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Stuck on Your College Essay? 8 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

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We’ve all had that feeling. You know you have to write an essay, a research paper, or even a story, but you can’t seem to string two thoughts together. It’s frustrating, it’s disheartening, and you don’t know how long it’ll be before inspiration strikes again.

This familiar feeling is commonly known as “writer’s block”. According to The New Yorker , it was once believed that writer’s block was caused by exhausting one’s supply of inspiration or a lack of external motivation. Now, thanks to the research of Jermone Singer and Michael Barrios, we know that there are four broad causes of writer’s block:

Excessively harsh self-criticism
Fear of being compared to other writers and their work
A lake of external motivation such as praise or attention
A lack of internal motivation such as a desire to share a story with the world

No matter which bucket your writer’s block falls under, you are certainly not alone, and you can definitely get your creative juices flowing again. Want to get over your writer’s block? Here are some proven techniques that will help re-inspire your writing.

Tips For Overcoming Writer’s Block On Your College Essay

1. freewrite .

A lot of people get stuck on the idea that what they write has to be perfect, and that pressure keeps them from writing down anything at all. If you find yourself feeling that weight on your shoulders, just take a step back for a minute. Give yourself some leeway to write whatever you want on the topic that you’re writing about, even if it’s grammatically incorrect or irrelevant. Just writing something down can often give the mind something to work with, and it can often lead to further inspiration.

Keep in mind that this freewriting can take whatever form you want it to. It can be full sentences, bullet points, even phrases randomly placed on a sheet of paper. Whatever gets your brain thinking in some capacity is a good step in overcoming writer’s block.

2. Respond to Brainstorm Questions

What if your writer’s block is so bad that you can’t even come up with a topic or subject for your essay? If you need a place to start, try thinking about something that is not directly related to your college essays. The easiest things to brainstorm are things that you know, like yourself. Here are some easy brainstorm questions to get you thinking:

Who are my favorite characters on TV, Literature, and movies? Why are these my favorite characters?
What is something that I would join a multi-day protest march for? Is there actually anything that I am passionate about?
Say I had to start a business selling something, and I would achieve the average level of success (financially, socially, etc) within that business, what would I choose to do?
What nonprofit or cause would I volunteer for assuming I could not choose an activity that I’ve already done or an activity available in my school?

While these questions may not be immediately relevant to the college essay you’re trying to write, they are introspective questions. So the more you think about answers to these questions, the more you are reflecting on yourself and your goals. If you can start writing down your answers, then you’re already well on your way to writing a personal statement or explaining your interests and passions to colleges.

3. Talk It Out With A Friend

College essays always ask you to reflect on yourself, and who knows you better than some of your closest friends? While they shouldn’t write your essay for you, they can be a good sounding board for ideas while giving you some ideas of their own. Try contacting someone you trust and asking them how they would answer the essay prompt if they were answering it for you. See what comes to their mind. They may bring up an interesting approach to an essay that you hadn’t even thought about, or remind you about an aspect of yourself that you hadn’t already considered. Their ideas could help spark your ideas.

Keep in mind, this doesn’t have to be a friend. It could be a close relative, a neighbor, or even a teacher. You just need to talk to somebody who knows you well and can give you insight on how you should approach the essay, not how they would.

4. Read a Memoir or Listen To a Podcast

Inspiration tends to fuel inspiration, and what better way to get inspired to write a creative essay about yourself than to read/listen to others’ creative essays about themselves. Perhaps listening to people tell their stories will give you some ideas on how you can tell your story for your college essays.

People share their stories in a variety of ways, both offline and online. You could read the personal memoir of someone who inspires you, or of someone whose story you relate to. If you want something that takes a little bit less time, you could listen to a podcast or watch a TED Talk of people telling their stories. Some other places to find inspiration are The New York Times’ Modern Love column or stories from The Moth . Most of the above are short and quick and could possibly spark inspiration for your own essay.

writer's block college application essay

5. Change Your Environment

Maybe it’s not that you lack ideas or inspiration. Maybe you just can’t, for whatever reason, seem to get your ideas down on paper. That’s totally normal, and there’s a chance that your environment has something to do with it. If you’ve been brainstorming in your room for hours or if you’re not comfortable wherever you are, it’s going to be very difficult for you to be able to write creatively and vulnerably.

Try going somewhere else to write, preferably somewhere with fresh air and sunshine. A simple change of scenery can be surprisingly helpful in getting your brain to work again and letting the creativity come through. As long as you’re peaceful and comfortable wherever you go, it’s a good place to be writing.

6. Get Some Exercise

It is commonly accepted that exercise releases endorphins and other helpful chemicals that stimulate your brain and keep you happy. In this way, exercise can be very beneficial in the writing process. If you’re feeling frustrated because of your writer’s block, exercise can lift your mood and give you a much-needed break. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, the chemicals in your brain can help spark some creative inspiration for your essay.

Of course, it might be a little bit difficult to go for a run or get exercise if you’re staying at home. Just remember that no form of exercise is better than another, and exercise doesn’t have to take up a lot of space. Do some jumping jacks in place, find an apartment-friendly workout video online, or just put on some music and dance in your room. The key is to get your body moving.

7. Use a Pen and Paper

Most students type their essays on computers instead of writing them down, and this makes sense. Almost all college applications are submitted online now, and it’s easier to share your essays with others for editing.

That being said, typing your essays may not be the best idea if you’re experiencing writer’s block. The blank screen in front of you may be a psychological deterrent to your creativity, and the internet may serve as a huge distraction.

If you find yourself unable to come up with something to write on a computer, try going old school and writing your ideas with a pen and paper. If you don’t have any of that around, try jotting down some ideas on a dry erase board or chalkboard. Writing your ideas instead of typing them encourages you to jot down shorter ideas and think in an entirely different way. This can be a beneficial switch for your brain as you attempt to overcome your writer’s block.

8. Work On A Different Section

Who says that you have to write your essay from start to finish? If you are having trouble coming up with the beginning, write the end or start somewhere in the middle! If you have an idea of what you want to say and how you want the essay to flow, you can write it down in whatever order you want. Write down the parts that come easiest to you and circle back to the parts you haven’t quite figured out yet. This way, you’ll at least have something written down, and you can use that something to inspire you to write the other parts of your essay later.

Again, your essay does not have to be perfect on the first draft. If the different parts of your essay don’t seem to fit together because you wrote them at different times, that’s okay. At least you’ll have all of the parts written down, and you can edit from there.

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Break Through Writer’s Block! Tips for Your College Admissions Essay

Not sure how to go about writing your college adissions essay? Fear not! We've all been there.

The college admissions essay is daunting. The possibility of writing about anything, and with the essay being such a central part of your application, can reduce even the most confident writer to a procrastinator of distinction. Regardless of the prompt you choose, the Common Application essay is a way for admissions committees to get a sense of who you are and what makes you tick. It therefore involves a fairly high level of introspection on one’s life and goals, and thus why it can be so hard to write. But breaking the writer’s block doesn’t need to be as hard as you think. The key to coming up with good ideas for a college essay which speaks to who you are as a candidate and as a person (which, ultimately, is what you want to do) is to structure the brainstorm around a few core questions .

Here are three questions I often have my students think about which, in the past, have led to some great college essays. When considering them, do a brainstorm in whatever way you find most effective. Create a Google Doc and write down your ideas in bullet points, take a walk with a notepad and jot things down as you think of them, or discuss these prompts with one of your parents or friends.

Think about what drives you as a student.

You want to study astronomy, economics, or international relations in college. Great. OK, so why? Write down your motivations. Maybe your uncle loves astronomy, you’ve grown up looking at the stars, and you’re motivated to look farther out into the universe than has previously been accomplished. Maybe you travelled to Central America in high school and it sparked an interest in the destructive role of some western trade policies, something which you want to challenge as an economist. Maybe conversations with an Arab neighbor spurred a curiosity in international relations and you’re driven to challenge stereotypes in US foreign policymaking. All of these could be great bases for a college essay.

Ask yourself what makes you unique.

College admissions committees get thousands of applications each year from students who are, at least on paper, very similar. Their grade point averages are in the same range, their SAT scores are comparable, and their letters of recommendation are all complimentary.

In brainstorming your essay, think about what makes you different from other people. This doesn’t mean you need to have written a book or started a foundation. It could be quite simple. It could be that you’ve lived in five different states. It could be that you’ve had an interesting mentor who was unusual in the role they played in your life. Or maybe you learned how to fix things when you were a kid because your dad is a mechanic. All of these are potential ideas that, when tied into a broader narrative about how they’ve shaped you as a person, can serve as the foundation for a memorable college essay.

Consider any experiences that—pardon the dramatics—changed your life.

Think about what events in your life have been significant in some deep way, have really affected who you are as a person. Identifying something that happened to you and has shaped you can be a good way to explain the kind of person you are and what motivates you as a student to a college admissions committee. Consider things like trips, internships, work, and so on. You don’t need to have suffered a life-threatening sickness and survived only to have become interested in medicine. You could write about something as simple as a part-time job that has shaped you in some significant way.

Remember, what college admissions committees are looking for in your essay is to learn about who you are and what drives you as a person or student. These prompts should help you to find a topic that does that job well.

Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block

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A description of common causes of writer’s block and advice for overcoming these blocks.

Written by Kylie Regan.

Most writers experience writer’s block at some point in their life, at various stages of the writing process. Often a solution can be found by speaking with your instructor (if you are a student) or a writing tutor. But there are ways to combat writer’s block on your own, too! When you’re having trouble figuring out what to write next, consider these common types of writer’s block and try the strategies that sound most promising.

If you're having trouble finding a starting place for the assignment...

Brainstorm topics that are interesting to you. Use the invention strategies suggested by a tutor or teacher to generate questions or thoughts that serve as useful starting places.
Write down all the primary ideas you'd like to express and then fill in each with the smaller ideas that make up each primary idea. This can easily be converted into an outline .
If your paper involves conducting research, you can look for places where you disagree with another thinker’s claim or feel more work needs to be done. Identifying gaps or conflicts in the existing conversation around a topic is often a great starting place.

Example: You’ve been asked to analyze a television commercial. You remember three commercials that you found interesting and re-watch them, taking notes on details that stand out to you. You freewrite for five minutes on each of the three commercials, and discover that you have much more to say about one than the others. You focus on that one, expanding your freewrite into the an outline for the entire essay.

