Here are some common traps students fall into when writing their essays and how to avoid them:

1. Clichés and Overused Topics: Writing about how “winning taught me to work hard” or “I want to help people” can be true, but they’re overused and generic. If you choose a common topic, find a unique angle or personal story that sets it apart.
2. Focusing Too Much on Others: While writing about a person who inspired you is fine, remember that the essay should be about you, not them. How did that person’s influence change your life? What did you learn from their example?
3. Writing a Resume in Paragraph Form: Don’t just list your achievements. That’s what the rest of your application is for. Your essay should focus on a specific moment, experience, or challenge.
4. Not Proofreading: One of the quickest ways to leave a negative impression is with spelling or grammar mistakes. Take the time to carefully proofread your essay and have others review it. A fresh set of eyes can catch errors you might overlook.

Show, Don’t Tell

“Show, don’t tell” is one of the most common pieces of writing advice for a reason. Instead of saying, “I’m determined,” show that determination through a story. Maybe you spent months developing a project that failed, but you kept going until you succeeded. Let your story do the talking for you. The more vividly you can paint a picture for the reader, the more engaged they’ll be with your essay.

Your Voice Matters

One of the most important elements of your college essay is your voice. Admissions officers want to hear you speaking through your writing. Don’t try to sound like a different version of yourself or overly formal. Be conversational, be real, and let your personality shine through.

Your voice should be genuine. If humor comes naturally to you, don’t be afraid to use it. If you’re more introspective, that’s okay too. What matters is that you stay true to yourself. The essay is a reflection of who you are, and it should sound like you—not a perfect, idealized version of a college applicant.

The Bottom Line

The college essay is one of the most critical aspects of your application. It’s a unique opportunity to showcase your personality, your experiences, and your growth. The best essays are authentic, reflective, and specific. They go beyond accomplishments and show who you are as a person, how you’ve learned from life’s challenges, and how you’ll contribute to the college community.

Remember, your essay doesn’t need to be a grand tale of life-changing adventures. What matters is how you tell your story. Be yourself, reflect deeply, and give admissions officers a reason to remember your name. You’ve got this!

Colleges want to see more than just good grades and test scores on your college application. They want evidence that you possess personal qualities associated with success in college. Here are 9 personal qualities colleges look for in applicants.

It’s no secret that selective colleges look beyond the numbers when reviewing applicants. They also look for various personality and character traits. In a survey administered by the National Association for College Admissions Counselors (NACAC), 70 percent of college admission officers said character traits were “considerably” or “moderately” important in their admissions decisions.

But some admissions experts think it’s even more important for students to demonstrate these qualities in their applications. “Today, with the impact of COVID-19, renewed focus on access and equity, and rapid alteration of the testing world, there is an accelerated movement toward holistic admission, including the elevation of character attributes,” said David Holmes, executive director of the Character Collaborative, a nationwide consortium of colleges, high schools, and educational organizations advocating for the use of character in college admissions and a co-sponsor of the NACAC survey.

It’s not only selective colleges (those accepting less than 50 percent of applicants) that pay close attention to character attributes. These qualities may also come into play for students applying to less selective schools. “Students wishing for merit scholarships or entry into honors programs at less competitive schools will need to show their character,” said Dr. Amy Morgenstern, former associate director of the honors program at Wright State University and current founder and CEO of <a href="https://bluestars.us/" ;="" target="_blank"><span>Blue Stars Admissions Consulting</span></a>.&nbsp;“It's essential for any college-bound student who intends to contribute to society.”

WHAT ARE SOME CHARACTER TRAITS COLLEGES LOOK FOR?

Increasingly, colleges look for personal qualities that foster cooperation, community, and compassion, explained Morgenstern. “It’s no longer the individual leader at the helm; now it’s the collaborative team member who attracts attention; students’ self-centered career ambitions are not as appreciated as much as sincere personal and professional aspirations to make the world better.

Morgenstern advises her students to highlight  “7Cs” in their essays and applications: collaboration, commitment, character, curiosity, cultural intelligence, challenge, and creativity.

Colleges may look for a different set of character qualities or define these traits in different ways. But when colleges describe their ideal candidates, they often mention some qualities more than others. Here are 9 character traits that colleges often cite when they describe what they are looking for in students.

1. CURIOSITY

Colleges want to see that you are passionate about learning – not just about a single academic area, but about the world around you. “We want to see the kind of curiosity and enthusiasm that will allow you to spark a lively discussion in a freshman seminar and continue the conversation at a dinner table,” states Stanford University’s website.

Show colleges how much you love to and want to learn and what excites you intellectually. If you can demonstrate that you have a “growth mindset”— the belief that one can enhance intelligence, abilities and talents through hard work – that is also a plus, according to a report from Harvard University’s School of Education.

