6 Common App Essay Mistakes To Avoid | i've edited 50+ essays

Summary

In this video, the creator addresses common mistakes in Common App essays that can detract from their impact. They critique the misuse of metaphors, the overuse of direct statements, the lack of personal catalysts, the focus on others rather than oneself, and the repetition of ideas. The creator shares unique tips to enhance essays, emphasizing the importance of personal narrative, descriptiveness, and maintaining reader interest throughout the application process.

Takeaways

• 📝 The video discusses common mistakes in Common App essays and provides tips to improve them.
• 🌊 Avoid half-ass metaphors that are introduced but not integrated throughout the essay; they should be significant and not cliché.
• 🙅‍♀️ Do not use direct statements like 'this taught me' or 'I learned'; instead, show personal growth and experiences.
• 🔄 Include a catalyst for personal change in the essay, but ensure it's something intrinsic to the writer, not external influences.
• 🤔 Focus on personal transformation and ensure the narrative is centered around the writer's experiences and growth.
• 🚫 Do not spend too much of the essay discussing other people; the focus should be on the writer's achievements and qualities.
• 📚 Use descriptive language to bring readers into the writer's life, but avoid excessive adverbs and filler words that don't add value.
• 🔄 Avoid repeating the same idea in different ways; each sentence should contribute something new to the narrative.
• 🔍 Ensure every word and sentence in the essay is essential and contributes to the overall narrative and personal story.
• 💡 The tips provided are the speaker's personal opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt, but they are based on reading many essays.
• 🔄 The speaker encourages viewers to revise their essays, removing clichés, direct statements, and repetitive ideas to make them more compelling.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is discussing common mistakes to avoid when writing a Common App essay and providing tips to improve the essay.

Why did the author decide to make another video about the Common App essay?

The author decided to make another video because their previous comment-up essay was very successful, and they wanted to ride that wave to share more tips and insights.

What is the author's opinion on using metaphors in the Common App essay?

The author advises against using half-ass metaphors that are set up in the introduction but not integrated throughout the essay, as they can come off as forced and do not contribute to the narrative flow.

What should a metaphor in the essay represent according to the author?

According to the author, a metaphor should represent a fresh and new perspective that is personal to the writer, and it should not be a cliché or generic one.

Why does the author discourage the use of direct statements like 'This taught me...' in the essay?

The author discourages direct statements because they prefer the writer to show their experiences and feelings through actions and personal experiences rather than just telling the reader.

What is the importance of having a catalyst in the essay according to the author?

A catalyst is important because it explains what caused the personal change or transformation that the writer is discussing, making the narrative more believable and compelling.

Why should the focus of the essay be on the writer themselves, even when discussing other people or events?

The focus should be on the writer because the essay is about their personal growth and experiences, and the reader wants to understand why the writer is a good fit for the college, not others in their life.

What is the author's view on using excessive adverbs and descriptions in the essay?

The author believes that excessive adverbs and descriptions can sound forced and elementary, and they should be used sparingly to bring the reader into the writer's life and experiences.

Why is it a mistake to repeat the same idea multiple times in the essay?

Repeating the same idea is a mistake because it slows down the momentum of the essay, bores the reader, and does not contribute new information or insights about the writer.

What should every sentence in the essay contribute to?

Every sentence in the essay should contribute to the narrative, bringing something new and essential to the understanding of the writer's experiences and personal growth.

What does the author suggest doing with the repeated ideas or unnecessary descriptions in the essay?

The author suggests removing repeated ideas and unnecessary descriptions to make room for more meaningful development of the narrative and the writer's personal experiences.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Common App Essay Tips and Metaphor Misuse

The speaker discusses the unexpected success of their Common App essay advice video and decides to create a follow-up. They emphasize the importance of avoiding clichéd and forced metaphors in essays, as they can disrupt the narrative flow. The speaker suggests integrating metaphors throughout the essay to maintain coherence and authenticity. They also highlight the need for personal significance in metaphors to provide a fresh perspective, rather than resorting to generic comparisons.