If you have a topic and an outline, but can’t think of an interesting beginning…

After the paper is completely drafted, you can get all the sections in the correct order and read it start-to-finish to ensure that transitions are smooth.

Example: You have to complete a lab report and hate writing the “Introduction” section. In order to complete the project on time, you overcome your anxiety about writing that section by first writing the “Materials,” “Method,” and “Results” sections. You write the “Introduction” last, reorder, and revise holistically.

If you’ve chosen or been assigned a topic that bores you…

If you’ve chosen a common topic just because you thought it would be easy to write on, reconsider: it’s easiest to write about something in which you have a personal interest.
If you can’t change the major scope or goal of the assignment, try to understand why you’re being asked to write it. What knowledge will you gain from completing the assignment? What skills will you be able to practice? Who would benefit from reading my finished product, and how would that positively change that community?

Example: You work for your campus newspaper and have been assigned to write an article on an upcoming career fair. Although at first your editor asks you to simply inform students of what companies will be represented at the event, you find that you’re much more interested in profiling a certain company that’s new to the fair. You talk to your editor and get permission to write the article that engages you more.

Example: The same scenario as above, but your editor tells you that you have to write the original, more general article. Although it’s boring to you, you reflect that you’ll gain practice presenting a mass of information in concise language, certainly a useful skill for a journalist. Additionally, there are thousands of students on campus who would benefit from the information your article will cover. This motivates you to write the article.

If you don’t understand the assignment…

The better you can articulate the source of confusion, the more help others can give you.

Example: Your composition instructor has asked you to write a Digital Literacy Narrative. The assignment sheet provides a definition of “digital literacy,” and you have some class notes that further clarify the concept. But after reviewing these materials, you’re still not certain if your instructor would allow you to write about how you learned to use different coffee-making technologies, as they aren’t traditionally considered digital devices. You go to your instructor’s office hours to ask if this topic would be acceptable, taking your annotated assignment sheet and class notes with you.

If you’re worried that you’ll write the wrong thing…

Remember that the first draft is not the final draft. If you’re not sure that an argument will pan out, just start writing it and see where it takes you. You can always delete paragraphs that don’t work out later, but the best insights often come from pushing yourself into uncertain territory—if you never feel unsure about your claims, you’re probably just reproducing existing findings!
If you’re worried that a small detail is incorrect, that’s okay in the draft phase. Rather than spending a lot of time checking every small detail as you go, just leave a note to yourself to check your sources later. Or, leave the troublesome paragraph for later and work on a section that you’re more confident writing about.

Example: You’re writing a paper on King Henry VIII and can’t remember off the top of your head whether he beheaded two or three of his wives. The answer to this question wouldn’t change your major argument either way, so you decide it’s not important to look up right now. You write “two,” highlight it, and leave a note to yourself to check this minor supporting fact against your research notes later.

If you’re worried that your sentences aren’t polished enough…

Remember, again, that the first draft is not the final draft. The sooner you get some words on the page, the more time you’ll have to edit your prose for clarity and style later. Complete an entire draft before you start editing on the sentence level.
If you find yourself consistently obsessing over individual sentences as you go, try dimming or covering your laptop or computer monitor’s screen so that you can’t see what you’re typing. You can also try writing in a notebook and typing up your work later.
Consciously stop any non-productive comments running through your head by replacing them with productive ones. Rather than labeling yourself a “bad writer,” think about what parts of the writing process you excel at (idea generation, conclusions, sentence style, etc.) and plan to allot more time for the steps that take you longer.

Example: You’re writing a paper on the effects of all-nighters on college student’s health. You can’t think of the word “deleterious.” After a few seconds of futilely scanning your brain for it, you write “super harmful,” knowing that you can find the more professional word later.

If you’re so stressed out that you can’t seem to put a word on the page…

Take a short break! If you’re close to a deadline and worried about losing track of time, then set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes and use that short window to relax before getting back to work. Stretch, move away from your desk, and don’t neglect your sleeping and eating schedule. It’s much harder to write if you’re sleep-deprived or dehydrated.
If you have several days left before your deadline, break the assignment into manageable parts. Set measurable writing goals for yourself, like writing without interruption for thirty minutes every day, or writing a certain number of words by a given deadline.
Finally, ask for help! Writing is most stressful when you’re doing it by yourself for a long period of time. Asking a tutor or a friend to talk through your ideas can help you get some perspective on the assignment, and remind you that it’s nothing to be anxious about.

Example: You have a week before an important job application is due and you’re anxious that the search committee will dislike your cover letter before you’ve even written it. Since you still have plenty of time before the deadline, you plan to work on it for just thirty minutes every day. You talk to a friend who helps you make a list of reasons why you’re qualified for this job, and you stick to your writing schedule.

If you’re easily distracted when you open your computer to write…

Try temporarily disabling your internet access. Take your laptop to a space that doesn’t have internet access. Draft by hand in a notebook and type up your work later. Or, simply turn your computer’s wifi detector off, or put your document into full-screen or “Focus” mode: these obstacles are easy to overcome, but the time it takes to make the few extra clicks to open an internet browser is sometimes enough to stop yourself.
You can also try setting a timer forcing yourself to do nothing but write for a short period of time. Even a ten-minute focused writing session can help you break through initial writer’s block and build momentum on your project.

Example: You start to work on your paper, and after writing one sentence feel the impulse to watch just one YouTube video. However, as you have wisely decided to take your computer to the house of a friend who doesn’t have internet, your browser gives you a frowny face and an error message. You return to your paper and keep writing.

How to Combat Writer’s Block and Finish Your College Essay

Flip your topic on its head

Maybe the way you’ve been thinking about writing your essay has limited your options! Think about the different ways you could tell your story. Could you start with the middle or end? Have you included any meaningful dialogue ? Is there a small part of the story that you could highlight? Try writing your story from someone else’s point of view or reworking your outline.

Get Everything Down

You can only fight for so long. If you know what you want to say but can’t seem to say it well, write it down anyway. It will be easier for future you with creative thoughts of gold to clean up the mess if there’s something already there. Do you know how hard it is to build a home without a foundation? Be okay with writing something that doesn’t live up to your expectations. You can fix it later.

We know that the last thing you want to do is leave your laptop without having anything to show for the time you spent in front of it — but a change of scenery and short break can do wonders for letting your brain reload with awesome ideas! Take fifteen minutes to get a glass of water, eat a slice of pizza, or solve a Rubik’s cube. Purposefully distract yourself, so when it’s time to revisit your Word Doc – you’re out of the rut.

Remind yourself of the essay’s purpose

When you’re deep in the college application process, it can be easy to think of the personal and supplemental essays as horcruxes you need to destroy, but instead remember why Admissions is making you do this. There are so many similarly qualified applicants that they are comparing you against and without a window into your soul, they’re left to play eenie meenie miney mo. Writing a great essay is making their job easier. Maybe visit your dream school’s website for some motivation or to remind yourself why you’re sitting here trying to crank this out – you’re trying to invite Admissions into your life and mind in 650 words to distinguish yourself from the competition. What is awesome about you?

With your new perspective, you might just be able to wiggle your way out of the writer’s war zone and into college essay success.

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Category: Admissions , College Admissions , Common Application , Essay Tips , Essay Writing , Productivity , Quick Tips , Tips , Uncategorized

Tags: 2017-18 college applications , 2017-18 common application , Admissions , admissions essay , admissions help , advice , brainstorming , College , college admissions , college admissions essay , college application , college application help , college applications , college essay , college essay advice , college essay advisors , college essay help , college essay tips , college essay topic , college essay writing , common app , common application , essay help , essay prompts , essay tips , essay writing , Essays , personal statement , procrastinators , supplemental essays , supplements , tips , writing

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Beating Writer’s Block

Julia de Raadt

Head of research and lead admissions expert, table of contents.

Writer’s Block

Stay up-to-date on the latest research and college admissions trends with our blog team.

Writer’s Block

One of the most important parts of writing a great college admissions essay is picking a compelling topic. But what do you do when you get stuck? In this article, we offer a number of starting prompts to get you past writer’s block and into writing your college essays.

We recommend you free-write for 10-15 minutes. We provide 2-3 different essay starters to get you off the starting block. Review these options if you like, then choose your favorite among them to continue. Writer’s block, en garde!

Sometimes our failures tell us as much, if not more than our successes. Have you ever tried at something and failed, despite your best efforts? How did you recover and/or what did you learn?

Note : this is a great way to start essays about failure, overcoming challenges, or to answer questions about personal growth.

Historical BFF

If offered the chance to meet any historical figure, who would it be and why, and what would you want to discuss with them?

This is a great way to demonstrate your knowledge of history and your creativity. Great for humanities majors.

Choose Your Own Adventure

If you were given the choice of becoming President of the United States or CEO of Apple, which would you prefer? Why?

Essentially: Business or Politics? This is a great topic for future lawyers, government officials, and entrepreneurs.

Galaxy Brain Action

Free will: fact or fiction?

Get philosophical with this prompt.

For the Bookworms

Which popular writers in our times will future generations continue to read? Which contemporary books, if any, will come to be regarded as future masterpieces? Why?

A good topic for students interested in literature and is also open to a humorous approach.

Your Fortune Says…

If all goes to plan, in 20 years I’ll be…

Can be used to address prompts about your future plans.

Change the World?

Can a Universal Basic Income solve the economic problems posed by increased automation, or would it simply disincentivize work?

Is work part of a meaningful and fulfilled life, or does increased automation allow us to pursue a world without work? What would people do with their time? Will it disincentivize work or open up new areas of creativity and exploration?

Adventure is Out There

Part of college is expanding your geographical, intellectual, and cultural horizons. What (or where) are you most excited to explore?

This is less about individual fields of study and more about the personal development aspect of college.

Influencers

Do you have a role model? If so, who and why? If no, then what takes its place, if anything?

This is an opportunity to write a great essay about a person who had a strong influence on your life and honor a friend, teacher, or other (ideally) non-family member.

If I Had A Jet Plane

Im agi ne you won a travel fellowship with free flights and hotels to travel for three months, where would you go and what would you do?

If you’re interested in international relations, or just interested in world travel, this gives you an opportunity to explore your wanderlust. This post blends creativity with worldliness.

iRobot Anyone?

Is artificial intelligence a boon which could potentially solve all of humanity’s pressing problems or is it a looming nightmare that poses an existential risk to human-kind?

Worried about the robot uprising? Explain your fears, or explain why they’re overblown and that AI will help us address our deepest concerns.

