Summary: - elaborate on your metaphors / don’t add a meaningless metaphor just for the sake of adding a metaphor + make sure it’s not cliché - don’t make direct statements. show, don’t tell. - explain what caused a change if you choose to follow that narrative / don’t just say “I changed...” explain how you went from point A to point B. explain the process - don’t make the focus not on you! the essay should be about YOU, not other people. - don’t use descriptions and adverbs excessively. be descriptive about your background/something specific to you, not something meaningless - don’t repeat the same idea over and over. every sentence should bring something new to your essay and be essential. don’t repeat the last sentence of the previous paragraph as a transition.
Bruh freal and the last English teacher I had that focused on essay writing was in 8th grade. Like my history teacher gave better criticism to a paragraph I turned in last year then my English teacher ever has 😭😭😭
i think verbs are another good thing to keep in mind. like, you were talking about using too many adverbs, and you can easily shorten your sentences by choosing powerful verbs. no more “said earnestly,” make it “assert.” no more “rudely made fun of,” make it “mocked.”
I'm sorry that my writing skills are so elementary. I've only written 2 essays each school year and was not given ANY constructive criticism. Thank you to all my english teachers
South African public schools😑...you literally only realize how basic your writing skills are once you're in senior year, I swear🤞...teachers who actually force their students to enhance their writing skills from lower grades>>>>>>>>>
Me, realizing that 3 years of honors/AP English classes have taught me almost nothing about how to write a college essay: >:( But hey at least I know how to emulate the over descriptive writing style of Charles Dickens and how to write in iambic pentameter 😔
Another tip that seems obvious but is often overlooked is portraying yourself in a good light- focus on aspects or stories that do so. If you do something wrong, keep the word count about that topic short and focus on how you became a better person. ALSO PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ABOUT CORONA VIRUS, COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PEOPLE (HOPEFULLY) KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE IN QUARANTINE. YOU DON'T NEED TO WRITE A BORING ESSAY ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO GO ON SUMMER HOLIDAY!
Russian Bot that essay is optional, don’t stress yourself out i don’t know if anybody could really come up with an original story about how quarantine affected them
If corona virus didn’t significantly affect you, then don’t write a long essay about your experience with it. You can write something short saying how you’re appreciative of the good situation you’re in.
My mistake is being a perfectionist. It took me three months to brainstorm and the writing is taking forever! I may, if not satisfied, send you my essay before I submit on Nov. 1. :)
i stopped editing essays because too many people sent me theres but im trying to figure something out. i would check out my video that im posting today though :o i mighttttt have something to help
"I don't want to know about your dry sourdough bread" I just started laughing I'm a very lost rising senior in South Korea and I just wanted to let you know how much your videos make me happyyyy I will take all of these into account! Thank you SO MUCH
As I listened to this, I could clearly see a narrative form in my head. It's like the fog in my brain regarding what stuff to write about just dissipated. Thanks a lot!
Wow this advice is so helpful! Most of the time my counselors r just like: “be authentic” or “show don’t tell” and those tend to lead to a lot of the mistakes you were talking about. Thanks so much! This was super helpful!
Tellling us what should we avoid instead of the "be yourself" phrase, thank you so much this really helps alot!! For your next video your perspective about teachers recommendations
I'm so tired of generic tips like knowing your instructions and shit like have a strong introduction. This is the only one that gave some helpful advice. Thank 🙇
Can u make a video on how to do short answer essays (50-300 words)? Because I love all these tips but some of them cant work in the word limit, like elaborating on metaphors or giving lots of details
I think they shifted their pov to the outside perspective because in high school they don't teach how to write in first person or for college application at all, maybe once or twice every school year for a paragraph long piece. They only teach how to argue, be objective or analyze piece of paper. Especially AP Eng/Comp I took during junior year.
omg im applying to college this fall and found your videos, i LOVE ur channel!!! ur definitely one of the funniest and most helpful college youtubers, please make more videos/vlogs hehe
i’m in 8th grade and i’m for some reason already stressing over college and college essays and all . idk why . help 😭 but that’s not the point . my 8th grade language arts teacher literally repeats the phrase “ show , don’t tell “ like a broken record istg . that’s all .
needyforari in case you don’t know this was said by a famous novelist so it’s the keystone of creative writing, not all writing! Most of your essays in college will probably be academic. That said, the best way to get better at show don’t tell is practice! So write a ton of stories and fanfics whatever and you’ll get it!