05:01

🚫 Avoiding Direct Statements and Catalyst Clarity

The speaker criticizes the use of direct statements like 'this taught me' in essays, advocating instead for a more descriptive and personal narrative that shows rather than tells the reader about the writer's experiences and feelings. They also address the common mistake of lacking a clear catalyst for personal change within the essay, stressing the importance of identifying the driving force behind transformation. The speaker advises that even if external factors are involved, the essay should focus on the writer as the source of change, with a clear connection between the catalyst and the personal growth described.

10:02

🙅‍♂️ Focusing on Self and Avoiding Excessive Descriptions

The speaker warns against spending too much of the essay discussing people other than the writer, as college application essays should highlight the applicant's qualities and achievements. They urge applicants to be self-focused and avoid excessive or irrelevant descriptions that do not contribute to the narrative. The speaker also advises against the overuse of adverbs, which can come across as forced and elementary, recommending instead a more meaningful and concise descriptive approach that brings the reader into the writer's life and experiences.

🔄 The Pitfall of Repetitive Ideas in Essays

The final common mistake highlighted is the repetition of ideas within essays, which can slow down the narrative and bore the reader. The speaker emphasizes that every sentence and word should be essential and contribute something new to the essay. They advise against using repetitive transitions or reiterating points in different ways, which can detract from the overall impact and momentum of the essay. The speaker encourages writers to develop their ideas fully and make each part of the essay count towards a compelling and unique narrative.

Keywords

💡Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true but helps explain an idea or make a comparison. In the context of the video, the creator advises against using forced or generic metaphors in the Common App essay. The video emphasizes that metaphors should be personal, significant, and integrated throughout the essay, rather than just introduced and concluded with, to avoid seeming contrived or cliché.

💡Cliché

A cliché refers to an overused expression or idea that has lost its original impact due to its frequent repetition. The script warns against using clichéd metaphors in essays, as they do not provide a fresh perspective. The creator suggests that a metaphor should be unique and meaningful to the individual to effectively convey their personal narrative.

💡Direct Statements

Direct statements are explicit assertions made by the writer without the use of subtlety or implication. The video criticizes the use of such statements in essays, like 'this taught me...' or 'I learned...', arguing that they lack depth. Instead, the creator encourages essay writers to show their growth and learning through personal experiences and actions, which can make the narrative more compelling and genuine.

💡Catalyst

A catalyst is an event or agent that provokes change. In the video, the creator points out that many essays lack a clear catalyst for the personal transformation they describe. The video emphasizes the importance of including the cause of change in an essay to make the narrative believable and to illustrate the thought process and personal journey leading to that change.

💡Personal Transformation

Personal transformation refers to a significant change in an individual's beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. The video discusses the common narrative of personal change in Common App essays and stresses the need to include the catalyst for this change. It suggests that the focus should be on the individual's internal process rather than external influences.

💡Adverbs

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, often describing how, when, where, or to what extent something occurs. The script criticizes the overuse of adverbs in essays, which can make the writing seem forced or elementary. The creator advises using adverbs sparingly and focusing on more meaningful descriptions that contribute to the narrative.

💡Descriptiveness

Descriptiveness refers to the quality of being vivid and detailed in description. The video encourages the use of descriptive language in essays but warns against excessive or forced descriptions that do not add value to the narrative. Descriptive language should help the reader visualize the writer's experiences and feel connected to the story being told.

💡Repetition

Repetition in writing is the act of repeating the same idea or words in different forms. The video script advises against this practice, stating that it can slow the momentum of the essay and bore the reader. The creator emphasizes the importance of each sentence contributing something new and essential to the narrative.

💡Narrative

A narrative is a story or account of events and experiences, often in a chronological order. The video focuses on the importance of maintaining a strong narrative flow in an essay. It suggests that the narrative should be engaging, with each element—metaphors, personal experiences, and descriptions—integrated seamlessly to create a coherent and compelling story.