Small Idea, Big Impact

According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , the most important weapon in our arsenal against the scourge of Malaria is not a pharmaceutical miracle, nor a technological wonder; but instead, the humble mosquito net. Name a simple (or simple-seeming) tool, device, or invention with a disproportionate effect on human-kind (positive or negative). Explain the impact.

The Code You Live By

Write your own code of ethics for robots or AI units, and explain why such a code is important. How should AIs balance the value of human life? What rules will govern the behavior of legions of robots and AI scripts?

As our world becomes more automated and the internet of things expands further, robots and AIs will be forced to make moral decisions. Which ethical principles should they follow?

Prove Me Wrong

Throughout human history, many popularly held ideas have later been shown to be false. From geocentrism (in Astrophysics) to phrenology (in Biology/Medicine) to the phlogiston theory of combustion (in Chemistry), progress often comes at the expense of previously accepted theories. Which currently accepted ideas will we come to regard as false? Which ideas currently on the fringes of intellectual life will come to be commonly accepted?

People used to think the stars orbited around the earth. What else are we wrong about?

See how you feel about your writer’s block after this exercise! And of course, repeat as needed. Want more ideas? Work with one of our top tier counselors! They have conquered writer’s block many times, and can help you write your best essay ever.

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College apps can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. empowerly college counseling is in it with you., related articles.

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From Staring to Starting: Overcoming Writer's Block for Your College Essays

September 10, 2014

The personal statement and various supplemental college essays are some of the most difficult pieces of writing you will likely ever be confronted with in your life. With the stakes so high, the need for profundity under such word count and time limit constraints can be suffocating. However, you will find that once you get over the initial hump and get a first draft on paper, things will flow much more easily from there. Of course, that’s a lot easier said than done. Our college admissions experts are here to help you every step of the way. But before resorting to outside help, try giving it a shot on your own.

The first step to overcoming writer's block on your college essays is to realize is that you’re not alone. Not only is every other college applicant in the world struggling in the same way you are, but also almost every single professional writer in history has experienced this kind of writer’s block or is experiencing it at this very moment. For me, the process of staring at a blank document for hours until the ideas somehow magically flowed onto the page was such a common occurrence throughout high school, college, and law school that I began to think it was unavoidable. And, to some extent, I was right.

Since then, having worked with students on thousands of college essays and helping them overcome this common stumbling block, I have realized that this “staring until your eyes can’t take it any more” process is more about procrastination than about creative process. Of course, brainstorming and outlining are important, but they are both very active processes. The trouble with college essays is that you can write about literally anything in your life that you find significant. Thus, you need a way to ignite your creative pilot light. But how?

Start overcoming writer's block on your college essays by asking yourself questions. Dozens of them. And then write down lengthy answers to each of them. This will help you engage in an active self-reflection about your experiences in life. At the top of the page, you should have two objectives highlighted: Organization and Impressiveness. These objectives are both equally important because you want to write something that showcases your positive attributes that will make you an asset to a college’s incoming class while doing so in a cogent and concise way. Keep these goals in mind when you’re answering the questions you’ve written for yourself to keep you on track and help you beat writer's block on your college essays .

So, what kind of questions should you ask yourself? First, you should start with the Common Application prompts and see if you can sketch out an outline to any of them:

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

If any good ideas come to mind, make sure to get them down on the page in some loose fashion right away. You can flesh out details later. Next, you should start to write your list of questions. They should look something like this:

What is the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my life?
What has been my proudest accomplishment?
When have I felt weakest in my life?
What three experiences would I say made me who I am today?
What experiences have I had that most closely parallel what I think college will be like and how did I react to them?
What is the most thrilling discovery I have ever made?
When have I prevailed against naysayers or against all odds?
What is the most meaningful relationship in my life?
What is my most meaningful possession?
What makes me different from my peers?
How do people around me perceive me? How do I perceive myself?
If I had to write the title of my autobiography, what would it say?

These questions might seem ridiculous to be answering about yourself, but they are exactly what you might need to help get over writer's block on your college essays . Fill out this list with questions about yourself until you reach 25 questions. Then, begin answering them.

The next step will be outlining your essay so that you can achieve that critical goal of organization. Stay tuned on the InGenius Blog for our next post about organizing your thoughts after a huge brain dump like this one...

Tags : college essays , college personal statement , college application counseling , admissions expert , college application expert , college admissions expert , applying to college , supplemental essays , college application essay

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How to Overcome Writer’s Block and Craft a Perfect College Essay

EssayEdge > Blog > How to Overcome Writer’s Block and Craft a Perfect College Essay

Have you ever felt depressed because you do not know how to start writing an essay? If yes, it means that you came across writer’s block. It is a state when a person cannot start the writing process or proceed with it.

It can become a great problem, especially for applicants who need to prepare several application essays. The good news is that there are various solutions. Thus, we prepared a review of the most effective ways to overcome your writing block. But first, let’s look thoroughly at the origin of this psychological state.

Table of Contents:

What Do Specialists Suggest?

Psychologists mention that writer’s block is quite a frequent problem. More than 70% of students come across this issue occasionally. The research shows that various causes are related to this problem. Let’s look through the most common ones:

How to Overcome Writer's Block and Craft a Perfect College Essay

The specialist mentions that everyone should find an individual way to overcome writer’s block. Still, psychologists mention the most effective solutions:

Physical activity . It is helpful to refresh your mind. For instance, yoga, walking, or mild exercising can boost brain activity.
Reward yourself. It is a nice way to get the additional stimulus.
Ask for help. It is OK to ask for help. Sometimes, applicants lack support or professional advice. All these results in writer’s block.

Best Tips to Get Rid of Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is a widespread problem not among the applicants or students. Even famous writers suffer from this issue.

Did You Know? Dan Brown, a famous American writer, practices an unusual approach to dealing with writer’s block. It’s called inversion therapy. Just imagine: your favorite author puts on gravity boots and hangs upside down. After finishing this procedure, he continues writing his next bestseller. Sounds funny? But it really works!

And Dan Brown is not the only famous person who uses such extraordinary methods. Ernest Hemmingway , Virginia Woolf , Charles Dickens , and Lewis Carrol preferred to walk miles to take a rest from writing.

Daily rituals are also effective in overcoming writer’s block. For instance, Stephen King mentioned once in an interview that he preferred to start his day with a cup of tea and vitamins. Also, the papers are always arranged in exactly the same way on his table.

We also prepared the five best tips to deal with a writer’s block :

Relax. This tip may sound strange, but it definitely works. When you feel stressed and do not know what to do, the best decision is to take some time for a rest. Choose the best way to relax. For example, go to the local park and enjoy the natural beauty or spend some time with your friend. After some rest, you will feel inspired and full of great ideas.
Change the Location. Sitting and writing all the time can lead to stagnation. To avoid this state, you can try to move to another location. Writing an essay will become a pleasant experience while sitting in your favorite cafe and drinking coffee. No doubt, the new atmosphere will help get some insights, and it will be easier to write a couple of paragraphs. But if you still need additional inspiration, our Samples page will help to find out more ideas.
Mind Mapping. This method works when you visualize the text. You need to create a map of your text. Write the topic of your essay in the big circle in the center. Then draw small circles around—they will be subtopics (or paragraphs). Under each of them, write down all your thoughts and ideas related to the paragraph. This way, you will create a visual map of the essay, and it will be easier to write the whole text.
Brainstorming Ideas. Brainstorming is another great technique to deal with writer’s block. All you need is to write down any idea that comes to mind. It can be words, sentences, or anything related to the college essay. If it’s hard for you to brainstorm ideas, our EssayEdge Premier package will allow you to get full guidance from Ivy League graduates. Together, it will be easier to find out the best insights for your essay.
Stop Writing for Admission Officers. Sometimes, applicants are worried about impressing the admission officers. It often becomes a dilemma that causes writer’s block. That’s why do not try to write what they expect—focus on your unique story and think about what you want to share. Do not forget that you are the main character of the plot.
Forget About Structure (At Least for a Moment). Very often, an introduction is the hardest part of the essay. And the applicants feel depressed because they don’t know how to attract the committee’s attention right from the beginning. If you come across this problem, we recommend you not focus on the structure.

If you feel that it’s hard for you to begin your essay, start writing from the end or main body. Do not be afraid to experiment with the text—let the conscious help you with writing. Of course, the structure and formatting are very important. And you will fix it after finishing the essay. Or you can ask our editors to help make your essay ordered and well-formatted.

Need help? Check out EssayEdge editing services:

Key Takeaway

If you come across writer’s block, do not forget that you are not alone! It is quite a common issue that is possible to solve. Hope that our tips will be useful for dealing with this problem. If you still need some help, our editors are always ready to support you with professional recommendations.

In most cases, writer’s block is what prevents students from crafting a good application essay. Not the lack of skills and motivation, but the mental block. The more you practice writing, the faster you’ll destroy your superstitions. Please, don’t stop trying. Our experts know how to proofread college essays, so send us your drafts to get the improved version of your paper.

We wish you inspiration and good luck!

How to Get Over Writer’s Block in College

Writer’s block happens to every college student. Stress, lack of motivation, distractions, laziness are all culprits that prevent the mind juices from flowing onto the computer screen or paper. While it is normal for every college student to experience this, it can be discouraging, especially around important deadlines. Therefore, to meet those class deadlines and become a better writer, you have to learn how to overcome writer’s block. As a former college student, and a communications major at that, I have experienced countless bouts of writer's block. Here is how I overcame it.

1. Freewrite

This may sound like the most obvious advice, but it is something I wish I had known early in my college career. When you feel as though you don’t know what to write about, just begin writing. For example, if you have a topic but lack a clear direction, start writing. Set your timer for 10-15 minutes and just start writing everything you know about the topic. Don’t worry about organizing your writing at this juncture, that will happen later.

When writing, everyone prefers to have a clear direction, but sometimes our minds become clouded and the direction might not become clearer until the writing begins. Sometimes freewriting, also commonly known as ‘word vomit’, can help guide you discover a direction. After you have written for 10-15 minutes, review your paper to see if an idea for your paper has emerged.

If so, you can begin organizing relevant parts of your writing into sections. Therefore, when your paper begins to develop, you can mold your freewriting instead of having to start from scratch.

2. Visit your Schools Writing Resources

While freewriting is a great writing technique, certain papers and deadlines might require a specific direction at the outset. This is especially true for those heavy-duty research papers. If you are struggling to figure out the direction/topic of your paper, visiting your college's writing resource center can be helpful. While every school is different, colleges will often provide students with free writing help/tutors.