This is so helpful, I’m so glad I found your channel! I’m a rising senior and I’m feeling very stressed and overwhelmed because I am behind in this process. You helped relieve a lot of my anxiety and helped me realize I can do this. Thank you so much, and I hope you have a great rest of your week! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
HELLO I watched this yesterday but I am back to tell you that your metaphor advice was so helpful and crucial in my essay,,, I had a metaphor idea but because of this video I made sure to integrate into my whole essay instead of just mentioning it in the beginning and end and omg it did so much to make my essay better 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺💖 thank you so much!!!!! I am visiting UPenn today so I can finally see what the hype is about !!
omg this vid popped up in my recommended and i immediately clicked once i saw how recent it was. thank you. this honestly has helped me so much and i’m so happy to have found ur channel! i’m gonna binge on all of ur college content!
Omg Im applying this fall and I wrote literally 2-3 essays throughout these past 3 years of high school and never got any help just grades. I honestly don’t know what to do.
every point you mentioned made me reflect on my essay and made me realize that all of what you are saying is so true 😭😭 thanks so much this advice is really helpful 🙏🙏
Thank you so much for this! I just finished my freshman year, and I’m applying for certain scholarships that require essays. I’m new to this and these tips really gave me a good idea what I should and shouldn’t now and in the future for when I am going to be applying for colleges.
thank you, thank you, thank you! being the oldest child in my family and going into junior year, this is super helpful advice for when i start my essays!
wow the first one made me so glad i chose to use something that is very personal to me as a metaphor. i used a fountain pen that i wrote with everyday when i lived in Vietnam, and i wanted the pen to represent my experience living in Vietnam. i then use a pencil in contrast to the pen. the pencil represents my new life here in America. idk i kind of wanted to show the differences i saw from living in both countries and tell the readers how i adjusted to a new country and how that experience molded me into who i am...? if that makes sense
and i used a pencil because when i lived in vietnam, my school required everyone to write everything with a fountain pen. so when i came to america and learned that most students here write with pencil, that was very new and different for me
I often help edit essays and although I feel that your tips are very helpful, I slightly disagree with the direct statements. Although of course it is always best for you to be as descriptive as possible and not just have a simple formula of “I feel=this” sometimes direct statements help cut back on the building up to whatever you may have actually learned or felt about that situation. Of course too much of anything can be bad, but using a direct statement and then following up with examples is a good way to cut down on what could be several sentences about what you “feel.” Especially if what you are discussing had many different layers and events.
This was 3 months ago so idk if I’m late but if its something personal to you then I think it’s fine if it’s overused, as long as you provide a story on how it’s personal to YOU and make it important in your story in a unique way then I think it’s okay.
This was so helpful. I’m an international student so you can imagine what a struggle this is for me! 😂 I really hope I’ll write a good essay now, since I didn’t start yet hehe
imo, i think the "writing level" should be as high as possible but the "reading level" should be middle school or high school. like i think a middle schooler should be able to comprehend your essays which i don't think is a issue most people go through unless they purposefully try to use big words and complicate the sentence structure
Thank you so much! I knew there were a couple things wrong with my essay but I didn't know how to fix them. Your video really help me focus on what is important and stopped me from overthinking everything (like I usually do). Your points rlly transform a dull and boring essay to something more natural and personal and I appreciate that. Good Luck to the Class of 2021!!!!
+1 sub. absolutely the best advice ive seen on youtube, original and important stuff. also you made it so easy to understand in the context of my own essay and find what I need to work on. thanks so much
well maybe hyping isn't the best word to describe it. when i said that, i meant making sure the focus of the essay is you and talking about your experiences that highlight you rather than talking about something where someone else sounds like the main character. also, i think you can hype yourself up without sounding cocky by talking about your experiences and accomplishments in a story structure where your telling what happened rather than saying direct statements
Its so hard to follow what's the right thing to do when It comes to college essays but its so easy to follow "what not do to" thanks for sharing these invaluable college insights
Okay so, I'm writing one for applytexas and I just find it kinda difficult to start the essay... Idk how to explain but like I just wanna start my essay without sounding cringey lol. I absolutely side with all the tips you stated and I have read many sample essays which I found cringey too. I'm kinda clueless about how I should start with a topic which is literally 'what experiences did you face in high school which changed you into who you are today'. I'm really bad at topics like these like... If someone would ask me to write a report, give opinion, write a summary or give a essay topic which deals with creativity.. I would easily do it but monotonous topics like these just shut all the creativity I have.... Idk if I made sense lol. Anyway thank you so much for the video, I absolutely love these tips a lot. Also pls make a video of you reading other's essays and sharing what you think should be changed. Loved this video!
