College Essay Redundancies

College Essay Redundancies January 3, 2012 In Up in the Air, George Clooneys character eliminated redundant employees. In your college application, eliminate redundancies throughout your college essays! Too many college applicants submit college essay redundancies in their applications! What does that mean? That means that if you write about playing basketball in your activity essay (which already isnt a very good idea since sports essays are overdone and typically come across as trite), dont then write about basketball in your personal statement. Is that all you know? Is that the only side of you? No. Well, maybebut then youre not going to get into a highly selective college. Are colleges looking for well rounded applicants? No. They want students who demonstrate talent in specific areas. Maybe its as a science researcher or as a tennis player. But that doesnt mean that you should only shine in one specific area in your college essays. Theres a difference between being an typical, well rounded applicant who doesnt shine in any one area and having essays that show different sides of who you are. If you write about science research in your activity essay, consider writing about juggling in your personal statement if indeed you have a passion for juggling. While juggling may sound silly, the best college essays are often about the silliest things that nonetheless show that youre intellectually curious and interesting. Have you ever seen an episode of Seinfeld? We bet you have. What do you think Seinfeld is about on a week to week basis? Its about nothing. Dont try to write about too much. Often times, writing about something small can showcase you the best to colleges. It can make you come across as different, as someone they have to add to their incoming class. So, to be utterly redundant but at the same time to drill in the point, dont write about science research in every one of your college essays. Dont write about crew in every one of your essays either. Show different sides of yourself. Show interesting sides of yourself. In doing so, youll make your college application less redundant and more compelling! Less redundant, more compelling. Less redundant, more compelling While youre here, check out our post on another major college essay mistake.