At my university, this was my saving grace. Whenever I needed a helping hand in drafting papers, I booked an appointment with either a student tutor or librarian (if it was research-based paper). These sessions always helped me create a clear writing path. My dread and anxiety about writing a 10-page paper would quickly diminish because I knew I had access to the help I needed. Go to your school library, speak with a librarian and they will be more than delighted to provide you with available writing resources (digital and in-person).

>> RELATED POST: 7 Things You Will Absolutely Need For College

Another great strategy to get over writer's block, is to read more on the topic or idea you are discussing in your paper. When creating a topic or idea for a paper, you want to ensure your ideas are not overlapping with another writer, and that you are either adding, creating, or expanding to the existing conversation.

During my final year of undergraduate studies, I learned that reviewing other writer's work could help inspire my topic and guide me in ways to develop a strong paper. For example, when I wrote my senior thesis, I read other theses and dissertations that related to my topic. This strategy inspired my thesis, Oversaturation of Social Media Influencer , after I re-analyzed the existing topic and developed my own contribution.

Be careful with this strategy. While you are reading and extracting inspiration from other works, it is important to appropriately reference those writers so as not to plagiarize.

4. Create A Positive Writing Space

Writing papers in college is a delicate but vital process in achieving your degree and becoming a better writer. Writing successful papers is important, and some of your most successful papers might be written in places you least expect it.

Therefore, the belief that the best place to write is at your college library is a lie. The library is high traffic for a lot of students, so they are often not the quietest or positive spaces one needs for writing.

Finding a positive writing space with sufficient WIFI on campus can help you produce your best work. For example, there are numerous vacant office spaces, quiet corners, gardens, smaller/ low traffic libraries in and around your college campus where one can be productive.

If you can't find those spaces, you can always create one in your dorm room. Your dorm room is a familiar and comfortable area that can provide you with positive writing space. But DO NOT write in your bed. Writing time will quickly turn into nap time. Find a corner in your room away from the noise, turn on some lofi-jazz study music, make the area bright, and allow time for the writing to flow.

>> RELATED POST: How to Support Racial Equality

As you enter college, during a pandemic, college writer's block is going to be different and feel more disastrous. Regardless, the papers are not going to change, and these helpful tips can still be useful as you navigate COVID-19. Becoming a great and productive college writer doesn’t happen overnight. There will be nights of frustration, tears, and the infamous “I'm dropping out” phase. But once you find that writing flow and secure resources to help you push past those hard moments, college papers will become just a little more bearable.

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Lesson 4: Getting past writer’s block

By Steve Schwartz

Writer’s block can hit anyone, especially when it comes to college essays. Too many students sit at their computers for hours, “writing their college essays,” without writing a single word. So, if this sounds familiar, remember you’re not alone! And don’t worry – it won’t be hard to get inspired and write the best essay possible for yourself once you have a plan of action. As corny as it sounds, the journey of a 1,000 miles really does begin with a single step, so I’ll help you get started by breaking the whole thing down into small pieces.

Because, like I’ve said before, it really does help to begin with the end in mind.

Of course, every essay has to be different and unique to the individual, but I’ve put together loose template for how to write essays, so that you can structure effective college admission essays.

In this lesson, I’m giving you a 7-step plan to take you from staring at a blank document to hitting “submit” on the final draft of your college essays:

Step 1: Decide your goals.

Before starting any big project, it’s necessary to know what you’re trying to accomplish. The essay is about showing off your personality…those qualities that don’t come through in the rest of the application. Think about what you want to emphasize. Is it your determination in the face of challenges? Your creativity and quirkiness? Your loyalty? Make a list, and keep the goals in mind when planning the essay.

Step 2: Choose a story to tell.

Sometimes you get to choose the essay topic, and sometimes it’s chosen for you. (Common App essay topics are just meant to be jumping-off points – you can really write almost anything for each topic.) Either way, you’ll always get to decide what you write about.

In my opinion, it’s best to tell some kind of story about yourself. Choose which story or experience (one that still answers the essay question) is most interesting and significant, and would allow you to best accomplish the goals you laid out in step one.

Step 3: Outline the structure.

Before you start writing, decide how you’ll structure your essay. One common and effective structure is to start with a paragraph about yourself, then tell the story, then talk about the significance of the story. Another option is to start with the story, then connect it to your personality. Of course, there are other potential structures that you might decide to use. Deciding the structure FIRST will make writing the essay less intimidating and make the final draft more organized and coherent.

Step 4. Outline the content, step-by-step.

Now that you have the structure, you can outline each part. To do this, just write bullet points in chronological order, covering what you want to say and remembering how it relates to the goals laid out in step one. You can write just a few words for each bullet point, but the more detailed your outline is, the easier the next step will be.

Step 5: Write it!

You knew this part would come eventually! You already have the outline, now put it in full sentences. Vary your sentence structure, add transitions, similes, descriptive words, and all that other stuff English teachers (and admissions officers) love!

Step 6: Trim it down or bulk it up.

Now that you have a rough draft, it’s time to think about length (word count).

If the essay is too short, make sure that it’s accomplished all the goals you laid out. If you’re convinced that it’s already complete, add more descriptive details and anecdotes. While this will obviously make your essay longer, but it’ll also make it more readable and interesting.

If the rough draft of your essay is too long, go back and trim the fat. Do you have any sentences that are redundant or that don’t introduce new information? Depending on how many words you’re over the limit, you might have to make some difficult decisions. If all else fails, get a trusted friend or parent to read the essay over and tell you what is essential, and what needs to go.

Step 7: Edit, edit, edit!

I can’t stress it enough! Edit it 1,000 times, and get your teachers, parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends to do the same. Even if you’re the next Shakespeare and think your essay is perfect as it stands, keep editing. You’ll be glad you did.

While feedback from people you know can be useful, as I’ve mentioned before, it comes with its own set of drawbacks. It’s hard to say no to feedback from people you know and respect if you disagree with the changes they want you to make. And it’s sometimes hard for people you know to be 100% honest about what they think.

So I’ve created a small private online community where you can get feedback on your college essays from other students who are going through the process. You’ll also get feedback on your college essays from me, personally.

This private online community is just one of several resources I’ve put together. They’re all part of a premium course I’ve created to help you write effective college essays. You can sign up to join at collegeadmissionstoolbox.com/essaycourse

YOUR ACTION STEP

If you’ve been facing writer’s block, whatever point you’re at in this 7-step plan, move on to the next step!

For example, if you haven’t yet chosen a story to tell (Step 2), choose one using the strategies I’ve given you in previous lessons (like the free-writing technique or the writing prompts in Lesson 3 ).

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Updated Jan 30, 2018

How to Get Over Writer’s Block

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Sometimes, finding a place to start for your essay can make you freeze up.

Writer’s block is common, but there are tricks for getting past it. The main thing you need to do is just start writing. It can literally be about anything: the posters on your wall, your lunch, your shoes. Just the act of writing will help you get started.

Follow these useful tips from high school English teacher, Sarah Ramsey, to get over writer’s block:

Tip 1: Do a 20-minute free write Sit down for 20 minutes straight without taking the pencil off the page and write about any topic that comes to mind. Get something down on paper and then go back and sift through to find inspiration in your writing piece. It may be a phrase or a sentence that serves as a starting point for your college essay.

Tip 2: Find inspiration from your own life

Sit and look around your room for inspiration, you may see a memento, souvenir, or poster that spark memories of a trip or experience you’ve had that have been important to you. If you’ve journaled through your childhood, read back through journals to find important moments in your life. You can also look through your photos on your phone to find different experiences you’ve had with friends or family.

Tip 3: Ask the people who know you best

Ask your friends or family who know you well, “What are three adjectives you think of when you think of me?” If you see from multiple people the same adjectives surfacing, you know that could be a good thing to communicate about yourself.

Applying to college? We can help.

Related articles, advice for parents about college admissions, 8 admissions trends to be aware of when applying to college, 8 tips for applying to college, 6 last-minute things to do before you submit your apps.

How to Overcome Writer's Block in the Admissions Process

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Join Elias Miller to learn some proven techniques to re-inspire your writing and help you get back on track. Elias will walk through what causes writer's block and tips and tricks to overcome it, with a particular focus on the admissions process.

Undergrad College: Harvard University '17

Major: Music

Graduate College: University of Michigan, M.M.

Work Experience: Now in my fourth year at CollegeVine, I have helped dozens of students gain acceptance to their top-choice schools and have also advised and mentored thousands more through my livestreams. Apart from my work at CV, I am also a professional conductor and a multi-instrumentalist. I currently serve as the music director of the Apollo Ensemble of Boston, and I have led symphonic concerts and operatic productions throughout the United States.

My Admissions Story: Initially interested in pursuing a career as a performing cellist, I applied almost exclusively to music schools with dual and double degree options and ultimately enrolled in the Tufts University/New England Conservatory Dual Degree Program. Unhappy with the combined program and worried I'd never feel like I was fully a student at either school, I logged back into CommonApp.org in October of my freshman year. I can't say I went about the transfer process in the smartest way (I only applied to two schools!), but Harvard miraculously accepted me (or 'excepted me' as I wrote in a celebratory Facebook post that day - no one ever let me live that one down), and the rest was history.

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(college) writer’s block.

As we approach the BULK of admissions season, I was thinking back to my own college application time. I vividly remember one aspect of the application process that brought along so much stress… ESSAYS. What do I write about? How can I stand out? What are they looking for? Millions of uncertainties and questions filled my mind and left me with an extreme amount of writer’s block.

Today I thought I would share with you one of my favorite college essays I wrote as a little inspiration for you all!!

Yellow paint

Vincent Van Gogh ate yellow paint. His seemingly illogical act all boiled down to one reasoning: get the happiness inside of him. People looked at him purposely consuming toxic chemicals and mocked at his “uniqueness,” but I believe he was just like the rest of us. All of us desperately searching for what will paint our internal organs yellow. Society is constantly in pursuit of what will create that inner happiness, that will ultimately become outer joy as well. Today we do not see people downing a bottle of yellow paint, but we do see drug addictions, failed relationships, and alcoholics. What is the difference? People ingest toxic habits as apart of their identity, no matter the repercussions. Society dismisses the potential for overdose, heartbreak, poisoning. Self-deprecation is encouraged, and for what? People are constantly trying to fill a void with the yellow paints of life. Everyone has their yellow paint. For me, my yellow paint actually came down to an art supply.