Heya o/ i was wondering at 11:00 where us had the transition on the charity how else would I phrase/approach that kind of transition without restating the original idea.
well even if thats the prompt i would state "i learned this from that" because thats not really engaging and impersonal. i think you can weave the things youve learned into the essay. ex. if you talk about gaining confidence in front of a crowd you can talk about an experience were really nervous about it. then say something like - while being under spotlight was a daunting task, throughout the process, i discovered a certain excitement to it. to hold the captivation of a crowd gave me a sense of great meaning in the moment and i knew i would have to do it again. not the best example but it gets the point across. you can talk about the progression of your thoughts through an experience and i think that makes the whole "i learned" thing more natural and engaging to the reader
"Don't make metaphors" my essay prompt: *Explain how you play a role of a bridge in your daily life* Yeah, sooo--- sprinkle in a bit of those metaphors now shall we?
These are all creative writing tricks that we are not afforded the time to teach because we are so focused on academic writing, not personal. Love this video. I suggest you keep going with this.
through your personal experiences! if you say “i was happy when i did an internship”, it doesn’t mean much to me unless you explain the context of why it made you happy, why you even decided to do an internship... etc.
ok question for the catalyst- what if there wasn’t really a defining moment for why you changed? i was thinking of writing abt how i gained confidence but i’m not sure how to go about talking abt the change because it was super gradual
Maybe the defining moment is when you realize there isn't always a "moment", sometimes its a process or collection of experiences that help you evolve or adapt. Gaining confidence won't always be a specific instance in everyone's life. Or maybe it happens to some people later in life and it hasn't happened yet for you. Don't twist the narrative to suit what you want the essay to be, it will come off as less authentic, and your essay will suffer. Choose a different perspective that is genuine to you. Or perhaps a new topic is a better choice.
i dont think a catalyst has to be confined to one specific instances! i think when it comes to gaining confidence (which i’ve had my fair share of doing haha), even though it was gradual, there were specific instances where i went out of my comfort zone to challenge myself. a catalyst doesnt have to be a person place or thing, it can be an experience you went through. i think talking about few of those instances could make a great essay since you would still have the opportunity to build a solid narrative that has a consistent flow
I'm about to be a senior this fall, and I am struggling so much with these essays. I'm really good at writing, but I do not know what to write about...
Do the essays, common app/ personal statement, need to do something with the major I want to study? I mean I have a story to tell on every prompt but some prompts can really help to show who I am with the major I want to study and other prompts that really show I am as a person. So which should I choose? Ps: I am an international student and I got no counselor or anyone to ask. I am also applying for scholarships and I am so lost in the process so I asked here. Sorry for being irrelevant.
i would choose the one about you as a person!!! thats what i did with mine and i feel like it goes a long way to show the app readers that youre more than an application
This video is stupid, is what some people may say opening this video. But I think she did a really good job, I watched the entire video. Every statement was very well described. I don't know what it is she does but she made crucial points after crucial point. Your pronunciation and speech adds to the mental picture you were creating, in my mind.
As a rising sophomore, I assure you that this path is one you want to avoid if you prefer to live without crippling stress and anxiety - it’s too late for me but you still have a chance to save yourself
Tickle Dad you have a LOT of time. obviously i don’t know your personal circumstances but I’m a senior and the best advice to listen to is to at the very least use your underclass years to figure YOURSELF out. figure out your passions and talents, take the time to try and figure out your “angle” on apps even (your most important extra curriculars, how they relate to your best grades in class and your interests, etc) but don’t stress yourself out. there is no need for ‘crippling’ anxiety, especially for someone who just finished their freshman year. i was exactly like you as a freshman, it’s okay to trust yourself and live in the present. you don’t want to look back at your four years in high school and realize you never took the time to breathe. stressing over this at such a young age is more likely how you end up with anxiety !! it’s good to think ahead and important to, but in the right way :)
thank you to my FBI agent who saw me struggling on how to do my college essays
hahaaa
Facts, my FBI agent saw me crying last night about my essay and understand grad school is not a joke :')
Me
Ah same
Same lol,They were actually serious this time cuz I truly am having a hard time then usual
This is the BEST advice ever! Everyone always repeats the things we know “be specific” “re-read” like okay I know that, but can YOU be specific? Lmao
lolllll facts. honestly the best comment i can get
Soooo true hahahahah
Damn ruthless
LMAOOOO.
