By Grace Beah, '10
Senior year: Complicated, thought provoking, and debilitating. What am I talking about? The college essay process, of course. The subject varies from an influential person to an amazing trip that changed the applicant in some way. Each year millions of seniors across the U.S. are under pressure to write the “perfect” personal statement.
Proctor Academy has about a hundred seniors going through the process this year. It seems that until this moment, high school has been a blur of tests, homework, classes, and getting good grades. There are pressures from parents to be the best, and pressures from friends to be supportive. It feels as if this is the most important moment; that four years of work all depends on this one and a half page paper.
Ilyena Kozain is a senior who has managed her time efficiently, and has already written her essay. Ilyena said that because she had written her essay this summer she isn’t too stressed out. “It doesn’t mean I can slack off, but I can have some free time.”
Parents and seniors were informed by the college counseling office that a rough draft of the personal statement should be done by the beginning of September. However, the majority of the senior class at Proctor Academy didn't meet that deadline. There are a few who haven’t even started the essay. Bev Berton, the mother of Ben Berton, a current three year senior, was delighted to hear that her son wasn’t the only student in his grade to be behind on the checklist.
While it seems at the moment that there is no hope during this stressful time, there are a few stories of students who have survived this process. Laurie Zimmerman is the mother of Allegra Zimmerman, as well as an English teacher. Allegra ,who is a freshmen in college this year, is a prime example of a success story. Allegra went through the agony and the strain of thinking up ideas for her essay. In the process she had help from her mother and most would assume that Laurie gave Allegra the secrets to the perfect essay.
Laurie identifies three simple ways to make sure your essay is personal and unique. “One way to make an essay personal is to start in the middle. Second, try to tell a story, then back track and give background. Third, make sure something transformational happens by the end of the essay. Also make sure your essay is short, clear, and you do not ramble. I assumed Laurie helped a lot with Allegra’s writing process, but she only helped her daughter cultivate her idea. Allegra needed convincing that her idea was unique enough from the other 400,000 colleges essays alongside hers.
It seems although no essay can be absolutely perfect, there are methods to making sure it’s unique to your experience. Plain and simple, college essays are very important, but hopefully when an Admission Officer looks at your application, your personality and individuality will shine through. Good Luck!
