The best approach for grammar in the Common App essay is to draft, draft, and draft so instructors and readers can catch mistakes ahead of time, and this guide includes the most common mistakes you can easily avoid making before you submit your drafts for review.
Common App Essay Big No-No’s
Avoid using the second person (“you” or its plural “you all”) in the Common App essay. While “you” can be employed in fiction, memoir essays address the author’s life. You could use phrases like “one could,” but it sounds verbose, awkward, and often presumptuous. Instead, consider using the personal “I” or simply describe the experience.
Example:
You could feel that this was going to be a long essay.
→
I sensed that the essay would take a moment to read.
For the most part, avoid the passive voice. After my advice was given, the time I spent writing this piece of advice was something that required time and switching to the active voice just made writing easier. Occasionally, sprinkling in the passive voice varies essay sentence structure but it should be limited to only once or twice total.
Write out contraptions (the most common mistakes I see on all essays are the words “didn’t,” and “I’d”). Never begin sentences with “this,” “these,” “that” and “those.” Instead, write out the noun or subject to which you are alluding. Never being sentences with “And.” While some of the rules may seem new, each grammar preference applies not only to college essays, but also to academic writing at the university level so they are worth internalizing for the long haul.
Storytelling in the Common App Essay
The Common App essays are personal stories, so admissions officers use writing responses to assess an applicants’ ability to talk about themselves. As they read, admissions staff look out for varied sentence structure. Writing five consecutive direct sentences without a comma makes the essay sound choppy. On the other side of the spectrum, writing a sentence with three or more commas signals a run-on sentence and makes the essay hard to follow. For aficionados of commas, one good rule of thumb to follow for college essays is one idea per sentence (although sometimes you can have two ideas in one sentence)!
Quick tip: Mix up long sentences next to short ones with a preference towards short sentences.
Repetition is the other great sin in college essay storytelling. Most undeveloped essays employ the same verbs, nouns and sentence starters over and over again. Avoid using the same verb in consecutive sentences. Similarly, don’t fall into the “I and my” trap, in which you recount a personal experience beginning consecutive sentences with “I” or “my” repeatedly.
I tell my students to write their Common App essays with keeping in mind something I call, “the five-minute mentality.” For each university you apply, your admissions reader will likely spend no longer than five minutes initially scanning over your entire application, which includes test scores, recommendations, personal information, and also your essays. While every applicant is at the disadvantage of only having five minutes to initially present their credentials, making your essays accessible, easy-to-read, and intelligent matters more than ever.
Language in the Common App Essay
Most of the Common App essays I read contain two common mistakes when it comes to writing about an experience. Undeveloped essays either employ language that is too technical or language that is too colloquial. Technical language often relates to a hobby or activity. When writing about a computer code, sports competition, or academic discipline, it is tempting to write with the jargon of the said activity with the assumption that your reader is already familiarized. However, do not rely on your reader being an expert in something like competitive fencing or video games! Assume your reader has very little knowledge of the specific activity, so make your writing accessible.
On the other side of the spectrum, do not use language that is too colloquial. Casually using phrases like “it came full circle” or “what I’m getting at” are phrases you want to avoid. Recognizing which phrases constitute “colloquial” language is not easy — especially when the content of the essay is humorous! If you’re unsure, try to recall if you have ever read the phrase in a textbook or academic essay and find a new phrase if you cannot recall an instance where it has appeared.
So how do I avoid grammar mistakes in my college essays?
The best way to catch grammar mistakes requires you to vocalize what you’ve written. Read your essay aloud and read it slowly. Pausing after every sentence or two will help detect words, phrases, and even paragraphs that do not belong. You may find that a sentence sounds choppy or a word sounds awkward. Most importantly, you will catch at least one grammar mistake or sentence that needs revision (but most likely, you’ll catch many)! In the past five years I’ve tutored, I often make my students read aloud their essays first before we even address comments. While reading aloud can be tedious, it remains a surefire to avoid grammar mistakes.
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