Me after watching this video: *DELETES MY WHOLE ESSAY*
Oof lmao
haha noooo
Okay because this was me also
is ur last name Tae..? omg hi Tae!! It's first time to see other Tae...im also Tae lol
@@sunnytae7204 its a nickname for taehyung from bts lol
Summary:
- elaborate on your metaphors / don’t add a meaningless metaphor just for the sake of adding a metaphor + make sure it’s not cliché
- don’t make direct statements. show, don’t tell.
- explain what caused a change if you choose to follow that narrative / don’t just say “I changed...” explain how you went from point A to point B. explain the process
- don’t make the focus not on you! the essay should be about YOU, not other people.
- don’t use descriptions and adverbs excessively. be descriptive about your background/something specific to you, not something meaningless
- don’t repeat the same idea over and over. every sentence should bring something new to your essay and be essential. don’t repeat the last sentence of the previous paragraph as a transition.
thank you so much!!
Thank you so much.
You are an angel
POV: you’ve had 20 panic attacks over not learning how to write an essay cause of miss rona
Bianca guilty
Bruh freal and the last English teacher I had that focused on essay writing was in 8th grade. Like my history teacher gave better criticism to a paragraph I turned in last year then my English teacher ever has 😭😭😭
me, a dad who wrote his essay 28 years ago: fml i need to rewrite my metaphors
hahaha
i think verbs are another good thing to keep in mind. like, you were talking about using too many adverbs, and you can easily shorten your sentences by choosing powerful verbs. no more “said earnestly,” make it “assert.” no more “rudely made fun of,” make it “mocked.”
^this!!!!
this is so helpful thank you oh my gosh
Wow . I knew what I was lacking in my essay but I didn’t know how to approach it. This helped so much!!
SHOUTOUT TO MY RISING SENIORS
aw thanks! glad it helped
class of 2021 lets get it !!
YESSIR
WOOO CLASS OF 2021 BABY
YEAH!
I'm sorry that my writing skills are so elementary. I've only written 2 essays each school year and was not given ANY constructive criticism. Thank you to all my english teachers
loll rip
^same bc of that I dread writing essays😓💀
It eez what it eez
Same 😭😭
South African public schools😑...you literally only realize how basic your writing skills are once you're in senior year, I swear🤞...teachers who actually force their students to enhance their writing skills from lower grades>>>>>>>>>
Me, realizing that 3 years of honors/AP English classes have taught me almost nothing about how to write a college essay: >:(
But hey at least I know how to emulate the over descriptive writing style of Charles Dickens and how to write in iambic pentameter 😔
lmao getting a 5 on my AP lang test is deadass giving me 0 help here
Miles Kessler same 😤😔
damn so true taught me nothing of how to write
NO LITERALLY
Omg, tell me about. 😅
Another tip that seems obvious but is often overlooked is portraying yourself in a good light- focus on aspects or stories that do so. If you do something wrong, keep the word count about that topic short and focus on how you became a better person. ALSO PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ABOUT CORONA VIRUS, COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PEOPLE (HOPEFULLY) KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE IN QUARANTINE. YOU DON'T NEED TO WRITE A BORING ESSAY ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO GO ON SUMMER HOLIDAY!
one of the supplements is about rona sooo
Russian Bot that essay is optional, don’t stress yourself out i don’t know if anybody could really come up with an original story about how quarantine affected them
If corona virus didn’t significantly affect you, then don’t write a long essay about your experience with it. You can write something short saying how you’re appreciative of the good situation you’re in.
the way the university I’m applying to literally ask for that 😭
bold italics no cap helvetica neue on pastel background is an aesthetic mood
lol i see you know your shit
this was like the first actually helpful essay video i’ve watched 🥺🥺 thanks girl!
aw yay thanks!!
