Summer Is The Perfect Time To Relax, Reflect & Complete Your College Essay!

With so many facets involved in the college admissions process, it can sometimes be difficult to know when to start completing certain application tasks. The summer presents an ideal time to focus on the college essay, without the pressures of school, homework and extracurricular activities. In fact, many students find that they’re more inspired and motivated to write their essays during the summer when they have more time to reflect on possible essay topics.

Remember, writing your college essay is a personal task and much different than a school assignment. It’s critical that you make the time not only to write your essay, but think about what you want to write about. Choosing a topic can within itself be a process, so it’s best to start early – before the next school year gets into full gear. Here are three reasons why it’s in your best interest to complete your college essay during the summer:

1) Brainstorming.

The idea that performance is best under pressure does not ring true when it comes to the college essay. Formulating a well-written, high quality essay requires significant amount of time and thought. In fact, you may want to take a couple weeks just to review the Common Application’s 2017-2018 essay prompts as you decide on a topic for your essay. Many students brainstorm essay topics with a couple prompts in mind as they consider different ideas.

2) Receiving feedback.

With the fall being a busy time for everyone, it’s in your best interest to receive feedback about your essay from teachers, tutors or other trained writing professionals during the summer months. Always be sure to have at least one or two people whom you trust review your essay and provide their thoughts. It’s especially helpful to seek feedback and insight from others who have experience reviewing many college essays, as they will be able to provide the most valuable insight. How you decide to make changes is up to you, but having an outsider’s perspective is critical to producing the best possible essay.

3) Editing and rewriting.

Chances are you’ll have to rewrite your essay several times until you have a finished product. The summer is a stress-free time to work on your essay and make changes, without having to worry about completing other academic tasks. Because you won’t be on a set deadline, you’ll be able to take a couple breaks in between your re-writes and revisit your drafts at your own pace.

Being proactive about completing your college essay this summer will take a lot off your plate this fall, giving you more time to focus on completing other college application requirements. Plus, you may even enjoy the essay process more when you can relax a little and write at your leisure.

Are you ready to get a jump start on your college essay this summer?

Check out Test Preps’ College Essay Workshop this August in Williamsville, NY. And, if you have any questions about the college essay, please contact Melissa Cook, owner of Test Preps, at contact@testprepsbuffalo.com or (716) 574-7349.