frequently asked questions: College admissions essays

When writing your Common App essay , choose a prompt that sparks your interest and that you can connect to a unique personal story.

No matter which prompt you choose, admissions officers are more interested in your ability to demonstrate personal development , insight, or motivation for a certain area of study.

The Common App essay is your primary writing sample within the Common Application, a college application portal accepted by more than 900 schools. All your prospective schools that accept the Common App will read this essay to understand your character, background, and value as a potential student.

Since this essay is read by many colleges, avoid mentioning any college names or programs; instead, save tailored answers for the supplementary school-specific essays within the Common App.

Most importantly, your essay should be about you , not another person or thing. An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability.

Your essay shouldn’t be a résumé of your experiences but instead should tell a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.

When revising your college essay , first check for big-picture issues regarding your message and content. Then, check for flow, tone, style , and clarity. Finally, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors .

If your college essay goes over the word count limit , cut any sentences with tangents or irrelevant details. Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

If you’ve got to write your college essay fast , don’t panic. First, set yourself deadlines: you should spend about 10% of your remaining time on brainstorming, 10% on outlining, 40% writing, 30% revising, and 10% taking breaks in between stages.

Second, brainstorm stories and values based on your essay prompt.

Third, outline your essay based on the montage or narrative essay structure .

Fourth, write specific, personal, and unique stories that would be hard for other students to replicate.

Fifth, revise your essay and make sure it’s clearly written.

Last, if possible, get feedback from an essay coach . Scribbr essay editors can help you revise your essay in 12 hours or less.

Avoid swearing in a college essay , since admissions officers’ opinions of profanity will vary. In some cases, it might be okay to use a vulgar word, such as in dialogue or quotes that make an important point in your essay. However, it’s safest to try to make the same point without swearing.

If you have bad grades on your transcript, you may want to use your college admissions essay to explain the challenging circumstances that led to them. Make sure to avoid dwelling on the negative aspects and highlight how you overcame the situation or learned an important lesson.

However, some college applications offer an additional information section where you can explain your bad grades, allowing you to choose another meaningful topic for your college essay.

Here’s a brief list of college essay topics that may be considered cliché:

• Extracurriculars, especially sports
• Role models
• Dealing with a personal tragedy or death in the family
• Struggling with new life situations (immigrant stories, moving homes, parents’ divorce)
• Becoming a better person after community service, traveling, or summer camp
• Overcoming a difficult class
• Using a common object as an extended metaphor

It’s easier to write a standout essay with a unique topic. However, it’s possible to make a common topic compelling with interesting story arcs, uncommon connections, and an advanced writing style.

Yes. The college application essay is less formal than other academic writing —though of course it’s not mandatory to use contractions in your essay.

In a college essay , you can be creative with your language . When writing about the past, you can use the present tense to make the reader feel as if they were there in the moment with you. But make sure to maintain consistency and when in doubt, default to the correct verb tense according to the time you’re writing about.

The college admissions essay gives admissions officers a different perspective on you beyond your academic achievements, test scores, and extracurriculars. It’s your chance to stand out from other applicants with similar academic profiles by telling a unique, personal, and specific story.

Use a standard font such as Times New Roman or Arial to avoid distracting the reader from your college essay’s content.

A college application essay is less formal than most academic writing . Instead of citing sources formally with in-text citations and a reference list, you can cite them informally in your text.

For example, “In her research paper on genetics, Quinn Roberts explores …”

There is no set number of paragraphs in a college admissions essay . College admissions essays can diverge from the traditional five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in English class. Just make sure to stay under the specified word count .

Most topics are acceptable for college essays if you can use them to demonstrate personal growth or a lesson learned. However, there are a few difficult topics for college essays that should be avoided. Avoid topics that are:

• Overly personal (e.g. graphic details of illness or injury, romantic or sexual relationships)
• Not personal enough (e.g. broad solutions to world problems, inspiring people or things)
• Too negative (e.g. an in-depth look at your flaws, put-downs of others, criticizing the need for a college essay)
• Too boring (e.g. a resume of your academic achievements and extracurriculars)
• Inappropriate for a college essay (e.g. illegal activities, offensive humor, false accounts of yourself, bragging about privilege)

To write an effective diversity essay , include vulnerable, authentic stories about your unique identity, background, or perspective. Provide insight into how your lived experience has influenced your outlook, activities, and goals. If relevant, you should also mention how your background has led you to apply for this university and why you’re a good fit.

