M o n ro e C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e
Career and Transfer Center
Writing a College
Application Essay
Building 3, Room 108, Brighton Campus • 585.292.2248 • www.monroecc.edu/go/careercenter
What should I write about in my college application essay?
This is your chance to let the admissions committee know who you are beyond just the grades
and test scores that are on your college and high school transcripts. There is no right or
wrong way to write an essay. It needs to be something you are ultimately comfortable with.
Your essay needs to be written so regardless of the admissions decision, you know that you
expressed what you wanted to about yourself. Do not leave something out you feel is
important for the admissions committee to know about you.
This is an opportunity to showcase who you are.
View writing the essay as a positive!
Unless the school is asking a specific question the essay can vary greatly. Students have written successful essays about
everything from a solo hiking trip, volunteering with a troubled youth program, to the academic program at the school they have
an interest in.
There are several reasons why colleges may choose to have you write an essay. Among those are to see what your thought
process is, how strong of a writer you are, and what you may bring to the campus as a student… are you an individual who will
make a difference in some way? Other possible reasons may include, but are not limited to finding out more about who you are
as a person, what makes you tick, whether or not you have any experience in your desired field of study, how you have grown as a
person, how you handle adversity, your view on the world around you… the list goes on.
The 4-year college may want to know the academic fit… are you the right fit based on your interests and goals for what the
program offers. You want to express why the school is a strong fit for you beyond repeating the advertising the school does for
themselves.
Avoid negatives or placing blame on others… show the reader how you have
grown and learned from both your good and bad experiences.
Research the individual major and faculty within that major so you can incorporate some specifics about the program you are
applying to and how that relates to what interests you. What recent research has been completed at the college that has you
interested? Are there any books that have been written by a faculty member that tie into what you want to study? The more
competitive schools often have links to professor’s resume information and research projects. Become familiar with the
background of the faculty members and graduates if possible.
Also, make sure you refer to the program by its appropriate title. Don’t refer to an academic area as the “School of Music” or
“Music Department” if it is officially the “College of Performing Arts & Music.” Research the program, know the program, and
understand as much as you can about it before you start your essay.
The more competitive schools put much more weight into the essay than other schools do. They want to be sure the student is
the right fit for the school and vice versa.
This process can be overwhelming and a little intimidating… but you have to fight through those thoughts and focus on what
makes you the correct fit for that program, unique as an individual, and how that program can play a role in reaching your
goals! We all understand it is difficult to write about ourselves. Make sure a few people, including yourself and at least one
person with an academic background in English, read carefully through the essay…
DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON SPELLCHECK!
Here is a link to an excellent website on writing college essays (it is for grad students but it gives good advice to
follow regardless of the educational level applying for): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/642/01/
The Career and Transfer Center ● Building 3 Room 108 ● 585.292.2248 ● www.monroecc.edu/go/careercenter/