My mistake is being a perfectionist. It took me three months to brainstorm and the writing is taking forever! I may, if not satisfied, send you my essay before I submit on Nov. 1. :)
i stopped editing essays because too many people sent me theres but im trying to figure something out. i would check out my video that im posting today though :o i mighttttt have something to help
Just chill out Man U spent all that time I’m sure it’s good
"I don't want to know about your dry sourdough bread" I just started laughing
I'm a very lost rising senior in South Korea and I just wanted to let you know how much your videos make me happyyyy
I will take all of these into account! Thank you SO MUCH
aw thank you so much :’)) makes me so happy that it made you laugh haha. good luck on everything!!
As I listened to this, I could clearly see a narrative form in my head. It's like the fog in my brain regarding what stuff to write about just dissipated. Thanks a lot!
aw yay do glad!
@@haleykang8156 dude.....did you just reply to my comment! What?
I just graduated from college so this is very relevant
lolll
How was it
Wow this advice is so helpful! Most of the time my counselors r just like: “be authentic” or “show don’t tell” and those tend to lead to a lot of the mistakes you were talking about. Thanks so much! This was super helpful!
honestly one of the best ''essay mistakes'' videos ever!!
thanks so much!!!
Tellling us what should we avoid instead of the "be yourself" phrase, thank you so much this really helps alot!! For your next video your perspective about teachers recommendations
I'm so tired of generic tips like knowing your instructions and shit like have a strong introduction. This is the only one that gave some helpful advice. Thank 🙇
ahh youre welcome
LADY. this is actually one of the most CONCISE and USEFUL videos i have ever watched. THANK. YOU.
haha THANK YOU
This boosted my confidence in writing while also articulating why some things don't work, making me feel prepared
ah so glad :)))
Can u make a video on how to do short answer essays (50-300 words)? Because I love all these tips but some of them cant work in the word limit, like elaborating on metaphors or giving lots of details
i’ll try to think of some tips and make a video!
Omg yess this will be soo helpful for me too :((
I think they shifted their pov to the outside perspective because in high school they don't teach how to write in first person or for college application at all, maybe once or twice every school year for a paragraph long piece. They only teach how to argue, be objective or analyze piece of paper. Especially AP Eng/Comp I took during junior year.
omg im applying to college this fall and found your videos, i LOVE ur channel!!! ur definitely one of the funniest and most helpful college youtubers, please make more videos/vlogs hehe
ahh thank you so much :'))) reading this makes me so happy
“Show, don’t tell.” 👌🏼
i’m in 8th grade and i’m for some reason already stressing over college and college essays and all . idk why . help 😭 but that’s not the point . my 8th grade language arts teacher literally repeats the phrase “ show , don’t tell “ like a broken record istg . that’s all .
needyforari in case you don’t know this was said by a famous novelist so it’s the keystone of creative writing, not all writing! Most of your essays in college will probably be academic. That said, the best way to get better at show don’t tell is practice! So write a ton of stories and fanfics whatever and you’ll get it!
This is so helpful, I’m so glad I found your channel! I’m a rising senior and I’m feeling very stressed and overwhelmed because I am behind in this process. You helped relieve a lot of my anxiety and helped me realize I can do this. Thank you so much, and I hope you have a great rest of your week! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
:’) aw thanks sm. it means so much to hear. good luck with everything
HELLO I watched this yesterday but I am back to tell you that your metaphor advice was so helpful and crucial in my essay,,, I had a metaphor idea but because of this video I made sure to integrate into my whole essay instead of just mentioning it in the beginning and end and omg it did so much to make my essay better 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺💖 thank you so much!!!!! I am visiting UPenn today so I can finally see what the hype is about !!
ahhhh thank you so much!!!
omg this vid popped up in my recommended and i immediately clicked once i saw how recent it was.
thank you. this honestly has helped me so much and i’m so happy to have found ur channel! i’m gonna binge on all of ur college content!
:')))))) ahhhh that means so much to me thank you!!!
I'm a very confused rising senior and this video helped me so much. Thank you for giving specific tips and helping so many others
You're so welcome!