💡Personal Experience

Personal experience refers to events or occurrences that an individual has lived through and can recount from a first-person perspective. The video script highlights the significance of incorporating personal experiences into the essay to demonstrate authenticity and to allow the reader to connect with the writer on a deeper level.

💡Common App Essay

The Common App Essay is a part of the Common Application, a standardized form used by many U.S. colleges and universities for undergraduate admissions. The video discusses common mistakes to avoid and provides tips for writing an effective essay for this application, emphasizing the importance of originality, personal reflection, and narrative coherence.

Highlights

The video discusses common mistakes in Common App essays and provides tips to avoid them.

The creator has read 40-50 essays and identified recurring issues to share in the video.

Personal opinion is emphasized, suggesting viewers take advice with a grain of salt.

The importance of integrating metaphors throughout the essay is stressed, rather than just in the beginning and end.

Metaphors should be personal and not generic to bring a fresh perspective.

Avoiding cliché metaphors is suggested to prevent sounding like a cop-out.

Direct statements like 'this taught me' are discouraged; instead, show through actions and experiences.

The essay should be descriptive, personal, and specific to truly represent the writer.

Including a catalyst for personal change in the essay is crucial for narrative coherence.

The catalyst should come from the writer's own experiences, not external factors.

Focusing on others in the essay is a common mistake; the essay should center on the writer.

Excessive adverbs and filler words can detract from the essay's impact.

Descriptive language should enhance the narrative, not just fill space.

Repeating the same idea in different ways can bore the reader and slow essay momentum.

Every sentence and word should be essential and contribute to the essay's narrative.

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to apply these tips to their essays.

An invitation for viewers to request more videos on essay tips is extended.

Transcripts

hey guys so recently my comment up essay

has been popping off

and doing way better than all my videos

on my channel

so i thought i would kind of ride that

wave and make another video about the

common app essay

and common mistakes that you should not

do because some of these make me want to

rip my hair out and it makes me cringe

so much

sorry guys and also the tips i came up

with that i'm going to share with you

later in this video

are tips that i haven't really seen

anyone else on youtube talk about in

their videos

so tune in for those because

they might help you a lot so even though

i stopped editing your guys's essays

i've still read quite a few of essays

like 40 or 50 essays so far

and i've seen a lot of common mistakes

present themselves and i found myself

writing the same comment over and over

again so i thought i would just make

this video

and tell you guys all at once like hit

you with those tips

and also keep in mind that all this is

my personal opinion

so take everything with a grain of salt

but also keep in mind that if i find a

cringy there's a high possibility that

your app reader and other people will

find it cringy as well

let's not stall let's just get into it

yeah

[Music]

