No other part of the application causes as much frustration and soul searching as the essay portion. The following article, reprinted from the Bates Update, a publication of Bates College, gives some sound advice on how to approach that task:

"On an attached 8 1/2” x 11” sheet, please write an essay about any topic you like. We list some possibilities below, but feel free to depart from these; good writing can address any idea."

Politics, an author, volunteer work, travel experience, school leadership, and an influential friend...what do you write on when faced with such a challenge?

No other part of your college application is so nebulous, so undefined, as the essay. Think first about the purpose served by the essay. One purpose obviously is to give us a sample of your writing. Liberal arts colleges place a premium on strong writing skills. We look for a mastery of the mechanics of writing (grammar, syntax, and organization) as well as for fluency and originality. A two or three page essay gives us a taste of the maturity of your thinking and writing, and of your readiness for a competitive liberal arts program. 

A second reason for the essay is for you to share something of yourself which may not be reflected in your academic record or in your recommendations. This is the time to recount a powerful experience or significant relationship-tutoring a handicapped child, discovering a passion for medieval art, building a school house in Appalachia, serving on the school board - which has changed your perspective or challenged your beliefs. Don't merely give us a chronology of your bicycle trip through France; explain how your responses to the culture altered your perception of your own country, what you learned about yourself. One applicant shared his urban upbringing by taking us with him on a daybreak run through the city streets. Another sent a journal she kept while she was living as an exchange student with a Greek family. One young woman explained how her desire to become a doctor had been motivated by her living with a chronically ill sibling. Another applicant told how playing on a varsity team helped him harness his otherwise undisciplined energies.

We encourage students to submit writing samples in addition to the normal essay - perhaps a copy of a term or research paper, parts of a journal, poems, or even an in-class essay which reveals an ability to organize thoughts and defend ideas under the pressure of time. 

There is no formula, no format for a "perfect" essay, but it is probably one of the most carefully considered and influential parts of your application. Make a thoughtful choice of topic. Write (and rewrite) with energy and sensitivity; be concise and well organized. The essay is the closest possible model to a principal form of college writing, the term paper. Yours will be read; write it well - it is a significant way to help you in the evaluation process.