Many universities believe a student body composed of different perspectives, beliefs, identities, and backgrounds will enhance the campus learning and community experience.

Admissions officers are interested in hearing about how your unique background, identity, beliefs, culture, or characteristics will enrich the campus community, which is why they assign a diversity essay .

In addition to your main college essay , some schools and scholarships may ask for a supplementary essay focused on an aspect of your identity or background. This is sometimes called a diversity essay .

You can use humor in a college essay , but carefully consider its purpose and use it wisely. An effective use of humor involves unexpected, keen observations of the everyday, or speaks to a deeper theme. Humor shouldn’t be the main focus of the essay, but rather a tool to improve your storytelling.

Get a second opinion from a teacher, counselor, or essay coach on whether your essay’s humor is appropriate.

Though admissions officers are interested in hearing your story, they’re also interested in how you tell it. An exceptionally written essay will differentiate you from other applicants, meaning that admissions officers will spend more time reading it.

You can use literary devices to catch your reader’s attention and enrich your storytelling; however, focus on using just a few devices well, rather than trying to use as many as possible.

To decide on a good college essay topic , spend time thoughtfully answering brainstorming questions. If you still have trouble identifying topics, try the following two strategies:

• Identify your qualities → Brainstorm stories that demonstrate these qualities
• Identify memorable stories → Connect your qualities to these stories

You can also ask family, friends, or mentors to help you brainstorm topics, give feedback on your potential essay topics, or recall key stories that showcase your qualities.

Yes—admissions officers don’t expect everyone to have a totally unique college essay topic . But you must differentiate your essay from others by having a surprising story arc, an interesting insight, and/or an advanced writing style .

There are no foolproof college essay topics —whatever your topic, the key is to write about it effectively. However, a good topic

• Is meaningful, specific, and personal to you
• Focuses on you and your experiences
• Reveals something beyond your test scores, grades, and extracurriculars
• Is creative and original

Unlike a five-paragraph essay, your admissions essay should not end by summarizing the points you’ve already made. It’s better to be creative and aim for a strong final impression.

You should also avoid stating the obvious (for example, saying that you hope to be accepted).

There are a few strategies you can use for a memorable ending to your college essay :

• Return to the beginning with a “full circle” structure
• Reveal the main point or insight in your story
• Look to the future
• End on an action

The best technique will depend on your topic choice, essay outline, and writing style. You can write several endings using different techniques to see which works best.

College deadlines vary depending on the schools you’re applying to and your application plan:

• For early action applications and the first round of early decision applications, the deadline is on November 1 or 15. Decisions are released by mid-December.
• For the second round of early decision applications, the deadline is January 1 or 15. Decisions are released in January or February.
• Regular decision deadlines usually fall between late November and mid-March, and decisions are released in March or April.
• Rolling admission deadlines run from July to April, and decisions are released around four to eight weeks after submission.

Depending on your prospective schools’ requirements, you may need to submit scores for the SAT or ACT as part of your college application .

Some schools now no longer require students to submit test scores; however, you should still take the SAT or ACT and aim to get a high score to strengthen your application package.

Aim to take the SAT or ACT in the spring of your junior year to give yourself enough time to retake it in the fall of your senior year if necessary.

Apply early for federal student aid and application fee waivers. You can also look for scholarships from schools, corporations, and charitable foundations.

To maximize your options, you should aim to apply to about eight schools:

• Two reach schools that might be difficult to get into
• Four match schools that you have a good chance of getting into
• Two safety schools that you feel confident you’ll get into

The college admissions essay accounts for roughly 25% of the weight of your application .

At highly selective schools, there are four qualified candidates for every spot. While your academic achievements are important, your college admissions essay can help you stand out from other applicants with similar profiles.

In general, for your college application you will need to submit all of the following:

• Your personal information
• List of extracurriculars and awards
• College application essays
• Transcripts
• Standardized test scores
• Recommendation letters.

Different colleges may have specific requirements, so make sure you check exactly what’s expected in the application guidance.