I can vividly remember sitting down at a dining room table with the little girl I was babysitting, up way past her bedtime. But after six hours of babysitting, I didn’t have the energy for that battle, so there we sat coloring. As she reached for the box of crayons, her high-pitched voice squeaked out something that rocked my world. “If you were a crayon, you’d be the yellow one. Yellow makes it feel like it’s sunny even if it’s raining.” As she carried on with her refrigerator-worthy drawing, I sat there running that over in my head. The night went on, her parents came home, and my job was complete. But, the next morning all I could think about was that yellow crayon. Prior to the night before, the word yellow was merely a word used to describe clothing, sunsets, and something in a can labeled Sherwin Williams; so how did I fit into this definition? My people-pleasing nature decided to live out this child’s perception of me. I began trying to live my life as a “yellow person.” I wanted to feel like sunshine, bring happiness, be bold. I wanted to brighten a room like a can of yellow paint and wanted to live a life where a complete stranger could feel my exuding yellowness at first glance. So I bought the yellow phone case, wore the yellow Vans, and carried the yellow backpack. I incorporated so much yellow into my life that everyone knew my favorite color without a doubt. I drank the yellow paint. I let the yellow paint pour over every aspect of my life. I had achieved “Yellow.”

But that wasn’t the goal I was hoping to achieve. You see, yellow is just a color without the actions to back it up. I still felt dull, still had a lack of fulfillment. I wanted to achieve “yellow” so badly that I painted myself in the obvious yellow things, only taking time for one coat, and leaving the color to chip away like cheap nail polish. I needed a base coat, primer, and then the first, second, and third coat of yellow paint. So this time, I booked the mission trip, joined the life group, and paid for the person behind me in the drive-through. In the end, painting on the primer made the yellow brighter. These were the things that made me feel like sunshine. I didn’t need to physically implement the color, because the color came naturally. The boldness, happiness, and kindness that comes with yellow had finally tinted my life. You can still catch me sporting the now worn-up yellow phone case, scuffed up yellow Vans, and way overfilled yellow backpack, but now I know the difference between forced happiness and true joy. True joy comes from things that aren’t obviously yellow.

This essay is my favorite because I took a super unique approach to a very common topic. I think uniqueness is an extremely important factor to consider– always make sure the style of writing, the topic, and the wording gives the reader insight into your personality. Take risks! I promise admissions counselors love the chance to read super bold and unusual college essays. So if ya ever need a proofreader… I’m your girl- Rosemary Cruse

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Writing argumentative essay like an expert.

Having big plans for the future? Willing to enter the best college that will develop your skills and talents? Unfortunately, thousands of other students think the same. Writing college essay is the first step to understanding that your career will be bright!

On the basis of your work, admission committee will decide whether you’re worthy to be enrolled in the college. Just imagine how many application they receive annually. Some of them are brilliant, others are commonplace and naive. But your task here is not to turn writing a persuasive essay into a nightmare by thinking about it.

What should you start with? The first step to write college essay is think about the main idea you want to describe. There should be something important, impressing, heartwarming in your work. And, of course, it should be truthful and original as well. Even if you know how to write an argument essay, there’s also a necessity to follow the right structure and composition. And here, you might need help of professionals.

Special services that help students in writing college essays exist all over the world. You can see it for yourself. Type “write my essay” and scroll through the results – the amount of websites will surprise you. Be careful when choosing a cheap service: you might end getting your paper done by a non-native English speaker. Do you actually want to waste your money on that? Make a little research before you start writing an argument essay, read the examples you find on the Internet, make notes and try to write down all the thoughts you have during the day (not when you actually seat in front your PC).

In attempt to write a college essay, people are spending countless night drinking one cup of coffee after another and rotating thousands thoughts in their heads. However, it might not be enough. People who write a persuasive essay also seeking help on the side. There’s no shame in that.

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Essay Writer’s Block

The challenge.

This rising senior knew that she wanted to write her college application essay about her passion for music but didn’t know specifically what to write about.

Our Advisor

MaryPat St.Jean, Senior Admissions Advisor, was asked by the family to assist the student with her college application essays.

The key goal was to determine what the most important thing was that she wanted the admissions committee to know about her, and how she could possibly use her love of music as a means to share that information.

Although she was not a music major, she had a passion for music and knew that she wanted to incorporate that aspect of her personality into her main college essay. After spending some time brainstorming how to approach this essay, we realized she had a case of writer’s block. She was assigned the task of a “brain dump”. She was told to set a timer for 30-40 minutes and write everything she could think of about her love of music. She was then told to email it to her admissions advisor as soon as the timer went off without making any edits. During a family road trip, she took 40 minutes and wrote 3 pages of notes about her love of singing, playing the piano and Irish step dancing. In those notes, a clear pattern emerged of an essay that talked about how the piano sits quietly in the corner until someone takes the time to come over and draw out it’s beautiful music. She then paralleled this to her own personality that seems quiet at first but then has much to offer when people get to know her.

The Solution

Her essay was beautifully written and she was accepted to all of the colleges that she applied to. She also gave permission to use her “brain dump” as a sample to show to other students how this activity can assist them get past their own writer’s block.

In Her Words

“Working with MaryPat was great! It was easy to understand what she was looking for and heped me find just the right words and ideas to express myself!”

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Application Essay Writers Block

I’m writing my second college app essay, and I am really struggling. The first one came really naturally and required very little editing, and I’m really happy with it, but this one is just dragging and not quite right. I have the first 250 words or so, but beyond that… I don’t want to sound corny “this is what I learned” obvious, cliche-ridden, etc., but I can’t seem to avoid it. Any tips for getting it finished? I’ve been agonizing all day

Bump :(…

I understand. DD had to do 13 rewrites over 2-3 weeks for her UC essay. It was very frustrating.

I’m having the same problem. I should be writing my essay right now actually.

Essays are funny.

I spent like half my summer on my essay, revised and revised and then came up with this “final” draft I knew wasn’t final; I didn’t go back to it for ages, though I knew my essay was missing something–I just sort of hoped the problem would solve itself, and soon, as I was applying ED.

Then one recent Saturday I woke up and decided I would re-write my essay on a whole different topic. I spent hours that day working and came up with something essentially great; did whatever major revisions it required on Sunday; and in that weekend I’d produced the essay I wanted, way better than the one I’d spent my summer agonizing over. I’ve gone back since then to fix some nitpicky things, but that’s about it. Sent it to my ED school (along with the rest of the common app) today.

Moral of the story…? Maybe that sometimes you just need to turn over a new leaf–one you find miles away from the first one. Don’t feel too attached to your topic; experiment with something else. There is no “right” topic on which to write your essay, though you may think the one you’re dealing with now is the right one. If you’re blocked, switch it up.

I agree with russiasaurus. I tried so many topics for my essay and none of them were perfect. One day I thought of something and wrote my essay in an hour. If it’s a good topic, it should write itself.

Good luck!

TIME is the key ingredient for a good essay. Even if you are not working on it but your brain does. That is why it’s best to do a serious attempt at writing, set it aside for sometime before you’re attempt to revise.

I had so much trouble trying to write my essay but 2 nights ago from 10:30 pm until midnight I just suddenly wrote the whole thing…while part of the time having SNL on TV- surprisinly wasn’t distracting. And for some shorter response one I had to do, I just started writing during a free period in school and finished it…such weird times to write it are the best for me.

college essay ideas pop up during extremely random times. for my main essay, i was about to fall asleep one night and i suddenly got this great essay idea. so i woke up in the middle of the night, turned the lights back on, and jotted down the idea with some brief sketches, then went back to bed. that idea + about 10-12 edits = my final draft

but i’ve also had to drop a couple essays i spent literally months on as well. keep working on those essays, and never give up (and never be afraid to jot down spontaneous thoughts, even if they end up being frivolous and not “juicy” enough)… but also know when to let go of an essay and start a new one, which i guess is easier said than done because deadlines are looming.

good luck!

go stand in the shower and think of stuff to write.

I was having a lot of trouble coming up with what to write for my response to UC prompt #1 . I had a good answer for prompt #2 , but I was struggling with prompt #1 . I considered talking about my career goals and why, but it wasn’t convincing enough after I had written something. So I scrapped that idea and went with a personal goal for the future rather than a career one. I think it came out nicely :)

In other words, an idea will come to you eventually. Just keep brainstorming all possibilities of things you could talk about.

I agree with everyone about ideas coming up at random times. I was just driving one day and then it came to me. I had to rewrite with completely new topics like 3-4 times though. So maybe try something new? If it doesn’t work out take a break and new ideas will come.

Remember that the best essays tell a story. Take the pressure off yourself, pretend you’re talking to a friend. Some writers use a tape recorder and just talk into it, you can fool yourself into thinking, “I’m not writing (pressure, pressure) I’m just talking.” But good stuff can come out of that. Don’t try and impress, just try and be honest. The most important thing about an essay is that it’s YOUR voice, and nobody can do you better than you, as cliche as that may sound. Also, I agree that tricking your brain that you’re doing something else, like showering, driving, etc. works. I personally endorse long walks. Then, even if you don’t come up with something, you’ve gotten some exercise!

I would not even be counting words at this stage. If I had a story to tell, I would just keep telling it. I’d write a bunch of paragraphs, even if they were not in the right order or they were not polished enough. Once I had enough “stuff” I would proceed to edit it.

I find, on the other hand, that I often don’t have enough “stuff” because I am thinking in abstract terms. That’s when I remember to “show them, don’t tell them”, turning “I went to school today” into “I had no idea when I woke up this morning what a long day this would be. Dragging myself out of bed, I …” (you get the picture.) The object is not to add to the word count, but to provide details that put life and character into your writing.

I wrote about 15 different essays (rough drafts), all different topics until I finally decided on one I really liked for my main commonapp essay. So yeah, explore ANYTHING that pops intoyour head ansee if you can make it ito an essay

Thank you all so much for your responses. Hooray for support… I think my problem might have been that I had two topics in mind for one essay, and while I wrote one I kept worrying if the other idea was better, etc., etc. Also, I think that because my first essay was so magical and natural and easy, that when the second one wasn’t the same to compose, I thought something was wrong with it. So My three essays ended up being: Wrote in the middle of the night months ago, forgot about, cambe back to and thought it was genius upon second reading; miraculous perfect-as-soon-as-I-wrote-it essay which I love; and essay that took SOO much work and worry that I posted about it, but eventually turned out to be satisfactory.

