Step 2. REVISE

I pride myself on being great at revising, which is good because my first drafts often suck, and I’m a professional published writer. Keep this in mind and give yourself a break. (-;

Revisit and review what you wrote with fresh eyes. Yes, this is similar to the brainstorming step. Once you have written a draft, come back to it and make some changes.

Edit and Expand. Cut out the repetitive or unnecessary and expand on what needs further clarification. You want to submit a college essay that is clear AND flows.

Visualize. Picture the story you captured on paper so that you will select visual words.

Intellect. Although you want to select words that are visual and emotional, you also want to appeal to the cut-and-dry side of the reader’s intellect. Practice the art of persuasion by proving that you can appeal to someone’s emotions AND intellect. This demonstrates that you know how to think critically AND write analytically.

Say it with clarity. Keep in mind that the admissions officers don’t know you. You need to write your college essay so that a complete stranger can get to know you in a matter of words. They should feel like they’ve known you for years. It is much harder to send an old friend to the reject pile than another generic applicant.

Evoke. Pick words and stories that evoke and communicate the emotional experience. This does not mean that you have to be touchy-feely, because that may come across as unprofessional or the act of an unstable drama queen. However, you want to bring your own experiences, thus far, to life so that it is memorable. Facts and figures can be boring (although grades and test scores matter). Emotions are universal.