One of the most important components of your college application is the admissions essay. This is your chance to reveal your best qualities and show an admissions committee what makes you unique beyond just test scores and grades.
To make your college essay stand out, you’ll want to draw upon various literary devices that skilled writers use. Incorporating these techniques can elevate your style and make your personal statement much more engaging and memorable.
Here is a look at some of the most effective literary devices to consider using in your college admissions essay.
Essay structure devices
One of the first ways to make your essay stand out is through the overall structure and framing. Using devices like symbolism and metaphor can provide a strong unifying concept.
Symbolism
Identifying one major symbol, and potentially additional minor symbolic elements, allows you to explore deeper layers of meaning through concrete representations. For example:
Montage essay with a major symbol and minor symbols
“The river winding through my hometown carries a multitude of memories. When I was six, it was a raging force that swept my rubber duck away, teaching me about the power of nature’s whims. Now, as the muddy banks overflow, it threatens livelihoods and calls us all to work together to reinforce the levees. Through drought and flood, high and low tides, life’s rich journey trails alongside that steadfast river.”
The example uses the river as a major symbol that connects different periods and experiences in the writer’s life. The river itself represents the journey, with minor symbols like the rubber duck and overflowing banks highlighting specific memories.
Narrative essay with a major symbol
“Dad’s antique Mustang represented his dream of hitting the open road chasing adventure. Though its faded red exterior looked tame, one rumbling start of the engine revealed the power within. Restoring it became our chance to bond, turning bolts side-by-side and envisioning our own roads not yet traveled.”
The antique Mustang car symbolizes the father’s adventurous spirit and dreams. Restoring it with him provides a metaphor for bonding with him and finding their own paths.
Extended metaphor
Rather than stating something in plain terms, a metaphor creatively connects your abstract concept to a concrete object or scenario. This can provide fertile ground for exploring profound insights.
Example of a simple metaphor
“Volleyball is the artistic expression of human flight.”
This concisely compares the sport of volleyball to the artistic expression of human flight through a metaphor.
Extended metaphor in a montage essay
“Life is a turbulent ocean, with crashing waves of hardship constantly pulling me under the surface gasping for air. Yet each time, I’ve kicked back against the riptide’s draining spiral to break through and breathe again. Facing a childhood of abuse felt like treading water in a relentless storm…”
This example extends the metaphor of life being a turbulent ocean over multiple sentences. It vividly compares the writer’s hardships to crashing waves, needing to break through the surface, and fighting undertows.
Extended metaphor in a narrative essay
“When I walked through the doors of Johnson Elementary for my student teaching practicum, it felt like entering a rundown old theatre needing renovation. Outdated couches and faded curtains made the space uninviting. The first few weeks, I fumbled through my opening acts unsure whether my young audience was listening…”
Here the writer compares their first teaching experience to an old run-down theater through an extended metaphor over a few sentences.
Storytelling devices
In addition to framing structural elements like metaphor, integrating strong storytelling techniques can captivate admissions officers through your personal narrative and make it much more vivid.
Into the midst of things, in medias res
One powerful technique is opening in the midst of a climactic moment or anecdote, rather than at the very beginning chronologically. This creates a sense of drama and hooks the reader’s interest immediately.
Example of in medias res
“Staring down a 3rd-and-16, the game was on the line. The fading evening light reflected sharply off my helmet as the sweat trickled down from underneath, into the grime of the trenches where I prepared for one final surge…”
This excerpt drops right into an intense, climactic moment of a key football game without preamble. It creates drama and draws the reader in wondering what led up to this high-stakes scenario.
Flashback
Similarly, including flashbacks from the past can add depth and context about your journey and values.
Example of a flashback
“Back when we were just kids, that tree house ruled our universe. After school, we’d acquire the ‘supplies’ needed to fuel our adventures – Sandy’s fresh-baked goods and Jalil’s comic collection. To this day, no food has tasted as sweet…”
This childhood anecdote interrupts the main narrative thread by flashing back to establish context about close friendships, sweet memories, and youthful adventures in a treehouse.