so the first common mistake i see in a

lot of your guys's essays

is that a lot of people are trying to

half-ass their metaphors

so i don't like it when people set up

these huge elaborate metaphors in their

introduction paragraph and make it seem

like it's going to be

a significant part of their essay but

then they basically don't talk about it

or mention it again for the rest of the

essay

until the conclusion paragraph where

they just hit you with it they slide in

again with the metaphor and it's kind of

like i'm dark

and i'm like whoa where did that come

from like you didn't elaborate on it at

all

to me when people decide to use

metaphors in this way

it comes off as really forced to me and

like you're just trying to use a

metaphor for the heck of it

to make your essay a little more

interesting to the app reader

but i honestly think it does the

opposite thing where it just kind of

turns me off from your essay

so if you end up adding a metaphor into

your essay i would make sure that it's a

significant part of your essay

and it's integrated throughout the

entire essay instead of just like the

beginning and the end

that way i think it's going to be able

to maintain the flow of your narrative

and not sound so forced

since your narrative and the metaphor is

kind of intertwined and they won't be

able to work without each other

and another thing i'll add to this whole

metaphor thing i'm talking about is that

if you do decide to use a metaphor make

sure it's not a cliche and really

generic one

to me the point of a metaphor is to

bring a really fresh and new perspective

to how you're feeling slash

felt and it should be personal to you

i don't think you should just choose a

random object or something to make a

metaphor out of just for the heck of it

because you think it would fit

well with your narrative i think if you

decide to use a metaphor that object

should mean something to you personally

if you use a really generic metaphor

that everyone's heard of

it kind of defeats the purpose of the

metaphor where it's supposed to bring a

fresh

perspective people don't want to hear

the same thing over and over again where

they've read

hundreds of times and also when i read

these really generic cliche metaphors it

ends up sounding like a cop-out to me

where

they couldn't think of a good metaphor

so they just decide to use one that

someone else already came up with

and the second mistake i see a lot of

people making is they make these really

direct statements like

this taught me dot dot dot or i learned

dot dot dot i'm happy when i dot dot dot

i don't want to hear these direct

statements like avoid those direct

statements

i don't want you just telling me stuff

and telling me how you feel

i want you to show me through your words

your actions within the essay

and through personal experiences that

you had if you find yourself having to

use these direct statements to get a

point across in your essay i think you

should focus more on making your essay

more descriptive

more personal more specific and

incorporating more personal experiences

into it

so you can really show who you are

without just making

blank statements at the reader because

at the end of the day

readers are going to find your personal

experiences

a lot more compelling than you just

telling me who you are

through these statements get rid of

those direct statements right now go on

common app essay right now and get rid

of them

i'm pointing at you you need to do it

and the third common mistake i see in a

lot of essays is there's a lack of a

catalyst

and what i mean by that is in a lot of

common app essays including mine

a lot of people choose to use the

narrative of personal transformation

and a personal change that they went

through and i read a lot of essays that

follow this narrative but i found that

a lot of people don't really include

what

caused the change that they're talking

about a lot of the times they just say

something like it just wasn't the same

anymore i changed i became better

without actually telling me what caused

that change what caused them to be

better

like as a reader it's really hard for me

to believe that you just changed

overnight

just because just because you decided

that you want to be better

one night like that rarely happens

usually something pushes you

to make that personal change and going

off the catalyst point

a lot of people do end up including a

catalyst in their essay

but then that catalyst ends up being

something that's not themselves

or not coming from themselves or their

experiences

and it comes from another person or

thing

what i mean by that is i've read some

essays where people say

my parents made me dot dot dot my

parents cost me

dot dot dot losing my cat made me dot

dot dot

and they just say whatever change within

them

i think that's better than just not

including a catalyst at all but also i

think

at the end of the day the focus of the

essay should be you

even if it does have to do with that

person or that place

at the end of the day at the core of the

narrative it should come down to you

and you being the source of all this

personal change

and so an example i'm just gonna like

think of off the top of my head

don't use this hypothetically if someone

said

my fish died so i changed and now i'm

more organized

and as a reader when i hear that i'm

like first of all like

what caused like you to go from point a

of your fish drawing to point b

of being more organized i care as a

reader

more about the in-between and the

thought process

and the personal process that you went

through to get from point a to point b

rather than the actual like destination

if that makes sense

so like the way i would like frame it

would be oh my fish died because

i lost my fish food so i had to make the

personal

choice to become more organized so stuff

like that never happens again

that's a really weird example but it

kind of gets to the point of even if

another thing or person had to do

with that catalyst at the core it's

