I have edited countless college essays and see students make these mistakes ALL the time, even among strong writers.

In this article, I will explain each mistake and give tips you can use to avoid them.

I will also include real-life examples. However, I will paraphrase them to preserve the anonymity of students whose essays I have edited.

If you haven’t already, check out parts one and three.

Mistake #17: Not clear or concise

I would say this is the most common mistake I see applicants make, even among strong writers.

This usually happens because they either answer the prompt indirectly (beat around the bush) or prioritize creative writing over quality writing (often at the expense of clarity). 

Doing so makes it unclear what your message is, which defeats the whole purpose of writing the essay!

It also forces your readers to draw connections for you when that’s your job.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are students who are overly wordy. When a sentence or passage is too long, your message gets lost in its delivery.

While this is more common among creative writers, they have a little more leeway than others since their writing style requires more adjectives and descriptors. Wordiness can be avoided by making sure each word is strategically placed and serves a purpose.

Clarity and brevity are two sides of the same coin. In many cases, you can’t have one without the other. 

What you can do: Your response must be clear, concise, and direct. Use active voice and have someone else review it.

Mistake #18: Not answering the prompt

Many students write essays that are unrelated or are loosely related to the prompt. 

I have seen many creative writers make this mistake because they are either too invested in setting the stage, embellishing unnecessary details, or are trying to show off their writing skills, which often results in them missing the mark completely.

Earlier, I said others taking initiative on your behalf (#14) is the worst mistake and I still stand by it. This mistake, however, is a non-starter so just assume you’re not getting in.

What you can do: Make bullet points of every possible answer to the prompt. Pick a few of the best ones and weave them into your essay.

Mistake #19: Giving the answer to the prompt a minor role

On the other side of the spectrum, some students do answer the prompt but it’s only given a minor role.

I have seen many students dedicate only one paragraph in long essays or a few sentences in short ones to directly answer the prompt. 

Technically speaking, they did address the prompt but their response is usually so generic and superficial that it becomes garble (#39) or a string of meaningless words.

This makes sense and should be expected since you’re trying to fit a complex answer into 3-4 sentences.

Be thoughtful and purposeful which each word, sentence, and paragraph you write. They all need to touch on your theme/story in a meaningful way.

What you can do: Expand and reflect on your response in a meaningful way. If you need help, you can use arrows to map out your essay so you can mention all of your points.

Mistake #20: Not choosing a prompt that plays to your strengths

Another mistake to avoid is not choosing a prompt that highlights your strengths.

Consider what your strengths are. This could include your passion project, extracurriculars, unique life experiences or challenges, interests, expertise, or an obstacle you overcame. 

Check out this article to learn how you can take advantage of your advantage.

Your goal is to pick a prompt that fully encapsulates your life and gives you the best opportunity to tell your story.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What experience or event has had the most impact in shaping me into the person I am today?
• Which prompt is most related to that experience/event and will give me the best opportunity to write about it?

What you can do: Choose prompts that best reflect your journey, who you are as a person, and how you got to where you are now. 

Mistake #21: Sabotaging yourself

College essays are opportunities for students to put their best foot forward and show their humanity – one that isn’t fully or accurately captured by objective measures.

Despite this, students frequently disqualify, minimize or discount the impact of their actions in their essays.

Here are a few examples:

“I am usually a bright person but…”

“I am usually a hard worker unless…”

“It might not seem like much or worth anything but it’s important to me.”

When you use words like these to describe yourself…

• But
• However
• In most cases
• Unless
• Usually

…it undermines your cause and essentially negates every positive thing you said about yourself or done before that point.

I understand some students do this to give admission officers a full picture of their lives but you can do so without putting yourself down.

What you can do: Never disqualify, minimize or discount your actions. Just focus on the impact you made, lessons you learned, reflections you had, etc. 

Mistake #22: Adding cliche quotes in your essays verbatim

This typically comes in the form of copy and pasting famous quotes, well-known lines, or scripture.

I get it, cliche quotes are famous because they tap into the truths that we all hold and believe to be self-evident.

However, those quotes are highly overused and don’t help you stand out from other applicants who also make this mistake so never add them verbatim.

What you can do: Embed the main ideas from the quote into your essay and always in your own words. Consider how it relates to your life and add those connections.

Mistake #23: Making it all about you

This only applies to “why this program/school?” prompts.

Yes, you do want to talk about your experiences and the unique opportunities the college provides but you must also offer something just as valuable in return without sounding transactional.

This will be a delicate dance but you have to strike a balance and weave those ideas naturally without making the process sound like you’re at a grocery store.

Avoid phrases like “______ has served me well.” This is the definition of transactional since you appear cold and calculating.

What you can do: Focus on the intrinsic value both you and the college bring to the table. Talk about your personal experiences and qualities and how they benefit the college.

Mistake #24: Overusing contractions

For the most part, try to spell out all your words and only use contractions if they actually improve the flow and readability of your sentences.