Dialogue
Using dialogue can make scenes come alive and give your essay a powerful narrative force. Showing becomes far more engaging than just telling.
Example of dialogue
“Who let the frogs out?” Dad asked. His signature grin emerged as I tried to stifle my laughter.
“I’ve got no idea,” I shrugged unconvincingly.
Scanning the upturned aquarium, he raised an eyebrow. “Well, you better get a move on and round up your teammates before mom finds out!”
The brief dialogue between father and son about letting frogs loose makes the scene feel immediate and real by showing rather than just telling the events.
Quotes
Strategically weaving in quotes, whether from literature, historical figures, or personal acquaintances, can reinforce key messages in a memorable way.
Example of using quotes
” ‘The boundaries which divide life from death are at best shadowy and vague.’ As Poe wrote those words, he captured the fragility of how I’ve felt since losing my grandma…”
The Edgar Allen Poe quote about the “boundaries dividing life and death” is woven in to connect with and underscore the writer’s feelings about loss.
Imagery devices
Evoking vivid imagery and sensory details can transport the reader into your narrative and give them a window into your perspectives and experiences.
Similes
Similes draw direct comparisons between dissimilar things using “like” or “as”, allowing for creative associations.
Example of simile
“Fear hung over me like a heavy morning fog, obscuring my vision of the path ahead.”
This simile compares the writer’s fear to a heavy morning fog obscuring their vision of what’s ahead.
Five senses
Describing sights, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes provides concrete immersive details to make your essay come alive.
Example of five senses
“The bitter tang of smoke still singed my nostrils as I emerged from the fire, ashes swirling around me like a ghostly presence…”
The example layers together details about smells, sights, textures and more to immerse the reader in the moment after emerging from a fire.
Personification
Assigning human traits and abilities to non-human things adds emotional resonance and individuality.
Example of personification
“The thunderclouds grumbled in the distance, impatient for their chance to unleash torrents upon the valley below.”
Human traits like grumbling impatiently and unleashing are assigned to the thunderclouds in this example of personification.
Tone devices
How you express your narrative is just as important as what you say. Using tonal devices can create a distinctive voice and perspective that further draws the reader in.
Colloquialisms
Incorporating regional sayings and slang expressions can provide a sense of authenticity and cultural texture.
Example of regional colloquialism
“Like Pops always said, that boy was ‘tougher than a $2 steak’ after battling back from his hospitalization.”
The saying “tougher than a $2 steak” provides regional texture and authenticity to reflect a specific cultural voice.
Hyperbole
Purposeful exaggeration and hyperbole, when done with restraint, can elevate the drama of your narrative.
Example of hyperbole
“Her disapproving glare shot daggers through my soul, instantly vaporizing my feeble excuses into thin air.”
This example uses exaggerated hyperbolic language like “glare shot daggers” and “vaporizing excuses into thin air” for dramatic effect.
Sentence-level devices
Finally, paying attention to your sentence construction through various rhetorical devices can make your writing more dynamic and artful.
| Device | Definition | Examples |
| Alliteration | Repetition of initial consonants | “The wiry winter wind wailed wildly.” “Soggy, soaked socks squished sadly.” “Meandering moonlight melted midnight’s shadows.” |
| Anaphora | Repeating words at the start | “I am resilient. I am determined. I am unstoppable.” “We must act. We must persevere. We must overcome.” “She sang and she danced and she radiated joy.” |
| Asyndeton | Omitting conjunctions | “Respect others, chase dreams, seize opportunities.” “Read, ponder, question, grow.” “He leadered. He inspired. He transformed.” |
| Polysyndeton | Using many conjunctions | “The critics ranted and raved and lambasted and excoriated.” “Layer by layer and day by day and moment by moment, progress emerged.” “Stars twinkled and galaxies swirled and planets danced and comets blazed.” |