What does y
our stomach do when I mention the words “college essay?” Tie up in panicky knots? Flip over in anticipation? Growl with excitement? However you feel about writing your essay, the time has come to get serious about it.
We care about essays for two reasons: we want students who can write, and we want students who have something to say. Most of us who read applications consider the essay to be the dessert that comes after a steady diet of grades, scores, and other facts and figures.
In addition to the Common Application essay, Holy Cross has a required short (250-word max) response question. Hey, we like dessert! The short answer question is “What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?” We hope you’ll use your 250 words to share a piece of advice that has resonated with you and explain why. Maybe we’ll even take your advice!
Why should you get to have all the fun? I asked some of my colleagues to share the bits of advice that they would like to write about. Here are some highlights:
“It’s not all about you.”“Make your own luck.”“You have to be a friend to have a friend.”
“Listen first.”“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”“Trust your instincts.”
My advice to you? Start writing!