Omg Im applying this fall and I wrote literally 2-3 essays throughout these past 3 years of high school and never got any help just grades. I honestly don’t know what to do.
hope my tips help then lol
you need to practice more. writing some narrative pieces from your perspective will make your skills better
Watching this after submitting my essay like 👁👄👁
oops :o
aha same rip
same here I literally made most of these mistakes😬
every point you mentioned made me reflect on my essay and made me realize that all of what you are saying is so true 😭😭 thanks so much this advice is really helpful 🙏🙏
catalyst , personal stuff, no directness, past experiences , why did that change happen, thought process, what did u from it, focus on myself
Thank you so much for this! I just finished my freshman year, and I’m applying for certain scholarships that require essays. I’m new to this and these tips really gave me a good idea what I should and shouldn’t now and in the future for when I am going to be applying for colleges.
yayyy glad it helped
i’m a rising senior and i’m applying to harvard! please pray i get in i’m trying to watch as much as i can
i will! good luck!
thank you, thank you, thank you! being the oldest child in my family and going into junior year, this is super helpful advice for when i start my essays!
glad it helped :’) good luck!
applying to schools next week but now panicking at 1 AM because I need to change my entire essay
im sure it was greattt
Hey 3 years later did you get accepted?
wow the first one made me so glad i chose to use something that is very personal to me as a metaphor. i used a fountain pen that i wrote with everyday when i lived in Vietnam, and i wanted the pen to represent my experience living in Vietnam. i then use a pencil in contrast to the pen. the pencil represents my new life here in America. idk i kind of wanted to show the differences i saw from living in both countries and tell the readers how i adjusted to a new country and how that experience molded me into who i am...? if that makes sense
and i used a pencil because when i lived in vietnam, my school required everyone to write everything with a fountain pen. so when i came to america and learned that most students here write with pencil, that was very new and different for me
I am a college sophomore. Why am I so intrigued...
lolll
I often help edit essays and although I feel that your tips are very helpful, I slightly disagree with the direct statements. Although of course it is always best for you to be as descriptive as possible and not just have a simple formula of “I feel=this” sometimes direct statements help cut back on the building up to whatever you may have actually learned or felt about that situation. Of course too much of anything can be bad, but using a direct statement and then following up with examples is a good way to cut down on what could be several sentences about what you “feel.” Especially if what you are discussing had many different layers and events.
me, a rising sophomore, taking notes👁👄👁
hahaaa
Same
Rising freshman here😬
Ha ha so prepared. I’m a senior 😂💀
me, a rising senior, with common apps due in less then 6 months 👁 👄 👁
currently using this advice to write my essay 4 days before the deadline
lolll good luckkk
how do you know if a metaphor is too cliche? it's something that's special to me but I don't know if it's overused :/
This was 3 months ago so idk if I’m late but if its something personal to you then I think it’s fine if it’s overused, as long as you provide a story on how it’s personal to YOU and make it important in your story in a unique way then I think it’s okay.
This was so helpful. I’m an international student so you can imagine what a struggle this is for me! 😂
I really hope I’ll write a good essay now, since I didn’t start yet hehe
good luck!
The catalyst tip was so so helpful!! I’ve been struggling with that in between portion for a while, and you gave such a clear explanation so tyyyy
In today's episode of taking writing advice that I should've learned in school but didn't from a stranger:
hahaaaa glad it helped
thank you sooooooooo much! the common app just opened today and I've really been thinking about what to write and how to write it.
yay! :)
Hearing about what shouldn’t be in essays and me not having to fix anything makes me so happy 🥴
yayyyy :)
WHY IS THE COMING INTO MY RECCOMENDED AFTER I SUBMITTED MY APP
lollll oh no :(((
Benefits of procrastination.
There are some people who just get this and other people who don’t, I’m glad that someone who gets it is finally talking about it
this was one of the best college essay advices videos i’ve watched! thank you so much :)
:o thank you so much!!!
Good tips! Your personality is really fun and your editing was really entertaining lol
ah thank youuu
am i just tripping or does she look like the asian version of brooke hyland from dance moms....... these tips were so good tho
lol never been told that before
Omg I thought that too
haley,
you have yet again come through with a very helpful and insightful video.
Thanks a ton for your points and tips!
aw youre welcome :))
This video REALLY helped me I can already see where I might have to fix my essay so I’m glad I found this
in your opinion, what "reading level" should the essays be at (i.e. eighth grade level, elementary, smartass level)
imo, i think the "writing level" should be as high as possible but the "reading level" should be middle school or high school. like i think a middle schooler should be able to comprehend your essays which i don't think is a issue most people go through unless they purposefully try to use big words and complicate the sentence structure
@@haleykang8156 got it thanks for the help
Whoa we have the same last name
@@matthew1992woah ur crazy
Thank you so much! I knew there were a couple things wrong with my essay but I didn't know how to fix them. Your video really help me focus on what is important and stopped me from overthinking everything (like I usually do). Your points rlly transform a dull and boring essay to something more natural and personal and I appreciate that.
