- [Interviewer] We're
here with Sarah McGinty, researcher and author of the
College Application Essay. Sarah, what are some of the things I need to be thinking
about in terms of style when I'm writing my
college application essay? - [Sarah] Well I think
the most important thing to think about is pace. So, start fast. The reader is very knowledgeable, they're reading 25 or 30
of these things a day. You can jump right into your story. Maybe that means you
eliminate your introduction, maybe that means you
shrink your conclusion. But, it's a sandwich,
so the beginning and end is just the bread to hold it together, it's the meat in the middle that matters. - [Interviewer] Great, so I start fast, I focus primarily on the story itself, not with any fluff in
the intro or conclusion. What else should I be thinking about in terms of the style
and tone that I'm using? - [Sarah] It's a personal essay, not an academic research paper, try to match your vocabulary
to the kind of person you are and to the fact you're a
young 17, 18 year old person. Make sure it sounds like you and that means not so many $10 words and a lot of just conversational
and relaxed language. - [Interviewer] So can you give me, I think I know what you mean, but could you give me
some sort of example? - [Sarah] Well I did have
a student once who wrote I encountered this terrestrial sphere on a vernal evening in 1997 and after a little conversation, we decided it would be okay to say, I was born in April, 1997. - [Interviewer] Gotcha, so in
other words, keep it simple. It should sound like when
I'm talking to a friend. - [Sarah] Exactly. - [Interviewer] Great and anything else that I should be thinking
about in terms of style, tone? - [Sarah] Well my last words would ask you to be as specific as possible in the story that you've told and in the
writing that you supply, so that it is vivid and detailed. Maybe one way to do that is to convey some of your
story through dialogue of what the policeman
who pulled you over said and what you said back, that would certainly
help us be in the scene. But, be as specific as possible. It's very common at the beginning
to write sentences like, I had many new and
surprising experiences then. And that's a great first thought, but the second thought needs to be, okay, what was new and
surprising about them? And maybe that sentence can be made, I slept in a tent, washed my
face and hands in a saucepan and survived on bread and candy bars. - [Interviewer] Gotcha, so we're really, really kind of getting into
the nitty gritty details of the story as opposed
to kind of surface level, broad brush sentences. - [Sarah] And that's what's
gonna make it memorable. So, if you're specific that
will lead admissions to say, what about the kid that lived
on bread and candy bars? They're not gonna say,
maybe we'll take that kid that had a surprising experience. - [Interviewer] Gotcha, so
just to recap, start fast, sound like yourself, and be specific. - [Sarah] That's it! - [Interviewer] Great, thanks so much.