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Challenge: Back to School

How to Write Creative Essays: Expert Tips for Your Schooler

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As a mindful parent, you try to keep tabs on the educational process of your kids. You think about what grades and test scores they get, as well as where they'll go to college when the time is due. Grades matter, but parents and teachers often underestimate the role of essay writing skills for intending students.

The college application process seems daunting, but high grades of your kids aren't 100% entrance tickets to colleges. In fact, most admission officers suggest parents concentrate on creative writing skills of their schoolers, as college admission essays constitute up to 50% of the final decision.

College admissions professional Sara Harberson agrees, saying that "most schools across the country don’t teach personal or creative writing, but this is exactly what our children will need to do when writing their college essays."

Terrific grades won't save a college applicant with poor writing skills. On the flip side, a well-crafted essay might influence the final decision of admission officers and raise your kid's chances for college entrance. Understanding that, you'll help your schooler polish creative writing skills.

How?

Five admission officers share tips on how your kids can ace writings at school for their college admission essays to stand out from the crowd.

1) Help your kids find their "Ism"

That's what they can focus their college essays on.

Admission officers want to read personal essays, unpredictable and focused less on achievements like winning soccer games or getting driver's licenses. Your kids are individuals, and each has something that defines them and helps others understand them. Sara calls such mojos "isms", and she believes we all have them.

Help your schoolers determine their "ism". It might be some little things taken for granted but motivating your kids at critical moments. And if they can write about it in college essays, it might be a big plus because that's exactly what admission officers want to understand – what a person wants to enter their college.

"If you can make someone think broadly and positively, and smile unabashedly, you have succeeded in the mission of your college essay," Harberson says.

2) Encourage them to write every day

To help your schooler learn how to express those "isms" in writing, Sara suggests encouraging them to put ideas down on paper. Every day. Big chances are, your kids are uncomfortable with writing, so don't force them to write essays or long stories about how they spent a day and what worried them. The first step would be encouraging them to write for fun. Ask to tell about a favorite movie or book, describing main characters; or, give an idea to create a story with themselves being protagonists.

Give your kid a notebook to keep a diary and advise to write in free time. If a computer or a phone are their best friends, it's fine: encourage to make lists and express ideas there. As Sara says, "ideas turn into sentences, sentences turn into stories, and stories are at the heart of those college essays." Writing on daily basis helps to express thoughts, understand our inner world, and capture humanity.

3) Motivate your schoolers to learn and teach

Shawn Abbott from New York University recommends to not forget about composition skills. Personal and creative stories are great, but good writing still counts. No matter how creative and compelling your kid's essay is, it will hardly impress admission officers if full of grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.

"The ability to tell a story and be a good writer is a skill that most (schools) revere," Abbott says warning that a poorly written piece is the quickest way to sink an application. Do you feel your knowledge and skills are not enough to help your kids here? Consider third-party resources, such as general online classes that teach creative writing or the courses like those from author Emily Gould on how to write personal essays.

Every essay should follow a certain workflow, and creative classes can help your schoolers drive an automatic writing. Most of them are not free of charge, but a good alternative could be encouraging your kids to become academic writers for others. They help peers with assignments anyway, so why not seduce them with a chance to get paid for writings?

Plus, practice makes it all. Writing papers for others, your kid becomes a more experienced author, as well as gets feedback on what composition tricks work best for essays.

4) Ask to write about their imperfections

To create personal essays, your kids shouldn't be afraid or shy of their imperfections.

"Personal means writing about things involving your private life, your relationships and emotion, thoughts and feelings, as opposed to only your public life and the things you do," professional writing coach Janine Robinson says. Help your schoolers reveal their one-of-a-kind individuality that sets them apart from the crowd. It relates Sara Harberson's definition of "isms" to some extent but with the focus on characteristics making us... people.

Teach your kids to express doubts, share their truth, and confess without fears of being judged, vulnerable, or looking imperfect. Make sure they understand that personal essays are not about listing accomplishments – they will have resumes for that – but sharing cares and beliefs. Ability to admit weakness and learn from failures is a sign of personal growth and maturity, which will be a big plus for your kid to have during the college application process.

5) Teach them to show passion for something

According to Liz Cheron from Northeastern University, the difference between good and great essays is self-reflectiveness of latter. Many applicants can tell a story but most can't explain how that story relates to them. Such essays are not shaped by personal experiences, and they don't express any passion for the subject.

"I like to see their passion. They’re going to college to learn skills, problem-solving skills that are used in the real world. So show me that passion on why you want to be pre-med, or why dance is the major for you." (Richard Friesner, George Mason University)

What are your kids' passions? Can they put them into words?

Encourage them to share interests with you, ask for more details, discuss, ask to describe what makes them so passionate about the subject. Do your best to keep up their interest and motivate them to grow.

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