Good Luck to the Class of 2021!!!!
aw yayyy thanks so much!
+1 sub. absolutely the best advice ive seen on youtube, original and important stuff. also you made it so easy to understand in the context of my own essay and find what I need to work on. thanks so much
ahh yay thanks sm!!
ur voice is so soothing!!!
haha thanks!
I’m so happy this video exists
i’m so happy you’re here :)
This is really good advice! I’m done with college essays but I just started tutoring juniors and man, this is definitely giving me ptsd
this was so helpful!! when i’m talking about myself, how do I avoid sounding cocky if i want to “hype myself up” 😄
well maybe hyping isn't the best word to describe it. when i said that, i meant making sure the focus of the essay is you and talking about your experiences that highlight you rather than talking about something where someone else sounds like the main character. also, i think you can hype yourself up without sounding cocky by talking about your experiences and accomplishments in a story structure where your telling what happened rather than saying direct statements
Its so hard to follow what's the right thing to do when It comes to college essays but its so easy to follow "what not do to" thanks for sharing these invaluable college insights
thank you so much, i truly didnt realize how important of a catalyst in our essay was
Okay so, I'm writing one for applytexas and I just find it kinda difficult to start the essay... Idk how to explain but like I just wanna start my essay without sounding cringey lol. I absolutely side with all the tips you stated and I have read many sample essays which I found cringey too. I'm kinda clueless about how I should start with a topic which is literally 'what experiences did you face in high school which changed you into who you are today'. I'm really bad at topics like these like... If someone would ask me to write a report, give opinion, write a summary or give a essay topic which deals with creativity.. I would easily do it but monotonous topics like these just shut all the creativity I have.... Idk if I made sense lol. Anyway thank you so much for the video, I absolutely love these tips a lot. Also pls make a video of you reading other's essays and sharing what you think should be changed. Loved this video!
i felt the same exact way when i started writing my essay and i wasnt even good at writing essays in school! anywys, thanks so much for watching :')
@@haleykang8156 haha the struggle do be real 😳😳
THIS IS THE BEST ESSAY VIDEOOOOO
haha THANKS
spot on! thank you haley! i thought i was the only one who noticed these problems with essays lol...
Your channel is SO GOOD!!! YOU have a great potential! Wish you millions of subscribers!
thank you!!!
This has actually been most helpful video I’ve watched so far! Thanks for the descriptive examples!
ahh that i you so much!
Heya o/ i was wondering at 11:00 where us had the transition on the charity how else would I phrase/approach that kind of transition without restating the original idea.
This was super helpful. Thanks! Also you have really good vibes like you radiate good person energy
aw thank youuu
How can you explain everything so clear! Glad to watch this before application.
you are so unbelievably helpful i am so grateful for you
:'))) than youuu
Thank you so much I was really about to give up on writing my common app essay now I know how I want to tweak it!
So with the direct statements it ask me what I learned so what would write instead of I’ve learned... from this experience
well even if thats the prompt i would state "i learned this from that" because thats not really engaging and impersonal. i think you can weave the things youve learned into the essay.
ex. if you talk about gaining confidence in front of a crowd you can talk about an experience were really nervous about it. then say something like - while being under spotlight was a daunting task, throughout the process, i discovered a certain excitement to it. to hold the captivation of a crowd gave me a sense of great meaning in the moment and i knew i would have to do it again.
not the best example but it gets the point across. you can talk about the progression of your thoughts through an experience and i think that makes the whole "i learned" thing more natural and engaging to the reader
Me: So...
Common App: *C A P*
😭
I'm watching this after I already sent in my apps woops. My essay was about learning via life experience and it's kinda full of direct statements
"Don't make metaphors"
my essay prompt: *Explain how you play a role of a bridge in your daily life*
Yeah, sooo--- sprinkle in a bit of those metaphors now shall we?
Hi! Great tips! I’m an English teacher of high school (20 years). Clicked on this out of curiosity. Yes - Good work!