You should start thinking about your college applications the summer before your junior year to give you sufficient time for college visits, taking standardized tests, applying for financial aid , writing essays, and collecting application material.

Yes, but make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, respects the word count , and demonstrates the organization’s values.

If you plan ahead, you can save time by writing one scholarship essay for multiple prompts with similar questions. In a scholarship tracker spreadsheet, you can group or color-code overlapping essay prompts; then, write a single essay for multiple scholarships. Sometimes, you can even reuse or adapt your main college essay .

You can start applying for scholarships as early as your junior year. Continue applying throughout your senior year.

Invest time in applying for various scholarships , especially local ones with small dollar amounts, which are likely easier to win and more reflective of your background and interests. It will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay if the scholarship topic is meaningful to you.

You can find scholarships through your school counselor, community network, or an internet search.

A scholarship essay requires you to demonstrate your values and qualities while answering the prompt’s specific question.

After researching the scholarship organization, identify a personal experience that embodies its values and exemplifies how you will be a successful student.

A standout college essay has several key ingredients:

• A unique, personally meaningful topic
• A memorable introduction with vivid imagery or an intriguing hook
• Specific stories and language that show instead of telling
• Vulnerability that’s authentic but not aimed at soliciting sympathy
• Clear writing in an appropriate style and tone
• A conclusion that offers deep insight or a creative ending

While timelines will differ depending on the student, plan on spending at least 1–3 weeks brainstorming and writing the first draft of your college admissions essay , and at least 2–4 weeks revising across multiple drafts. Don’t forget to save enough time for breaks between each writing and editing stage.

You should already begin thinking about your essay the summer before your senior year so that you have plenty of time to try out different topics and get feedback on what works.

Your college essay accounts for about 25% of your application’s weight. It may be the deciding factor in whether you’re accepted, especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurricular track records.

In most cases, quoting other people isn’t a good way to start your college essay . Admissions officers want to hear your thoughts about yourself, and quotes often don’t achieve that. Unless a quote truly adds something important to your essay that it otherwise wouldn’t have, you probably shouldn’t include it.

Cliché openers in a college essay introduction are usually general and applicable to many students and situations. Most successful introductions are specific: they only work for the unique essay that follows.

The key to a strong college essay introduction is not to give too much away. Try to start with a surprising statement or image that raises questions and compels the reader to find out more.

The introduction of your college essay is the first thing admissions officers will read and therefore your most important opportunity to stand out. An excellent introduction will keep admissions officers reading, allowing you to tell them what you want them to know.

You can speed up this process by shortening and smoothing your writing with a paraphrasing tool . After that, you can use the summarizer to shorten it even more.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit to write a developed and thoughtful essay.

You should aim to stay under the specified word count limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, don’t write too little, as it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a detailed and insightful narrative about yourself.

If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

In your application essay , admissions officers are looking for particular features : they want to see context on your background, positive traits that you could bring to campus, and examples of you demonstrating those qualities.

Colleges want to be able to differentiate students who seem similar on paper. In the college application essay , they’re looking for a way to understand each applicant’s unique personality and experiences.

You don’t need a title for your college admissions essay , but you can include one if you think it adds something important.

Your college essay’s format should be as simple as possible:

• Use a standard, readable font
• Use 1.5 or double spacing
• If attaching a file, save it as a PDF
• Stick to the word count
• Avoid unusual formatting and unnecessary decorative touches

There are no set rules for how to structure a college application essay , but these are two common structures that work:

• A montage structure, a series of vignettes with a common theme.
• A narrative structure, a single story that shows your personal growth or how you overcame a challenge.

Avoid the five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in high school.

Campus visits are always helpful, but if you can’t make it in person, the college website will have plenty of information for you to explore. You should look through the course catalog and even reach out to current faculty with any questions about the school.

Colleges set a “Why this college?” essay because they want to see that you’ve done your research. You must prove that you know what makes the school unique and can connect that to your own personal goals and academic interests.

Depending on your writing, you may go through several rounds of revision . Make sure to put aside your essay for a little while after each editing stage to return with a fresh perspective.

Teachers and guidance counselors can help you check your language, tone, and content . Ask for their help at least one to two months before the submission deadline, as many other students will also want their help.

Friends and family are a good resource to check for authenticity. It’s best to seek help from family members with a strong writing or English educational background, or from older siblings and cousins who have been through the college admissions process.

