Why the College Essay is So Important

Do you understand the power of literally grabbing the attention of an admissions reader? On average, an admissions officer may spend 4-7 minutes reading your child’s application.

Yikes!

Hence why the personal essay as well as the supplemental essays are so critical.

Any good parent lives to help their child to succeed, and in this college application season, you may need to help your child to brainstorm a topic. Their creative juices need to start churning and you may be able to help them. Trust me, opening lines matter. 

Here are some of my favorite opening lines from our kids in the past:

“Getting kicked in the mouth is not fun.  Especially when receiving the kick from a Brazilian 5th-degree black belt who had been fighting to win a spot on his homeland’s Olympic team.”

“I have to break up with my twin sister.  After seventeen years of being joined in every activity, we need to go our separate ways.”  

“I always talk to Uber drivers. Growing up, my mother frequently reminded me that I should not talk to strangers.  However, I disagree.”

“I would rather sing than talk.”

“My hands twitched with excitement on the morning of my ninth birthday party, but not for the reasons one might suspect.” 

All of these opening lines make me want to read more. That’s the goal: intrigue the admissions officer and spark their curiosity.

Oh, and these kids were accepted to Vanderbilt, Bowdoin, Wesleyan, Penn, and USC, respectively. 

So it’s your turn, parent, to have a little fun. 

Brainstorm and begin!

Need more help? We are offering our How to Write an Awesome College Essay course and I will read your essay and give you feedback! Click this link and follow the steps to write the essay. Let’s do this together!