Overusing contractions can make your essays seem too conversational and aesthetically unappealing.

This doesn’t mean “never use them” but keep them to a minimum.

What you can do: Use contractions sparingly and only when appropriate.

Mistake #25: Using words that don’t match the theme

Words MATTER because they are each associated with different connotations even if they have similar meanings. 

Here’s an example:

“He had swallowed a lot of water…”

This is what I recommended instead:

“He had choked on a lot of water…”

This essay was about how one of my students saved a drowning boy. I recommended this simple word change because both words have different connotations despite having similar meanings.

Saving someone who “choked” on water sounds more heroic than saving someone who “swallowed” water.

Here’s another example:

“I had the opportunity to meet important thought leaders like Hillary Clinton and Jeff Bezos at the conference.”

This is what I recommended instead:

“I had the opportunity to network with important thought leaders like Hillary Clinton and Jeff Bezos at the conference.”

While both words share similar meanings, “networking” is a more powerful action than “meeting” someone because it implies taking initiative and growth, which is what colleges love to hear.

It is important to be thoughtful and strategic in your word choice.

Use words that carry a softer connotation when writing about sensitive or personal topics and words that have more intensity when writing about passionate or exciting topics.

This process should be fluid because essays will talk about a range of emotions and move through different stages of your life so be mindful of the current situation you’re writing about.

What you can do: Words have power so be strategic in your word choice. Choose words that have connotations that match the vibe, atmosphere, situation, etc. This should be a fluid process.

Mistake #26: Using past tense to talk about your strengths

You should avoid referring to your strengths, goals, hopes, and dreams in the past tense because it implies that they are no longer the case.

Of course, there are some caveats. The only time it would be acceptable to talk about them in the past tense is if it is required to understand your story.

What you can do: Always present your current strengths, goals, hopes, and dreams in the present or present perfect tense.

Mistake #27: Using ambiguous language

Be careful with using words like the ones listed below unless whatever you’re referring to is crystal clear.

• It
• This
• Them
• Those
• That

You also want to avoid phrasing that could lead to ambiguous writing as well.

Here’s an example:

“Mrs. Jones and my mom met after school for parent-teacher night. She told her that I was doing well.”

Here it is unclear whether…

1. Teacher told the mom that the student is doing well [in class]
2. Mom told the teacher that the student is doing well [at home]

What you can do: Clear up any potential ambiguity before or after the sentence in question and have someone with fresh eyes read it for clarity.

Mistake #28: Assuming your readers know what you’re talking about

Never assume your readers know what you know (unless it’s basic knowledge).

Take the time to briefly explain jargon, technical terms, and complicated processes even if you’re confident that your readers are experts in the field.

Successfully breaking down complex ideas into simple, digestible parts can help your readers fully understand your point of view and show your mastery of the subject.

Here’s an example:

“If I have the chance to attend [school name], I would enroll in EENG 200a, E&EB 106a, ACCT 270a, and PSYC 110a.”

Just because admission officers work at the college, doesn’t mean they have the hundreds of courses memorized (even if it’s at the departmental level).

What you can do: Briefly explain complicated ideas but also pay attention to the flow and readability of your paragraph. Strike a balance between getting lost in the weeds and providing context.

Mistake #29: Disconnect between paragraphs

Unsurprisingly, many students spend the majority of their time on the first and last paragraphs of their college essays. 

But what often happens is the middle portion becomes neglected and lags behind. So when readers go through your essays, they notice a disconnect between the three parts, which is a distraction you don’t want.

Keep in mind that your goal is to make each section harmonize and relate back to each together.

What you can do: Start writing your essays early to give yourself enough time to focus on each paragraph. Each paragraph must support and/or build off the previous one. 

Mistake #30: Losing your momentum

Similar to the previous point, students tend to focus exclusively on certain parts of their essays. 

In this case, students who make this mistake put their best effort into the first few paragraphs then the quality of their work gradually declines and doesn’t pick back up.

This means when readers go through your essay, it gets progressively worse. It almost seems like the more you wrote, the less you cared about it.

Keep in mind that to get into selective colleges and universities, your ENTIRE essay must be strong, compelling, and interesting.

What you can do: Start writing your essays early to give yourself enough time to focus on each paragraph. It might also be a good idea to have someone with fresh eyes review them.

Mistake #31: Finishing your essays with a weak ending

Another mistake to avoid is concluding your essay with a weak ending.

Many students feel overwhelmed after at least a year of preparation and the time crunch doesn’t help either.

I get it, the whole college admission process has been stressful and you just want it to end. 

But, if you give up now – when you’re practically at the finish line – then everything you have done up to this point had been for nothing.

You made it this far so finish strong.

What you can do: Start early to give yourself enough time to finish your college essays. This way, you can write them gradually rather than all at once. You will also have more opportunities to take much-needed breaks.