If possible, get help from an essay coach or editor ; they’ll have specialized knowledge of college admissions essays and be able to give objective expert feedback.

When revising your college essay , first check for big-picture issues regarding message, flow, tone, style , and clarity. Then, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors.

Include specific, personal details and use your authentic voice to shed a new perspective on a common human experience.

Through specific stories, you can weave your achievements and qualities into your essay so that it doesn’t seem like you’re bragging from a resume.

When writing about yourself , including difficult experiences or failures can be a great way to show vulnerability and authenticity, but be careful not to overshare, and focus on showing how you matured from the experience.

First, spend time reflecting on your core values and character . You can start with these questions:

• What are three words your friends or family would use to describe you, and why would they choose them?
• Whom do you admire most and why?
• What are you most proud of? Ashamed of?

However, you should do a comprehensive brainstorming session to fully understand your values. Also consider how your values and goals match your prospective university’s program and culture. Then, brainstorm stories that illustrate the fit between the two.

In a college application essay , you can occasionally bend grammatical rules if doing so adds value to the storytelling process and the essay maintains clarity.

However, use standard language rules if your stylistic choices would otherwise distract the reader from your overall narrative or could be easily interpreted as unintentional errors.

Use first-person “I” statements to speak from your perspective . Use appropriate word choices that show off your vocabulary but don’t sound like you used a thesaurus. Avoid using idioms or cliché expressions by rewriting them in a creative, original way.

If you’re an international student applying to a US college and you’re comfortable using American idioms or cultural references , you can. But instead of potentially using them incorrectly, don’t be afraid to write in detail about yourself within your own culture.

Provide context for any words, customs, or places that an American admissions officer might be unfamiliar with.

College application essays are less formal than other kinds of academic writing . Use a conversational yet respectful tone , as if speaking with a teacher or mentor. Be vulnerable about your feelings, thoughts, and experiences to connect with the reader.

Aim to write in your authentic voice , with a style that sounds natural and genuine. You can be creative with your word choice, but don’t use elaborate vocabulary to impress admissions officers.

Admissions officers use college admissions essays to evaluate your character, writing skills , and ability to self-reflect . The essay is your chance to show what you will add to the academic community.

The college essay may be the deciding factor in your application , especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurriculars.

Some colleges also require supplemental essays about specific topics, such as why you chose that specific college . Scholarship essays are often required to obtain financial aid .

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, maximizing word count in common app essay.

I'm curious about how important it is to use all 650 words for the Common App essay. Is it better to be succinct if I've said everything I need to, or do colleges expect us to use up all the space provided?

It's a common misconception that you need to hit the maximum word count to have an effective Common App essay. Admissions officers prioritize quality over quantity. If you can convey your message, showcase your personality, and answer the prompt effectively in fewer words, that's perfectly fine. It's better to have a shorter, well-crafted essay than one that feels stretched out or is filled with fluff just to meet the word limit.

Remember, the admissions team reads thousands of essays, a concise essay that makes a strong impression can often be more memorable than a lengthy one. Also, if you're running significantly under the word count, make sure you're taking advantage of the opportunity to share as much about yourself as possible without redundancy. Sometimes, what seems succinct to you might be too sparse from an admissions perspective.

A good guideline is to aim for at least 500 words to ensure you're delving into the topic enough to give the admissions team a full picture of you or your experience, but don't stretch it to 650 unless necessary. Always prioritize sharing a complete and engaging story or analysis over hitting a word count.

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How Long Should Your College Essay Be? What Is the Ideal Length?

What’s covered: , personal statement length vs. supplemental essay length, are college essay word limits hard, what if a college essay word count isn’t given, what if you need to submit a graded paper, where to get your essays edited.

Students often spend hours agonizing over the best topics for their college essays. While it’s natural to wonder whether your personal statement is original or compelling enough, there’s one aspect of the process that shouldn’t cause you undue stress—how many words should a college essay be? Fortunately, with a little research, you can uncover the ideal college essay length for all your applications.

Unlike high school assignments, which typically have a strict page requirement, most colleges provide a word limit or word range for their application essays. This practice helps ensure that essays are the same length regardless of font or formatting. A good guideline is that students should strive to get as close as possible to the upper limit of the word range without exceeding it. Keep reading to learn more about best practices for college essay length.

