The IvyMaven Approach to the College Essay

What exactly is the role of the college essay, and how does IvyMaven go about assisting?

Mostly, colleges look to your personal statement (aka “the college essay”) to get your take on why you do what you do. Or something that you care about that’s barely mentioned or absent in the rest of your application file, yet that’s very “you.”

One of my favorite parts of the college admissions process is brainstorming essay ideas with each student individually. By this point, I often know a student well and can ask the right questions, listen to you, reflect back to you, gently guide you to make connections. You’ll develop the insight to recognize what matters most to you…and why. You’ll frame your story in a way that makes it exciting to read. End result? A winning admissions essay that reveals the heart and mind that makes you tick and gives members of the admissions committee a glimpse of what it is like to be you. Only you.

I get more than a bit frustrated with the cookbook-ish approach that most college essay workshops and helpers use to assist students. They all wind up sounding the same: the same structure, in any case, regardless of content. How personal is that? My goal is to have each student find and use their unique voice, with unusual content and/or approach. Be creative.

This writing differs vastly from what you might have aced—even in AP English or AP History. Those expository essays are about external events and ideas. This one is essentially memoir. Very personal, detailed, and likely narrow in focus. Memorable, too.

A good college essay is not only the uploaded end product. It is also a reflection of the process which, in the course of writing and revising, a teen learns more about themselves. And that growth remains, long after the application is filed, decisions made. The student goes off to college more aware of what matters to them. The bonus? The process of crafting a good college essay can also help you develop as a writer—gaining skills that will be essential for succeeding at a top college!