The #1 Mistake Smart Students Make When Writing Their College Essays
If you’re a high-achieving student applying to top colleges this year, you’ve probably done all the right things so far:
- Earned great grades and taken as many AP courses as possible.
- Studied hard for the SAT or ACT and scored near the top.
- Built an impressive list of extracurriculars.
In other words, your motto throughout high school has been excel, excel, excel — and in the current college admissions climate, this is exactly what you need to do to be a candidate for the Ivies and other top schools.
But in a strange and perhaps cruel twist, you also have to write a set of essays when you apply to college, and if you try to excel, excel, excel here, you’ll be lumped in with all the other students doing the same thing.
The biggest mistake I see high-achieving students make? They treat the essay like another assignment to crush.
Why excelling doesn’t work here
Students who try to “crush” the college essay usually make one of two common college essay errors.
1) They write essays that seem like they should stand out. These students copy one of the college essay examples they’ve seen online or use a montage structure and describe five ways they resemble a particular object (“Five ways I’m like a spoon” or “What Netflix taught me about identity” — real montage essay examples I’ve seen students try). This approach never works, because admissions officers have read thousands of these gimmicky, superficial essays before.
2) They turn their essay into a “humble brag” about all their accomplishments so far. This is the most common approach top students take, and it doesn’t work because admissions officers assessing your file have already read your extracurriculars list. Take this classic example from a student who was hoping to be admitted to data science programs:
“My interest in data science isn’t just academic — it’s shaped almost everything I’ve chosen to pursue. I co-founded a nonprofit that connects students with virtual tutoring opportunities in underserved communities, and I built the system we use to track volunteer hours and student engagement. I lead our Science Olympiad team, which recently qualified for nationals, and last summer I studied artificial intelligence at Stanford’s Pre-Collegiate Institutes. The year before, I interned remotely with a NASA-led data science project focused on climate modeling.”
Sure, all of this is very impressive, and the student is clearly an excellent candidate. They’ve crushed every other part of the application — but they’ve failed the college essay. Why? Because the college essay isn’t about impressing people. It’s about reflecting honestly on your life so far.
How do I know this? Because I (unlike an astonishing number of students who apply to college) have read the Common App essay prompts. Take a quick look at them — you’ll notice that the people who wrote the prompts are genuinely interested in you (gasp!). If you use the college essay to show off instead of reflect, you won’t be answering their questions — and you’ll weaken your whole application.
But wait — everyone’s giving the opposite advice
Yes, I know everyone in your orbit is giving you the same message: to get into a school like Harvard, Princeton, or Stanford, you need to crush every part of the college application. So it’s natural to think of the essay as one more chance to prove yourself. After all, what if the person reading your file misses something important?
But here’s the truth: when every top student takes that approach, it stops working. Admissions officers read dozens of applications per day, and whenever they come across yet another “humble brag,” they think:
This student is smart and hardworking, but their college essay is a missed opportunity. They’ve just told me what I already know. This isn’t adding anything to their file.
Of course, I know that some students write humble (or not-so-humble) brags and end up getting admitted to top schools. But these candidates aren’t getting in because of their essay; they’re getting in in spite of their essay. For one reason or another, they were always going to be admitted, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
But when one of these students then posts their essay online and boasts that it got them into a bunch of top schools, be wary. The essay didn’t get them in; something else did. It’s just one of the many bad college essay examples circulating online.
So what should you do if you’re like the vast majority of students and don’t have an easy way into one of these institutions? The answer is simple: show off your accomplishments in the other parts of your college application, and use your college essay to reflect on something else about yourself — something that isn’t an accomplishment.
The admissions officer reading your file will still notice your 3.95 GPA and 1550 SAT. They’ll still recognize the achievements you’ve detailed in your extracurriculars list. But when they get to your college essay, they’ll think:
This student not only has amazing credentials. They’re also really interesting. How refreshing. Maybe I should look a little more closely into this one…
How to avoid the “humble brag” and be interesting instead
The easiest way to avoid the humble brag is to stop thinking of the college essay as a performance. It’s not a place to prove how impressive you are — it’s a chance to show that you’re self-aware, curious, and willing to reflect.
So instead of listing accomplishments, write about something that shaped you — even if it never showed up on your résumé. If you’re not sure how to begin, start with this guide to writing a college essay that’s actually good.
Do that, and you’ll avoid the #1 mistake smart students make — and give admissions officers something they rarely see:
A real story.
From a real person.
Who actually answered the question.
Ready to write an essay that actually stands out — without sounding like everyone else?
If you’re aiming high, your college essay can’t just be another list of accomplishments. I help ambitious students write essays that are real, reflective, and memorable — the kind admissions officers don’t forget.
More Resources on College Essays
Want to dive deeper into my approach? Below are some of the most-read articles I’ve written on what makes a great college essay — and how to avoid the common traps.
My approach to coaching isn’t gimmicky — it’s thoughtful, honest, and built around helping you sound like yourself (at your best).
Even top students fall into predictable traps. This guide offers five common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Not sure if you need coaching? This article helps you figure out what kind of support (if any) is right for you.
Tips for writing compelling UC PIQ responses that sound like you — not like everyone else applying.
A no-nonsense guide to what admissions officers actually value — and why generic advice about “what colleges want” often backfires.
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