Every October, we read hundreds of drafts. And every year, the same five mistakes quietly sink otherwise strong applications. Here’s what to watch for — and what to do instead.
1. Writing for the Admissions Officer, Not for Yourself
Your essay isn’t a highlight reel. Admissions already has your transcript and your résumé — they don’t need a sixth bullet point dressed up in paragraph form. What they don’t have is your voice. The strongest essays read like the student is talking directly to the reader, not performing for them.
Try this: Read your draft out loud. If it doesn’t sound like something you’d actually say, rewrite the sentence.
2. Picking a Topic Because It Sounds Impressive
The state championship. The mission trip. The internship at a law firm. None of these are bad topics — but they’re only as strong as what you did with them. A quiet moment of doubt before a routine practice can make for a better essay than a dramatic game-winning shot, if the reflection is real.
Ask yourself: Would this story only make sense if it happened to me? If yes, you’re onto something.
3. Reaching for the Thesaurus
“Utilize” instead of “use.” “Endeavor” instead of “try.” Big words don’t signal intelligence — they signal a student trying too hard to sound like one. Admissions readers go through thousands of essays; the ones that stand out are clear, not ornate.
Rule of thumb: If a word feels borrowed, it probably is. Write like you talk.
4. Answering the Essay You Wish They’d Asked
Prompts exist for a reason. If a college asks about a challenge you’ve overcome and you write three paragraphs about your favorite book instead, you haven’t shown you can follow direction — a skill colleges genuinely care about.
Fix: Underline the actual question in the prompt before you start writing. Return to it every paragraph.
5. Telling the Story Without Explaining Why It Matters
A moment, however vivid, isn’t an essay — it’s an anecdote. What separates a good essay from a forgettable one is the reflection: what changed in how you think, what you’d do differently, why this moment still matters to you now.
Test: If you can delete your last paragraph and the essay still “works,” you haven’t reflected enough. That last paragraph should be doing real work.
None of this is about writing the “perfect” essay — there isn’t one. It’s about writing an essay only you could have written.
Want a second pair of eyes on your draft? Three Pines Education offers one-on-one essay coaching built around your voice, not a template. Get in touch and let’s make sure your story lands the way it should.