These are all creative writing tricks that we are not afforded the time to teach because we are so focused on academic writing, not personal. Love this video. I suggest you keep going with this.
so u rlly like the phrase "at the end of the day"
lol oops :o
How is it possible to find more ways to describe your feeling/direct statements?
through your personal experiences! if you say “i was happy when i did an internship”, it doesn’t mean much to me unless you explain the context of why it made you happy, why you even decided to do an internship... etc.
This video was REALLY helpful, thank you so much. I have NEVER written an essay before (I'm a senior), and I'm freaking out
glad it helped lol
ok question for the catalyst- what if there wasn’t really a defining moment for why you changed? i was thinking of writing abt how i gained confidence but i’m not sure how to go about talking abt the change because it was super gradual
this is my problem too !! i’m focusing on internal and environmental conflict but my main transformation is internal
Maybe the defining moment is when you realize there isn't always a "moment", sometimes its a process or collection of experiences that help you evolve or adapt. Gaining confidence won't always be a specific instance in everyone's life. Or maybe it happens to some people later in life and it hasn't happened yet for you. Don't twist the narrative to suit what you want the essay to be, it will come off as less authentic, and your essay will suffer. Choose a different perspective that is genuine to you. Or perhaps a new topic is a better choice.
i dont think a catalyst has to be confined to one specific instances! i think when it comes to gaining confidence (which i’ve had my fair share of doing haha), even though it was gradual, there were specific instances where i went out of my comfort zone to challenge myself. a catalyst doesnt have to be a person place or thing, it can be an experience you went through. i think talking about few of those instances could make a great essay since you would still have the opportunity to build a solid narrative that has a consistent flow
@@haleykang8156 thank you so much!! thats rly helpful
Time to redo my essay😂
im sure its not that bad haha
Thank you!! I’m watching this for 2024 college application szn!! 🎉
2:15 Hey Haley, what do tou mean by metaphors...could you give examples?
I'm about to be a senior this fall, and I am struggling so much with these essays. I'm really good at writing, but I do not know what to write about...
th-cam.com/video/6PRJHBnqwfk/w-d-xo.html
This is well explained. Excellent work.
thank you.
thank you for the tips!! ur voice is rly pretty ❤️
ah thank you! :)
wehlp i took notes, lets see how this essay writing goes. thanks haley.
I loved this! I hope your channel really blows up!
aw thank you! it means so much to hear that :')))
Do the essays, common app/ personal statement, need to do something with the major I want to study? I mean I have a story to tell on every prompt but some prompts can really help to show who I am with the major I want to study and other prompts that really show I am as a person. So which should I choose?
Ps: I am an international student and I got no counselor or anyone to ask. I am also applying for scholarships and I am so lost in the process so I asked here. Sorry for being irrelevant.
i would choose the one about you as a person!!! thats what i did with mine and i feel like it goes a long way to show the app readers that youre more than an application
Not me watching this literally 2 days before I need to have my essay finished
same
Even you haven't read my essay I feel that you are shading me😂I am going to delete my essay NOW
This video is stupid, is what some people may say opening this video. But I think she did a really good job, I watched the entire video. Every statement was very well described. I don't know what it is she does but she made crucial points after crucial point. Your pronunciation and speech adds to the mental picture you were creating, in my mind.
I cried. This essay is so beautiful.
:') loll
Why am I going into 8th grade and figuring out my life and how im going to write my college app essay
loll
As a rising sophomore, I assure you that this path is one you want to avoid if you prefer to live without crippling stress and anxiety - it’s too late for me but you still have a chance to save yourself
@@tommysmyth1210 as a rising senior who just started working on his essay, don't worry about it
Tickle Dad you have a LOT of time. obviously i don’t know your personal circumstances but I’m a senior and the best advice to listen to is to at the very least use your underclass years to figure YOURSELF out. figure out your passions and talents, take the time to try and figure out your “angle” on apps even (your most important extra curriculars, how they relate to your best grades in class and your interests, etc) but don’t stress yourself out. there is no need for ‘crippling’ anxiety, especially for someone who just finished their freshman year. i was exactly like you as a freshman, it’s okay to trust yourself and live in the present. you don’t want to look back at your four years in high school and realize you never took the time to breathe. stressing over this at such a young age is more likely how you end up with anxiety !! it’s good to think ahead and important to, but in the right way :)
OMG THANKYOU, I’ve been stressing! This was super helpful💗
yay :)))))