2. PERSISTENCE

Some colleges want students who not only challenge themselves, but who also persevere through those challenges, set goals, and achieve them. You might hear this quality described as “grit” or “commitment.” A <a href="https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.92.6.1087" ;="" target="_blank"><span>study</span></a> by University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth indicates that “grit” might be a more effective predictor of success than IQ.

You might have demonstrated persistence by sticking with challenging classes or activities even though you didn’t excel in them at first, or any time you worked hard to accomplish a goal, despite obstacles or setbacks. The key is to show that even when you faced  obstacles, you maintained your energy, enthusiasm and passion for what you set out to achieve.

 3. RISK-TAKING

Here, risk-taking doesn’t necessarily mean engaging in high-risk activities like bungee jumping or mountain climbing — it means venturing out of your comfort zone, be it in the classroom or other areas of life. Taking a risk can be joining the debate club even though you have a fear of public speaking, trying a new activity, or taking a challenging class. Colleges want students who are not afraid to make mistakes — and who understand that mistakes are part of learning.

As set forth on the website of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “When people take risks in life, they learn resilience because risk leads to failure as often as it leads to success. The most creative and successful people — and MIT is loaded with them — know that failure is part of life and that if you stay focused and don’t give up, goals are ultimately realized.”

4. COMPASSION

Some colleges also look for students with compassion. According to the Greater Good Science CenterResearch shows that college students who show a higher level of concern for their peers and classmates have higher levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy.

Georgia Tech lists “compassion for others” as one of eight character traits it values. Syracuse University states, “You are a strong candidate if you strengthen and support those around you, even as you are working to develop yourself.” UCLA looks for “ 

Showing compassion is not just about expressing empathy for others, it’s also taking action to help them. Engaging in community service work, tutoring struggling students at your school, willingly taking care of siblings to help a parent working multiple jobs, or political activism can all be fueled by compassion.

5. OPEN-MINDEDNESS

College can be a great opportunity to engage with people from different backgrounds and cultures and to consider ideas, perspectives, and opinions that might be new or different from your own. Colleges want to see that you can respectfully consider different points of view and that you welcome the chance to consider these perspectives. For example, Pomona College’s website states that it values “an openness to new ideas and rejection of easy answers.”

Critical thinking — another skill that colleges value — requires the ability to consider all arguments and ideas – even those with which you may disagree.

 6. SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Many colleges say they are looking for students who hope to apply their academic and career interests to improve the world around them. “Our ideal candidates are inspired to emulate our founder Benjamin Franklin by applying their knowledge in service to society, to our community, the city of Philadelphia, and the wider world,” states the University of Pennsylvania on its admissions page. 

Does your academic area of interest intersect with a cause that you truly care about? For example, you might want to major in engineering and use the skills you acquire to combat global warming. You might also show your sense of social responsibility through consistent volunteer work or activism.

7. CREATIVITY

Based on a recent Adobe study, 95 percent of admissions decision-makers believe in the value of creative skills. Creativity is listed among the top qualities considered by Duke, MIT, and UCLA and it doesn’t necessarily have to be expressed through activities in the arts. Colleges often look for creative thinkers, problem solvers, innovators and entrepreneurs. To demonstrate creative thinking, you might include an experience in which you came up with a creative solution to a problem or took a unique approach to an assignment.

 8. COLLABORATION

Colleges want to know that you can collaborate well with students and faculty, and that you are able to put the needs of your team over your own. If you had a leadership role on a team, it’s important to demonstrate that you were an effective leader of a cohesive group — even if your team ultimately fails. “

Sports isn’t the only area where you can illustrate teamwork — collaboration can also be found in lab or other classroom assignments, volunteer work, or the performing arts.

9. CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE

Colleges want students who appreciate cultural diversity and are eager to engage with and learn from people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

In describing successful applicants, USC has said “They are interested in the world, in other peoples and cultures, and enjoy examining important issues from a global perspective.” To express this trait, you don’t need to have traveled extensively or lived in a foreign country. You might discuss your interest in mastering a foreign language, your experience advocating for an international issue you care about, or your participation in local projects where you worked with people from different cultures.

WHAT PERSONALITY TRAITS DO YOU HAVE?

Chances are you possess many of the character traits colleges look for — but you might need some help identifying them in yourself. When working with her clients, Morgenstern uses a <a href="https://bluestars.us/7-key-traits-top-colleges/" ;="" target="_blank"><span>7 core personality traits worksheet</span></a> to help her students identify experiences and situations where they’ve demonstrated these qualities. She also guides them in cultivating these qualities throughout high school and helps them weave them into their personal statement and supplemental essays.

