WOODBURY — College application deadlines may be difficult for students, especially if they are struggling with their essays, a vital component of the application process. Those who have completed their essays have offered guidance to those classmates who might be struggling. Some campus faculty also offer their advice in crafting a college essay that captures the attention of their reader. 

Students at Nonnewaug are lucky to have access to the College and Career Resource Center, which provides them with extra assistance with college requirements, such as college essays. The Chief Advocate spoke with staff members and seniors about their advice for writing college essays.

Kathy Green, CCRC counselor

“I am always happy to help students brainstorm topics for their letters or review them,” Green said. “I often tell students not to share their essays with me unless they are open to feedback. I want their essays to be a strong reflection of them. [I suggest visiting] the College Essay Guy. He has tons of free material on the internet and on YouTube.”

Sharon Gomes, social worker

“Be genuine, as well as write about an actual incident or event that has affected you and changed you in order for colleges to get to know and understand you better,” said Gomes.

Genevieve Richmond, senior  

“When you’re writing it, don’t look at it as an assignment; it should be something you love writing,” says Richmond. “I recommend just word vomiting at the start to get an idea of what you’re going to write and how you’re going to carry out the task.”

Destiney Acevedo, senior

“Don’t make your sentences excessively wordy; rather, focus on being grammatically right. Check all your spelling and punctuation just to be sure, and have people review it,” says Acevedo. “I also recommend that students should select one topic and stick to it.”

Kaylia Hall, senior

“I recommend that students start in the middle of their essay rather than being stuck at the beginning struggling with the hook,” says Hall. “I’ve found that starting from the midway makes it much simpler.” 

However students plan to approach this assignment, one thing remains clear: creativity matters. The college essay is an opportunity for applicants to have their story come alive off the page, and thanks to Nonnewaug’s students and support staff, writers have many resources at their disposal.