{"id":3169,"date":"2015-02-11t09:00:08","date_gmt":"2015-02-11t09:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/sat\/?p=3169"},"modified":"2015-04-14t00:52:53","modified_gmt":"2015-04-14t00:52:53","slug":"how-to-make-your-essay-not-boring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-to-make-your-essay-not-boring\/","title":{"rendered":"how to make your essay not boring"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>bored by your own college essay? here are some tips that will liven it up, from ethan sawyer, aka the <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.collegeessayguy.com\"target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>college essay guy<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>here are three tips to help you avoid writing an essay that\u2019s, for lack of a better word, boring:<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>1. make sure the connections your essay makes are non-obvious and specific.<\/h2>\n<p>boring essays provide obvious and vague insights.<\/p>\n<p>how do you avoid this? use <a href=\"http:\/\/www.collegeessayguy.com\/guide-values-exercise\/\"target=\"_blank\">this values list <\/a>to make a few connections that don\u2019t make immediate sense and make them super specific.<\/p>\n<p>examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a boring or obvious connection might sound something like \u201cmy hospital internship taught me the value of helping others.\u201d (zzz\u2026)<\/li>\n<li>a less-obvious connection might sound something like, \u201cmy hospital internship led me to re-evaluate what i\u2019d witnessed at the hospital in india, and ultimately taught me a lesson in democracy.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>now that\u2019s an essay\u2014or even just a paragraph\u2014that i\u2019d totally be interested to read. (note: she goes on to discuss promoting equal access to healthcare.)<\/p>\n<p>the key: at first we should be like, \u201cwhat?\u201d then, once it\u2019s explained, we\u2019re all, \u201cohh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>2. be vulnerable.<\/h2>\n<p>boring essays are rarely vulnerable. and what is vulnerability? it&#8217;s openly admitting to fears, insecurities, anxieties, or weaknesses. it\u2019s beginning an essay with the words (or at least the thought): <em>here<\/em><em>\u2019<\/em><em>s something most people don<\/em><em>\u2019<\/em><em>t know about me.<\/em> in short, it\u2019s revealing something you might not normally reveal when meeting someone for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>how can you do this? easy. at the top of your page write the prompt: <em>here<\/em><em>\u2019<\/em><em>s something most people don<\/em><em>\u2019<\/em><em>t know about me<\/em><em>\u2026<\/em> then write a line that\u2019s true and vulnerable. keep in mind that even if you are currently the all-star of your class, club or team, it may not have always been this way.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>3. change the order of events in your story.<\/h2>\n<p>ever seen pulp fiction? told chronologically, that film would be much less interesting. part of why it engages us is because we\u2019re kept wondering: what\u2019s happening now? how does this all connect?<\/p>\n<p>if your essay is boring, chances are it could be too chronological, so try beginning with the ending, or using a flashback. note that you don\u2019t need 37 time shifts; one or two will do.<\/p>\n<p>for a great example of this, check out the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.collegeessayguy.com\/blog\/example-dead-bird-essay\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cdead bird\u201d essay<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>and, for more personal statement help, visit us at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.collegeessayguy.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">www.collegeessayguy.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/sat\/files\/2014\/11\/collegeessayguy-300x73.png\" alt=\"collegeessayguy\" width=\"300\" height=\"73\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2965\" align=\"left\" style=\"padding:10px;\"\/><br \/>\n<em>ethan sawyer, the college essay guy, has been helping students tell their stories for more than ten years. he is a graduate of northwestern university, received an mfa from uc irvine, and received two counseling certifications, one from uc irvine and another from the interchange counseling institute. he&#8217;s also a certified myers-briggs\u00ae specialist and his type (enfj) will tell you that he will show up on time, he&#8217;ll be excited to meet you, and, more than anything, he&#8217;s committed to&#8211;and an expert in&#8211;helping you realize your potential.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>bored by your own college essay? here are some tips that will liven it up, from ethan sawyer, aka the college essay guy! here are three tips to help you avoid writing an essay that\u2019s, for lack of a better word, boring: &nbsp; 1. make sure the connections your essay makes are non-obvious and specific. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[24880],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- this site is optimized with the yoast seo premium plugin v21.7 (yoast seo v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>how to make your essay not boring - magoosh blog | high school<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-to-make-your-essay-not-boring\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"how to make your essay not boring\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"bored by your own college essay? here are some tips that will liven it up, from ethan sawyer, aka the college essay guy! here are three tips to help you avoid writing an essay that\u2019s, for lack of a better word, boring: &nbsp; 1. make sure the connections your essay makes are non-obvious and specific. 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