How many words should a college essay be? Personal statements are generally 500-650 words. For example, the Common Application , which can be used to apply to more than 800 colleges, requires an essay ranging from 250-650 words . Similarly, the Coalition Application , which has 150 member schools, features an essay with a recommended length of 500-650 words.

650 words is the most common limit for your personal statement, but some schools may ask students to write more or less. For example, ApplyTexas , a platform used to apply to Texas public universities and other select colleges, requests essays with requirements that vary by school. For example, students applying to UT Austin will need to submit an essay of 500-700 words, along with three short-answer questions of 250-300 words each.

On the other hand, the University of California (UC) application includes a Personal Insight section with eight prompts . Students are asked to respond to any four of these prompts, with each response topping out at 350 words.

Additionally, some schools request a few supplemental essays, which are typically shorter than a personal statement. These questions are designed to gain more information about a student’s interests and abilities, and may include topics like your reasons for wanting to attend their school, your desired major, or your favorite activity.

Most schools require 1-3 supplemental essays, though some may require more or none at all (see our list of top colleges without supplemental essays ). These essays tend to be around 250 words, but some may be just as long as your main essay. For example, Cornell requires applicants to write a second supplemental essay (of 650 words max) that is specific to the program they’re applying to. The exception to this is the Cornell College of Engineering, for which applicants are required to compose two supplemental essays of 250 words max each.

For best results, keep your essays within the word range provided. While you don’t have to hit the count exactly, you should aim to stay within a 10% difference of the upper limit—without including fluff or filler. For example, if the school requests 500 words, try to ensure that your essay is between 450 and 500 words.

For the Common App, try to stay within 550-650 words, even though the given range is 250-650. Any submission shorter than 500 words will make it look as though you simply didn’t care enough to give your best effort. An essay shorter than 500 words won’t be long enough to truly share who you are and what matters to you.

Exceeding the word count isn’t an option—the application portal cuts off anything over the maximum number of allowed words. This is something you want to be particularly careful of if you’re drafting your essay in a Word or Google document and pasting it into the application.

Although most schools provide applicants with a specific word count, some offer more general guidelines. For example, a college may ask for a particular number of pages or paragraphs.

If you aren’t given a word count, try to adhere to the best practices and conventions of writing. Avoid writing especially short or overly long paragraphs—250 words per paragraph is generally a safe upper limit. If you’re asked to write a certain number of pages, single- or double-spaced, stick to a standard font and font size (like 12-point Times New Roman).

In the event that the college doesn’t offer any guidelines at all, aim for an essay length of around 500 words.

While essays are the most commonly requested writing sample, some colleges ask for additional pieces of content. For example, Princeton University requires students to submit a previously graded paper for evaluation .

Princeton offers guidelines that cover length, but if another school requests an old paper and doesn’t offer length requirements, a paper ranging from 3-5 pages should yield the best results. The goal is to select a paper long enough to showcase your writing skills and unique voice, but short enough that the admissions officer doesn’t get bored reading it.

Is your essay effective while staying within the required word count? It’s hard to evaluate your own writing, especially after rereading it numerous times. CollegeVine’s free Peer Essay Review provides an opportunity to have your essay reviewed by a fellow student, for free. Similarly, you can help other students by reviewing their essays—this is a great way to refine your own writing skills.

Expert advice is also available. CollegeVine’s advisors are prepared to help you perfect your personal statement and submit a successful application to your top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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“Susie was a tremendous help with my BYU essays. She helped me come up with ideas and phrase them in a way that accurately supported my ideas. Susie was very positive and supportive throughout the editing process and had excellent suggestions for changes. The essays were the extra strength that I needed to get into BYU.”

“Susie was a big help getting me into BYU. I had heard from everyone that the essays were the most important part of getting accepted and wanted to do a great job on them. Before I started working with Susie, I had ideas but wasn't sure what to write about. Susie gave me great advice and helped me brainstorm much better topics than what I originally had. After I wrote the essays, Susie gave me professional editing help so that the essays expressed my ideas how I wanted them to. Overall, I can guarantee that the help Susie gave me really increased my odds of getting into BYU.”

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