Thanks again!

Ahhh…I relate to this post! I’m writing my essay, and it seems to be dragging on… I’ve only finished the intro so far, but I’m confident with it. I WILL finish it tonight!!!

Try studying for a test…That always works for me…

AND 3 hours later…no further progress. Curse my ADD tendenciesssssssss

This year I was having some major writers block and was procrastinating. Sometimes you will find inspiration in places you would least expect it. I was on YouTube listening to music when I came to the song which inspired me, and I suddenly went off on a tangent as I quickly tried to get my ideas down into a word processor.

Just keep in mind that the first idea is not always the most luminous bulb. This essay itself I rewrote from scratch a total of 18 times as the plot of it transformed from one idea, to the next. Eventually I ended up with an essay that I myself can hardly believe I wrote myself.

Just remember that an idea is not something that you can force. We are all ultimately creative in our decisions from why we decided to eat a specific brand of cereal in the morning to why we use specific words in our English essays.

Here are some tips that helped me when thinking of ideas:

<ul> <li>Keep a pad of paper or some sheets of notebook paper at all times!</li> </ul>

Ideas are like fireflies. They glow and sparkle until you either find a way to catch them in a net, or let them fly away. Nothing is worse then when you come up with a great idea for an essay and you forget it by the time you leave your math class or anywhere else you may have been at the time.

<ul> <li>Don’t be afraid to let your mind wander:</li> </ul>

Like I said before, you can not force ideas. They have to be coaxed out.

<ul> <li>Ensure you have plenty of time to think of them:</li> </ul>

Humans by nature tend to work best when they are not under pressure. Most people do their best work and are the most creative when they have the time to do so.

<ul> <li>Do not “settle” for anything:</li> </ul>

When writing your essays, do NOT just send in an essay thinking that it is “good enough” unless you truly are happy with it. Settling for “good enough” never is.

Remember, these admissions officers have to read - in some cases - several thousand essays. You want them to remember you - ultimately in a positive light =P. If you do something different or unique - even if it is a bit harebrained - then they are more likely to remember you.

<ul> <li>Do not copy other people’s ideas!</li> </ul>

There is a fine line between influence and plagarism. Some of the best minds are influenced by their peers. Very few of them have ever gone as far as plagiarism. Being influenced by someone else’s work can be the best thing you can do on an essay. Just make sure you do not cross the line.

<ul> <li>No idea is a stupid idea:</li> </ul>

One day I was watching Disney movies and suddenly had a burning desire to write an essay. I was amused with the idea of writing an essay about Disney princesses - as a male - for a college essay. At first I wrote it out of complete jest, but in the end I submitted it to a couple different colleges because I really liked how it turned out.

<ul> <li>BE YOURSELF!</li> </ul>

Oddly we feel uncomfortable talking about ourselves. We normally feel like every aspect of our lives are mundane or simple. Remember that you are an individual and if the college cannot accept who you are as a person, you should not be there in the first place. They have to read jejune applications that seem like the same person, over, and over, and over again. Class President, National Honor Society, National Merit Scholar, Cheerleader, Community Volunteer, AP courses. You need to show them that you can be yourself and that you are a person worth remembering.

*Sell yourself

If all else fails, ask yourself some questions

<ul> <li>Why should they accept you over any other applicant?</li> <li>Why should they care about you?</li> <li>What do you ultimately want to accomplish that no one else can?</li> <li>How are you going to change the world?</li> <li>What are you not going to do that everyone else does?</li> </ul>

Answering any of these questions normally means you could write an essay on your topic.

EDIT:

Another Idea I had for a source of inspiration. Pick up your I-Pod and turn it on to random. One the first song - Why do you like it? What message does it convey? Do you agree with the message? Music usually conveys ideas, and if you actually think about the lyrics you may be able to write a topic based upon a question or expressing an opinion.

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Five Things to Know About Applying to College

Find the right college for you., 1. you can get in. really..

College admission isn't as competitive as you might think. Fewer than 100 colleges in the U.S. are highly selective, which means they accept less than 25 % of applicants. Close to 500 four-year colleges accept more than 75% of applicants. And open-admission colleges accept all or most high school graduates.

2. It’s about more than test scores.

Colleges care about the work you've done in high school. They look for students who have earned strong grades in challenging courses. They also try to learn about your character by looking at what you do outside the classroom. Take advantage of opportunities like the application essay and college interview to show a more complete picture of who you are.

3. You're in charge.

This is your future─you're in the driver's seat. Zero in on what's important to you and what you want to get out of the college experience. College planning can feel overwhelming at times, but if you self-manage and keep an eye on your goals, you can make it work.

4. You're unique.

Base your choice on how well a college fits your needs. Don't worry about how it's ranked on a list. Don’t choose a college based on a famous name (e.g., the college itself, an alum, a faculty member). The effort you put in and the opportunities you take advantage of once you get there matter more than the college you attend. Once you graduate from college, your achievements and skills will matter most.

5. You're not in this alone.

Family, teachers, and friends are a great resource. Discuss your plans to go to college with them. Ask them for help and advice. Make an appointment with a school counselor to talk about the application process, colleges that will suit you, and options for financial aid.

What else do you need to know about the college application process?

To learn more about applying to college, read Applying to College: FAQs.

For more about searching for colleges, visit How to Find a College That Fits You.

What does the application process entail?

Going through the application process is an essential step toward college. It determines whether a college will grant a student entry to a specific educational institution. The process involves meeting the institution's predetermined criteria, submitting an application that emphasizes academic and personal achievements, and undergoing a thorough evaluation so the college can see if the applicant possesses the qualities and potential that align with the college’s standards and values.

What GPA do colleges require for admission?

GPA requirements for college admission depend on the institution and program of study. The minimum GPA requirements differ from college to college. Among other factors, competitiveness, selectivity, and the institution's academic standards can determine the GPA requirement. More selective and higher-ranked institutions have more stringent GPA expectations for admission.

How do colleges decide who to admit?

When evaluating applicants for admission, colleges take a comprehensive approach. This involves considering multiple factors rather than relying solely on one criterion. These factors commonly include academic performance, extracurricular activities, essays and personal statements, letters of recommendation, and other requirements unique to the institution or program.

What role do standardized tests play in admission to college?

Standardized tests, such as the SAT or ACT, are vital for colleges to assess students' academic abilities. These tests measure a student's knowledge and skills in various subject areas. As part of the evaluation process, colleges may consider test scores alongside other factors like GPA, extracurricular activities, and essays. The importance of standardized testing varies between institutions. Other colleges may have adopted test-optional or test-flexible policies, which gives applicants the freedom to decide whether to submit their test scores.

100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle & High School – 2024

April 15, 2024

creative writing prompts for high school and middle school teens

Some high school students dream of writing for a living, perhaps pursuing an English major in college, or even attending a creative writing MFA program later on. For other students, creative writing can be useful for school assignments, in English and other subjects, and also for preparing their Common App essays . In a less goal-oriented sense, daily freewriting in a journal can be a healthy life practice for many high schoolers. Not sure where to start? Continue reading for 100 creative writing prompts for middle school and high school students. These middle/high school writing prompts offer inspiration for getting started with writing in a number of genres and styles.

Click here to view the 35 Best Colleges for Creative Writing .

What are Creative Writing Prompts?

Similar to how an academic essay prompt provides a jumping-off point for forming and organizing an argument, creative writing prompts are points of initiation for writing a story, poem, or creative essay. Prompts can be useful for writers of all ages, helping many to get past writer’s block and just start (often one of the most difficult parts of a writing process).

Writing prompts come in a variety of forms. Sometimes they are phrases used to begin sentences. Other times they are questions, more like academic essay prompts Writing prompts can also involve objects such as photographs, or activities such as walking. Below, you will find high school writing prompts that use memories, objects, senses (smell/taste/touch), abstract ideas , and even songs as jumping-off points for creative writing. These prompts can be used to write in a variety of forms, from short stories to creative essays, to poems.

How to use Creative Writing Prompts

Before we get started with the list, are a few tips when using creative writing prompts:

Experiment with different formats : Prose is great, but there’s no need to limit yourself to full sentences, at least at first. A piece of creative writing can begin with a poem, or a dialogue, or even a list. You can always bring it back to prose later if needed.

Interpret the prompt broadly : The point of a creative writing prompt is not to answer it “correctly” or “precisely.” You might begin with the prompt, but then your ideas could take you in a completely different direction. The words in the prompt also don’t need to open your poem or essay, but could appear somewhere in the middle.

Switch up/pile up the prompts : Try using two or three prompts and combine them, or weave between them. Perhaps choose a main prompt, and a different “sub-prompt.” For example, your main prompt might be “write about being in transit from one place to another,” and within that prompt, you might use the prompt to “describe a physical sensation,” and/or one the dialogue prompts. This could be a fun way to find complexity as you write.

Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School Students (Continued)

Write first, edit later : While you’re first getting started with a prompt, leave the typos and bad grammar. Obsessing over details can take away from your flow of thoughts. You will inevitably make many fixes when you go back through to edit.

Write consistently : It often becomes easier to write when it’s a practice , rather than a once-in-a-while kind of activity. For some, it’s useful to write daily. Others find time to write every few days, or every weekend. Sometimes, a word-count goal can help (100 words a day, 2,000 words a month, etc.). If you set a goal, make sure it’s realistic. Start small and build from there, rather than starting with an unachievable goal and quickly giving up.

100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School Teens

Here are some prompts for getting started with your creative writing. These are organized by method, rather than genre, so they can inspire writing in a variety of forms. Pick and choose the ones that work best for you, and enjoy!

Prompts using memories

Begin each sentence or group of sentences with the phrase, “I remember…”
Describe a family ritual.
Choose an event in your life, and write about it from the perspective of someone else who was there.
Pick a pathway you take on a regular basis (to school, or to a friend’s house). Describe five landmarks that you remember from this pathway.
Write about your house or apartment using a memory from each room.
Write an imaginary history of the previous people who lived in your house or apartment.
Write about an ancestor based on stories you’ve heard from relatives.
What’s your earliest memory?
Who was your first friend?
Write a letter to someone you haven’t seen since childhood.
Write about yourself now from the perspective of yourself twenty, or eighty, years from now.
Write about the best month of the year.
Write about the worst day of the year.
Rant about something that has always annoyed you.
Write about the hottest or coldest day you can remember.
Visualize a fleeting moment in your life and as though it’s a photograph, and time yourself 5 minutes to write every detail you can remember about the scene.
Draw out a timeline of your life so far. Then choose three years to write about, as though you were writing for a history book.
Write about a historical event in the first person, as though you remember it.
Write about a memory of being in transit from one place to another.