still you who made the decision to make

all these changes

i feel like i really explained that

badly but moving on

and the third common mistake i see on so

many

essays i think this might be the most

common mistake i see

is that a lot of people focus on people

that aren't them

for like the majority of their essay and

i don't understand why

they do this i cannot count the number

of essays that i read where people

spend like half of their essay like two

or three whole paragraphs talking about

someone something somewhere that

isn't them and i'm like why would you do

that

don't talk about how great your mom or

your cousin is and how they're the best

thing that's been created since life

spread

to be honest i don't really care about

them like at all i want to know how

great you

are how awesome you are and why i should

want you to attend my college

instead of your boyfriend like that's

not what i want college apps don't

follow this transitive property where if

other people in your life is amazing

then you're also amazing

like i'm not going to make that

connection i want you to tell me why

you're great

and why i should want you at my school

talk about yourself in your essay like

this is the one time where you should

just talk about yourself and be a little

bit narcissistic you know

hype yourself up don't hype other people

in your life up

of course like other people in your life

that had a significant impact on you

can be a part of your essay and i think

if you have an experience like that

you totally should but they should be at

most like one paragraph and then you

should transition

into you and talking about how great you

are

hype yourself up yeah and the fourth

mistake i see in a lot of essays is that

a lot of people

use an excessive amount of adverbs and

weird descriptions

in their essays while i was reading

essays i found that some people tried to

force descriptiveness

into their essay by saying [ __ ] like

while i sat

eagerly at my oak dining table i had a

earnest conversation with my

understanding mother about my uncertain

future while i

ate dry sourdough bread hungrily

like more than half of those descriptive

words and descriptiveness

don't tell me anything more about you

they're just kind of like filler words

where they're like

oh this makes me sound like i know what

i'm writing about like

no like i say so much that i want you

guys to be descriptive in your essays

but i want that description

to bring me into your life and this can

come in

various forms of being descriptive when

you talk about your background

being descriptive when you talk about

significant moments in your life

i want description there where i feel

like i get a clear image of those big

moments in your life i don't want to

know about your dry sourdough bread

also i'm not the biggest fan of when i

see people use a lot of adverbs like

hungrily

eagerly happily sadly

i feel like when people use a lot of

these adverbs it just sounds

really forced and really elementary to

me when i see

them just trying to add in these adverbs

to add a little pizzazz to their essays

moving on and the fifth and the last

mistake i'm going to be talking about

today that i see in your guys's

essays is repeating the same idea over

and over and

over and over again so many times

i think this might be the most common

comment i

comment on you guys's essays every

single sentence that you decide to

include

in your essay should be essential for

the narrative

and should bring something new to your

essay i really dislike it when people

just say the same thing

over and over again in different ways

under the disguise

of being descriptive and adding

description into their essay

and i've seen this a lot with

transitions where people

use the last sentence of the previous

paragraph

in a different way for their first

sentence

of the next paragraph like a random

example would be

if someone decided to end one of their

paragraphs with

something dot dot dot and i started my

first charity and then they

start their next paragraph with although

starting my own charity was very

fulfilling to me

blah blah blah like you're basically

just

saying the same thing back to back when

people use those repeats as

transitions and just in their essay in

general

it comes off as really elementary to me

and ultimately ends up slowing down the

momentum of the whole essay

and it leaves me bored like i should not

be bored even for

five seconds while i'm reading your

essay i should be constantly learning

something new about you

and when you choose to just repeat these

ideas

it just makes me kind of be like like i

already know this about you

why am i hearing it again so yeah just

don't do that get rid of those repeats

remember every single sentence

i might even say every single word in

your essay should have its place and

should be essential

for your essay to work and essential for

your narrative and after you delete all

those repeats in your essay

you'll have so many words left that you

can spend on developing your narrative

even more and developing the ideas you

already brought up

keep in mind it's not the number of

ideas you bring up in an essay

it's about how well you develop them and

how well you can portray that to the

reader and make it seem real and make it

seem like they're in your shoes

actually experiencing all these things

actually making all these realizations

you made in your life

and all these personal changes so yeah

that's gonna be the end of the video

today

and i hope you guys really enjoyed all

these tips i shared with you

and if you really like this video and

you want me to make more videos on

common mistakes and tips i see

when i'm reading your guys's essay

comment down below

like this video subscribe touch whatever

the ring

bell thing and i'll try to make more

videos

like this and i hope you guys have an

amazing day and i will see you guys soon

bye guys so destroy the evidence leave

not a trace

burn it and paper trash that way they

can deny possessing the illegal