6 Common App Essay Mistakes To Avoid | i've edited 50+ essays
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ก.ค. 2024
- hope you guys enjoy these tips and info about common app essay mistakes to avoid! since ive read and edited so many essays, i thought i would share the knowledge with you guys! see you guys soon :)
timestamps~
1:24 - meaningless metaphors
3:26 - direct statements
4:26 - lack of a catalyst
7:10 - focusing on stuff that's not you
8:41 - excessive use of adverbs and weird descriptions
10:09 - too much repetition
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background music - girl i want girl i need - nick ward
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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
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 😭😭😭
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
me, a dad who wrote his essay 28 years ago: fml i need to rewrite my metaphors
hahaha
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. 😅
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 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
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>>>>>>>>>
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
I just graduated from college so this is very relevant
lolll
How was it
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
this was like the first actually helpful essay video i’ve watched 🥺🥺 thanks girl!
aw yay thanks!!
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
“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!
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?
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 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!!
Watching this after submitting my essay like 👁👄👁
oops :o
aha same rip
same here I literally made most of these mistakes😬
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 :)))
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
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 👁 👄 👁
honestly one of the best ''essay mistakes'' videos ever!!
thanks so much!!!
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
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!
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 🙏🙏
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!
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
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 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.
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!!!
this was one of the best college essay advices videos i’ve watched! thank you so much :)
:o thank you so much!!!
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!
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
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!
This has actually been most helpful video I’ve watched so far! Thanks for the descriptive examples!
ahh that i you so much!
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 :))
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
+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!!
This was super helpful. Thanks! Also you have really good vibes like you radiate good person energy
aw thank youuu
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! :)
This video REALLY helped me I can already see where I might have to fix my essay so I’m glad I found this
you are so unbelievably helpful i am so grateful for you
:'))) than youuu
applying to schools next week but now panicking at 1 AM because I need to change my entire essay
im sure it was greattt
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!
OMG THANKYOU, I’ve been stressing! This was super helpful💗
yay :)))))
working on my essay now! this is really helpful, thank you!!!
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 so much Haley!
Love your efforts
aw thank you :)))
I am a college sophomore. Why am I so intrigued...
lolll
How can you explain everything so clear! Glad to watch this before application.
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!
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
thank you so much, i truly didnt realize how important of a catalyst in our essay was
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
thank you!! this advice so unique and useful compared to the generic videos
This is legitimately good, original advice! Thank you!
yay, glad it was helpful :)
spot on! thank you haley! i thought i was the only one who noticed these problems with essays lol...
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
Good tips! Your personality is really fun and your editing was really entertaining lol
ah thank youuu
this is INCREDIBLY helpful 🙏🏼
yayyy
this was so helpful, thank you!! 💗
you’re welcome ;)
Thanks sm for the fresh perspective!
you’re welcome!
Your channel is SO GOOD!!! YOU have a great potential! Wish you millions of subscribers!
thank you!!!
this is super helpful, thank you for making this!!
you’re welcome!
Thank you so much! I found this really useful 😊
ur voice is so soothing!!!
haha thanks!
I’m so happy this video exists
i’m so happy you’re here :)
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 for the tips!! ur voice is rly pretty ❤️
ah thank you! :)
Super helpful! Thanks for the advice!
youre welcome!!
your videos are always so helpful! I love you and your channel sm
ah thank you so much!! means so much :))
this was so informative and helpful. thank youuuu !! :)
your welcomeeeee
Thanks! I have a feeling your advice is gonna be really helpful. 😊
This is so helpful! Thank u🥺
aw thanks yona haha
dang, you were so descriptive! I took notes, thank you!
This is well explained. Excellent work.
thank you.
wehlp i took notes, lets see how this essay writing goes. thanks haley.
this, was a blessing from my recommendations page. THANK YOU
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
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
At the end of the dayyy,, Great tips! 😁
This video gave me so much great advice!!
ah yayyy!
THIS IS THE BEST ESSAY VIDEOOOOO
haha THANKS
currently using this advice to write my essay 4 days before the deadline
lolll good luckkk
this was really helpful! thank you :)
yay :)
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 very helpful! Thank you!
thanks sm!
I loved this! I hope your channel really blows up!
aw thank you! it means so much to hear that :')))
this is so good!! thank you so much
youre welcomeee
This helped me a lot thank you so much.
It's been really helpful. Thank
you're welcome!!
These are banger recommendations
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
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
Thank you so much this was really helpful!!!
so glad :')
This helped so much, OMG!!!
yayyyy