Objects and photographs as creative writing prompts

Describe the first object you see in the room. What importance does it have in your life? What memories do you have with this object? What might it symbolize?
Pick up an object, and spend some time holding it/examining it. Write about how it looks, feels, and smells. Write about the material that it’s made from.
Choose a favorite family photograph. What could someone know just by looking at the photograph? What’s secretly happening in the photograph?
Choose a photograph and tell the story of this photograph from the perspective of someone or something in it.
Write about a color by describing three objects that are that color.
Tell the story of a piece of trash.
Tell the story of a pair of shoes.
Tell the story of your oldest piece of clothing.

Senses and observations as creative writing prompts

Describe a sound you hear in the room or outside. Choose the first sound you notice. What are its qualities? It’s rhythms? What other sounds does it remind you of?
Describe a physical sensation you feel right now, in as much detail as possible.
Listen to a conversation and write down a phrase that you hear someone say. Start a free-write with this phrase.
Write about a food by describing its qualities, but don’t say what it is.
Describe a flavor (salty, sweet, bitter, etc.) to someone who has never tasted it before.
Narrate your day through tastes you tasted.
Narrate your day through sounds you heard.
Narrate your day through physical sensations you felt.
Describe in detail the physical process of doing an action you consider simple or mundane, like walking or lying down or chopping vegetables.
Write about the sensation of doing an action you consider physically demanding or tiring, like running or lifting heavy boxes.
Describe something that gives you goosebumps.
Write a story that involves drinking a cold glass of water on a hot day.
Write a story that involves entering a warm house from a cold snowy day.
Describe someone’s facial features in as much detail as possible.

Songs, books, and other art

Choose a song quote, write it down, and free-write from there.
Choose a song, and write a story in which that song is playing in the car.
Choose a song, and write to the rhythm of that song.
Choose a character from a book, and describe an event in your life from the perspective of that character.
Go to a library and write down 10 book titles that catch your eye. Free-write for 5 minutes beginning with each one.
Go to a library and open to random book pages, and write down 5 sentences that catch your attention. Use those sentences as prompts and free-write for 5-minutes with each.
Choose a piece of abstract artwork. Jot down 10 words that come to mind from the painting or drawing, and free-write for 2 minutes based on each word.
Find a picture of a dramatic Renaissance painting online. Tell a story about what’s going on in the painting that has nothing to do with what the artist intended.
Write about your day in five acts, like a Shakespearean play. If your day were a play, what would be the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution?
Narrate a complicated book or film plot using only short sentences.
Read a short poem. Then write a poem that could be a “sister” or “cousin” of that poem.

Abstract ideas as creative writing prompts

Write about an experience that demonstrates an abstract idea, such as “love” or “home” or “freedom” or “loss” without ever using the word itself.
Write a list of ways to say “hello” without actually saying “hello.”
Write a list of ways to say “I love you” without actually saying “I love you.”
Do you believe in ghosts? Describe a ghost.
Invent a mode of time travel.
Glass half-full/half-empty: Write about an event or situation with a positive outlook. Then write about it with a miserable outlook.
Free-write beginning with “my religion is…” (what comes next can have as much or as little to do with organized religion as you’d like).
Free-write beginning with “my gender is…” (what comes next can have as much or as little to do with common ideas of gender as you’d like).
Write about a person or character that is “good” and one that is “evil.” Then write about the “evil” in the good character and the “good” in the evil character.
Write like you’re telling a secret.
Describe a moment of beauty you witnessed. What makes something beautiful?

Prompts for playing with narrative and character

Begin writing with the phrase, “It all started when…”
Tell a story from the middle of the most dramatic part.
Write a story that begins with the ending.
Begin a story but give it 5 possible endings.
Write a list of ways to dramatically quit a terrible job.
Write about a character breaking a social rule or ritual (i.e., walking backwards, sitting on the floor of a restaurant, wearing a ballgown to the grocery store). What are the ramifications?
You are sent to the principal’s office. Justify your bad behavior.
Re-write a well-known fairytale but set it in your school.
Write your own version of the TV show trope where someone gets stuck in an elevator with a stranger, or a secret love interest, or a nemesis.
Imagine a day where you said everything you were thinking, and write about it.
Write about a scenario in which you have too much of a good thing.
Write about a scenario in which money can buy happiness.
Invent a bank or museum heist.
Invent a superhero, including an origin story.
Write using the form of the scientific method (question, hypothesis, test, analyze data conclusion).
Write using the form of a recipe.

Middle School & High School Creative writing prompts for playing with fact vs. fiction

Write something you know for sure is true, and then, “but maybe it isn’t.” Then explain why that thing may not be true.
Write a statement and contradict that statement. Then do it again.
Draft an email with an outlandish excuse as to why you didn’t do your homework or why you need an extension.
Write about your morning routine, and make it sound extravagant/luxurious (even if it isn’t).
You’ve just won an award for doing a very mundane and simple task. Write your acceptance speech.
Write about a non-athletic event as though it were a sports game.
Write about the most complicated way to complete a simple task.
Write a brief history of your life, and exaggerate everything.
Write about your day, but lie about some things.
Tell the story of your birth.
Choose a historical event and write an alternative outcome.
Write about a day in the life of a famous person in history.
Read an instructional manual, and change three instructions to include some kind of magical or otherwise impossible element.

Prompts for starting with dialogue

Write a texting conversation between two friends who haven’t spoken in years.
Write a texting conversation between two friends who speak every day and know each other better than anyone.
Watch two people on the street having a conversation, and imagine the conversation they’re having. Write it down.
Write an overheard conversation behind a closed door that you shouldn’t be listening to.
Write a conversation between two characters arguing about contradicting memories of what happened.
You have a difficult decision to make. Write a conversation about it with yourself.
Write a conversation with a total lack of communication.
Write a job interview gone badly.

Final Thoughts – Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School

Hopefully you have found several of these creative writing prompts helpful. Remember that when writing creatively, especially on your own, you can mix, match, and change prompts. For more on writing for high school students, check out the following articles:

College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
160 Good Argumentative Essay Topics
150 Good Persuasive Speech Topics
Good Transition Words for Essays
High School Success

Sarah Mininsohn

With a BA from Wesleyan University and an MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sarah is a writer, educator, and artist. She served as a graduate instructor at the University of Illinois, a tutor at St Peter’s School in Philadelphia, and an academic writing tutor and thesis mentor at Wesleyan’s Writing Workshop.

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How To Start A College Essay About Yourself

The Silicon Review 17 April, 2024

Writing a college essay about yourself can be an intimidating task. It's your one chance to make an impression on the admissions officers and convince them that you're the right fit for their school. But where do you even begin? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Beginning a college essay about yourself involves capturing your unique voice and experiences in a compelling introduction that hooks the reader's attention, and having someone at Academized to write my essay ensures expert guidance and support to kickstart your narrative with confidence and clarity. In this post, we'll guide you through the process of starting a college essay about yourself, from brainstorming ideas to creating an introduction.

Brainstorming Topics

The first step in starting a college essay about yourself is to brainstorm potential topics. This is where you'll want to think about what makes you unique and what experiences have shaped who you are today. Here are some prompts to get you started:

A significant challenge you've faced and how you overcame it
A personal accomplishment you're proud of
A life-changing event or experience
Your cultural background and how it has influenced you
A person who has had a significant impact on your life
A passion or interest that drives you

As you brainstorm, think about the stories and experiences that best showcase your personality, values, and goals. Remember, the essay is an opportunity to give the admissions officers a glimpse into who you are beyond just your grades and test scores.

Choosing a Compelling Topic

Once you've brainstormed a list of potential topics, it's time to narrow it down to the one that you think will make for the most compelling essay. Here are some things to consider when choosing your topic:

Significance: Choose a topic that has had a significant impact on your life or has helped shape who you are today.
Uniqueness: While it's okay to write about a common experience, try to find a unique angle or perspective that sets your essay apart.
Personal growth: Look for a topic that showcases how you've grown or learned from the experience.
Passion: Choose a topic that you're passionate about, as this will make your essay more engaging and authentic.

Writing a Strong Introduction

Writing a college essay about yourself requires an engaging opening that showcases your personality and sets the tone for your narrative, and referencing insightful resources like https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/best-essay-writing-services-top-5-paper-websites-mary-walton can provide valuable inspiration and guidance to help you create a memorable introduction with confidence.

With your topic selected, it's time to start writing your essay. The introduction is arguably the most important part, as it sets the tone for the rest of the piece and hooks the reader's attention. Here are some tips for writing a strong introduction:

The Personal Anecdote

One effective way to start your essay is with a personal anecdote or story that relates to your chosen topic. This can be a powerful way to draw the reader in and set the scene for the rest of your essay. For example, if you're writing about a significant challenge you've faced, you could start with a vivid description of the moment when you first realized the challenge ahead of you.

The Thought-provoking Question

Another option is to start with a thought-provoking question that relates to your topic. This can pique the reader's curiosity and get them thinking about the issue or experience you'll be exploring in your essay. For example, if you're writing about a passion or interest that drives you, you could start with a question like, "What is it that makes us passionate about certain things in life?"

The Surprising Statement

You could also grab the reader's attention with a surprising statement or statistic that relates to your topic. This can be a great way to challenge the reader's assumptions and set up the rest of your essay as an exploration of that surprising idea. For example, if you're writing about your cultural background, you could start with a statement like, "While many people assume that culture is something that's passed down from generation to generation, my experience has shown me that it's something that's constantly evolving."

Finding Your Voice

No matter which approach you choose for your introduction, it's important to find your voice and write in a way that feels authentic and true to who you are. Don't try to sound like someone you're not, or use language that feels unnatural or forced. The admissions officers want to get to know the real you, so let your personality shine through in your writing.

Developing the Body

With a strong introduction in place, it's time to move on to the body of your essay. This is where you'll expand on the topic you've chosen and provide the details and examples that support your main idea or argument. Here are some tips for developing a strong body:

Use Vivid Details

To make your essay more engaging and memorable, be sure to use vivid details and descriptions. This could include sensory details (sights, sounds, smells, etc.), dialogue, or specific examples that help illustrate your points.