There’s a pattern to the way the media, as a whole, covers college admissions. A typical year of coverage for most—that’s most—media outlets goes something like this:

Mid-September—The US News rankings come out, and everyone clamors over the top-ranked college. It’s typically the same top-ranked college from last year; if isn’t, one of the top five from last year climbed the pile, which is seen as a real shocker. Like we’d never heard of that college until now, and this suddenly makes it a better school.

Late September/Early October—Coverage turns to the upheaval of applying to college, with every article featuring seniors discussing the anxiety of applying to Brown, Yale, Smith, or one of the only 25 colleges mainstream media acknowledges as existing.

Late March—Admissions decisions are out, and in a paean to the principles of mathematics, every media article cites increased application numbers at The Big 25, and—wait for it—decreased admission rates at all of them as well. Not a single one of these articles points out that the former is the cause of the latter—but that involves math, so there we are.

What’s wrong with this picture?

College Lists The media spotlight on the Top 25 launches many parents into action, for all the wrong reasons. If these are the best colleges, why isn’t my child applying to them? This upends a wealth of work done by the student and (one hopes) their school counselor; it also upends the self-esteem of more than one student who knows these schools are bad fits. But arguing with Mom and Dad’s “let’s see what happens” is a tough hill to climb, so off they go to apply, much like Faramir’s efforts to recapture Osgiliath in Return of the King.

Unnecessary Panic More than a few seniors are indeed intimidated by the college application process in mid-September. That’s normal, since they’re just getting started. If I handed a student a plumber’s wrench on September 15 and said “show me how it works”, that too would be stressful. Now, if I came back in a week and asked, “How’s it going?”, they would have mastered the thing with ease, because they had time to understand what they were doing. Huh.

Those “Other” Schools The media myopia pays a big price on the other 2000 colleges that serve all kinds of students in personalized and appropriate ways, but now appear to be second rate. This keeps students from looking at some schools just right for them, because—well, you know…

To be fair, not all media outlets treat college admissions like a celebrity sighting, although Varsity Blues hasn’t helped. Eric Hoover writes moving human stories about the real challenges some students face in this process, stories so good they have led to admissions policy changes. Inside HigherEd isn’t a household name, but their coverage of the entire range of colleges is nothing short of inspiring.

Still, the best-selling papers run up the same limited coverage of college admissions every year, and their effect is palpably bad on the college plans and psyches of far too many students. A modest step in the right direction would be running an October story that returns to the freaked out students of September, revealing they’ve largely got the hang of things right now. Even better, interviews with students applying to a great school like Northern Michigan, where the application takes a whopping 25 minutes to complete and the admit rate is 65%—a reminder that the current media lens on college admissions is clear, but too tightly focused.

Most students heave a sigh of relief after they click on the college application submit button.

Some of these same students find themselves in a panic when they learn that components of their application package may not have arrived at the admissions office.

As a college consultant, I advise all my clients to check the status of their applications. Many schools offer applicants an easy “check status” option on their website. If something appears to be missing, call or email the admissions office to inquire. Most of the time, there is no reason to be alarmed. Usually, the missing item(s) have been received but haven’t been logged in the system.

For each school to which you apply, it’s a good idea to confirm that required recommendations (teacher evaluations and counselor’s report), transcripts and entrance exam scores, and other forms have been sent and received. Also, make sure that you have paid the required application fee.  You may be able to confirm the fee payment on your credit card website.

Some colleges offer merit scholarships that require additional applications and essays. Check the college’s website for deadlines and relevant information.

If you are applying for financial aid, be sure to complete the required forms and applications, such as the FAFSA and CSS Financial Aid Profile. The FAFSA is an essential part of being eligible for state and federal grants. You also cannot obtain a federal student loan without filling out a FAFSA. Many schools have specific financial aid deadlines. Usually, this information is available on the college’s website.

Finally, some colleges and universities offer, suggest or require interviews. These interviews may take place on-campus or in the applicant’s local area. Often the applicant is required to take specific steps to schedule the interview. If interviews are offered, check the school’s website for deadlines and specific requirements.

Follow our checklist upon submitting your college application to confirm that all required materials have been received:

Check List

1.  Application Fee

2.  Teacher Evaluations, Counselor’s Report, Recommendations

3.  Transcript and  Additional Grade Reports  (e.g. First Quarter & Mid Year)

4.  Entrance Exams (if applicable — SAT, ACT, Subject Tests)

5.  Interview (if applicable)

6.  Housing Form (if applicable)

7.  Financial Aid Forms (if applicable)

8.  Scholarship Forms and Applications