Show, Don't Tell

Rather than simply telling the reader what happened or what you learned, show them through your writing. Use concrete examples and anecdotes to bring your experiences to life and demonstrate the lessons or insights you've gained.

Structure and Flow

Pay attention to the structure and flow of your essay. Use transitions to smoothly move from one idea to the next, and consider using subheadings or other organizational techniques to help guide the reader through your essay.

Personal Growth and Reflection

Throughout the body of your essay, be sure to emphasize how the experience or topic you're writing about has impacted you personally. Share your thoughts, feelings, and insights, and reflect on how the experience has shaped who you are today or influenced your goals and aspirations for the future.

As you wrap up your essay, it's important to bring your ideas together in a strong conclusion. This is your chance to leave a lasting impression on the reader and reinforce the main themes or lessons you've explored throughout your essay.

Summarize Key Points

In your conclusion, you'll want to briefly summarize the key points or experiences you've discussed in the body of your essay. This helps to reinforce the main ideas and ensures that the reader walks away with a clear understanding of your central message or argument.

Final Thoughts and Insights

Use the conclusion as an opportunity to share any final thoughts or insights you've gained from the experience or topic you've written about. This could include lessons learned, personal growth, or how the experience has influenced your goals or perspectives.

Call to Action

Finally, consider including a call to action or a statement that encourages the reader to think more deeply about the topic or theme you've explored. This could be a question for them to ponder or a challenge to approach a similar situation or experience with a new perspective.

Revising and Editing

Once you've drafted your college essay, it's important to take the time to revise and edit your work. This will help ensure that your essay is polished, well-organized, and free of errors.

Read it Out Loud

One helpful technique is to read your essay out loud. This can help you catch awkward phrasing, run-on sentences, or other issues that you might have missed when reading silently.

Get Feedback

It can also be valuable to have someone else read your essay and provide feedback. This could be a friend, family member, teacher, or even a writing tutor. They may be able to offer fresh perspective and insights that can help you improve your essay.

Check for Clarity and Focus

As you revise, make sure that your essay has a clear focus and that each paragraph and idea contributes to your overall message or argument. Remove any unnecessary or tangential information that doesn't directly support your main point.

Polish Your Writing

Finally, take the time to polish your writing and ensure that your essay is free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. These small details can make a big difference in how your essay is perceived by the admissions officers.

Writing a college essay about yourself can be a challenging but rewarding experience. By following the tips and strategies outlined in this post, you'll be well on your way to creating a compelling and authentic essay that showcases who you are and what you have to offer. Remember to take your time, focus on finding your unique voice, and don't be afraid to share your personal experiences and insights. With dedication and effort, you can create an essay that will make a lasting impression on the admissions officers and help you stand out in the competitive college application process.

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COMMENTS

Stuck on Your College Essay? 8 Tips for Overcoming Writer's Block
Tips For Overcoming Writer's Block On Your College Essay. 1. Freewrite. A lot of people get stuck on the idea that what they write has to be perfect, and that pressure keeps them from writing down anything at all. If you find yourself feeling that weight on your shoulders, just take a step back for a minute.
Break Through Writer's Block! Tips for Your College Admissions Essay
The possibility of writing about anything, and with the essay being such a central part of your application, can reduce even the most confident writer to a procrastinator of distinction. Regardless of the prompt you choose, the Common Application essay is a way for admissions committees to get a sense of who you are and what makes you tick.
Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block
Example: You have to complete a lab report and hate writing the "Introduction" section. In order to complete the project on time, you overcome your anxiety about writing that section by first writing the "Materials," "Method," and "Results" sections. You write the "Introduction" last, reorder, and revise holistically.
How to Combat Writer's Block and Finish Your College Essay
Remind yourself of the essay's purpose. When you're deep in the college application process, it can be easy to think of the personal and supplemental essays as horcruxes you need to destroy, but instead remember why Admissions is making you do this. There are so many similarly qualified applicants that they are comparing you against and ...
Beating Writer's Block
Writer's Block. One of the most important parts of writing a great college admissions essay is picking a compelling topic. But what do you do when you get stuck? In this article, we offer a number of starting prompts to get you past writer's block and into writing your college essays. We recommend you free-write for 10-15 minutes.
How to Write a College Application Essay
How do you write a college application essay? 1. Just get going. Staring down a blank page can be the hardest part of writing an essay. So try this exercise to overcome writer's block: Take 20 minutes to jot down a few quick lists of your proudest accomplishments, worst embarrassments, life-changing moments, strongest memories, favorite people, or any other categories that appeal to you.
College Essay Tips: Overcoming Writer's Block
Dismissing every idea as bad, or just staring at a blank screen? College Coach admissions counselor Steve Fernandez-Brennan shares advice on how to overcome writer's block to master the college essay. So, tune in, and know that you aren't alone. In addition, host Shannon Vasconcelos and admissions counselor Jennifer Simons answer listener ...
Overcoming Writer's Block in College Essays
The project appears futile and you see no way you'll complete it in time. This is also known as writer's block: a problem that plagues college essay writers, especially during the finals week. Fortunately, almost all students get past this difficult point and complete the paper on time, even if it calls for an all-nighter.
6 Tips to Tackle Writer's Block & Start the College Essay
As a writer and a college application adviser, I know a few tricks that have unstuck the most stubborn bouts of writer's block. So, try these six tips, unblock, and write that rockin' college admissions essay. 1. Get off your bed and out of your room! Time to move out of your comfort zone. Step out of your room, off your bed, away from your ...
Overcoming Writer's Block on Your College Essays
Start overcoming writer's block on your college essays by asking yourself questions. Dozens of them. And then write down lengthy answers to each of them. This will help you engage in an active self-reflection about your experiences in life. At the top of the page, you should have two objectives highlighted: Organization and Impressiveness.
Are you facing "writers block" while writing your college admissions
As you find yourself immersed in the intricate tapestry of composing your college admissions essays, there is a beacon of wisdom that Anca Antoci illuminates for all aspiring writers. The "5Ws technique," which resurfaced within the trends of TikTok and once again used in the landscapes of literary exploration, emerges as a source of hope for ...
How to Overcome Writer's Block and Craft a Perfect College Essay
Daily rituals are also effective in overcoming writer's block. For instance, Stephen King mentioned once in an interview that he preferred to start his day with a cup of tea and vitamins. Also, the papers are always arranged in exactly the same way on his table. We also prepared the five best tips to deal with a writer's block: Relax.
Writer's Block: What It Is, Causes, and How to Overcome It
Sometimes taking a short break from writing is all you need to give your mind the ability to reflect on and express those ideas. Other times, talking to someone who has been in a similar situation can guide through expressing your thoughts and making your ideas clear. 2. You Don't Have Enough Ideas.
How to Get Over Writer's Block in College
3. Read. Another great strategy to get over writer's block, is to read more on the topic or idea you are discussing in your paper. When creating a topic or idea for a paper, you want to ensure your ideas are not overlapping with another writer, and that you are either adding, creating, or expanding to the existing conversation.
Lesson 4: Getting past writer's block
Lesson 4: Getting past writer's block Writer's block can hit anyone, especially when it comes to college essays. Too many students sit at their computers for hours, "writing their college essays," without writing a single word. So, if this sounds familiar, remember you're not alone! And don't worry - it won't be hard to get...
How to Get Over Writer's Block
Sometimes, finding a place to start for your essay can make you freeze up. Writer's block is common, but there are tricks for getting past it. The main thing you need to do is just start writing. It can literally be about anything: the posters on your wall, your lunch, your shoes. Just the act of writing will help you get started.
How to Overcome Writer's Block in the Admissions Process
Undergrad College: Harvard University '17 Major: Music Graduate College: University of Michigan, M.M. Work Experience: Now in my fourth year at CollegeVine, I have helped dozens of students gain acceptance to their top-choice schools and have also advised and mentored thousands more through my livestreams.Apart from my work at CV, I am also a professional conductor and a multi-instrumentalist.
(college) writer's block
Millions of uncertainties and questions filled my mind and left me with an extreme amount of writer's block. Today I thought I would share with you one of my favorite college essays I wrote as a little inspiration for you all!!
Write My Essay
Special services that help students in writing college essays exist all over the world. You can see it for yourself. Type "write my essay" and scroll through the results - the amount of websites will surprise you. Be careful when choosing a cheap service: you might end getting your paper done by a non-native English speaker.
Essay Writers Block
After spending some time brainstorming how to approach this essay, we realized she had a case of writer's block. She was assigned the task of a "brain dump". She was told to set a timer for 30-40 minutes and write everything she could think of about her love of music. She was then told to email it to her admissions advisor as soon as the ...
Application Essay Writers Block
I'm writing my second college app essay, and I am really struggling. The first one came really naturally and required very little editing, and I'm really happy with it, but this one is just dragging and not quite right. I have the first 250 words or so, but beyond that... I don't want to sound corny "this is what I learned" obvious, cliche-ridden, etc., but I can't seem to avoid it.
How do i get out of a writer's block? : r/ApplyingToCollege
I tend to be more of a speaker so I recorded myself speaking out my thoughts, ideas, lines (etc) and used that as the basis for all my eventual writing. I also found a lot of inspiration by reading memoirs or even just other people's essays to see how they put things into words. r/Nepal.
Five Things to Know About Applying to College
College planning can feel overwhelming at times, but if you self-manage and keep an eye on your goals, you can make it work. 4. You're unique. Base your choice on how well a college fits your needs. Don't worry about how it's ranked on a list. Don't choose a college based on a famous name (e.g., the college itself, an alum, a faculty member).
Writer's block for a college essay : r/writingadvice
Start writing at the essay without the idea that what you're writing will make it into the final draft. A lot of writers block is a hesitancy to produce something wrong or bad. If your options are don't write at all, or write something that's no good - anything is better than nothing. Probably - probably - what you produce will be better than ...
100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle & High School
Hopefully you have found several of these creative writing prompts helpful. Remember that when writing creatively, especially on your own, you can mix, match, and change prompts. For more on writing for high school students, check out the following articles: College Application Essay Topics to Avoid; 160 Good Argumentative Essay Topics
How To Start A College Essay About Yourself
Finally, take the time to polish your writing and ensure that your essay is free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. These small details can make a big difference in how your essay is perceived by the admissions officers. Conclusion. Writing a college essay about yourself can be a challenging but rewarding experience.