Revising and editing your college essay is really important to make it as good as it can be.
After you finish your first draft, start by focusing on the big picture. Check that the overall story and message are clear. Then, look at the style and tone – make sure it sounds natural and reflects your authentic voice. You can use a free paraphrasing tool to help with this.
Once you’re happy with the content and style, go through and polish up the details. Check for any grammar or punctuation errors using a tool like Grammarly. And make sure your essay stays within the word count limit.
It’s a good idea to take breaks between each stage of revising. That will help you look at it with fresh eyes.
You should go through multiple rounds of revisions. And don’t forget to get feedback from others – a teacher, friend, family member, or even a professional essay coach can provide really helpful suggestions.
If you’re short on time, focus on improving the clarity and fixing any grammar issues using a tool like Grammarly.
You can also look at sample college essays to get inspiration for how to turn a mediocre essay into a strong one.
Big picture: Check for overall message, flow, and clarity
Start by evaluating the main point or message you’re trying to convey about yourself. Is it clear and consistent throughout the essay? Make sure you have a strong, cohesive theme that ties the different parts together.
Next, look at the flow and structure of the essay. Do the ideas transition smoothly from one to the next? Use transitions to guide the reader logically through your narrative.
Finally, assess the quality and relevance of the content itself. Does each paragraph and detail directly support your main message? Remove any tangents or unnecessary information that doesn’t add value.
Check your overall message
Before you start revising the smaller details of your college essay, take a step back and read through it with a critical eye to assess the overall message.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What is the main message or insight I’m trying to convey about myself?
- Does my essay clearly answer the prompt I was given?
- Does it end with a meaningful takeaway, or does it simply recount a story without deeper reflection?
- Do I use specific examples and anecdotes to demonstrate my values and qualities? And do those align with the university’s values?
- Is the focus primarily on me and my experiences, or does it get overly distracted by other people or ideas?
If you find that your essay falls short in any of these areas, that’s a sign you need to go back and rewrite or restructure parts of it. The goal is to ensure your essay has a clear, consistent message that gives the admissions committee genuine insight into who you are.
| Problem | Solution |
| Your essay simply recounts a story without providing any meaningful insight or reflection. | Identify the key lesson or takeaway you learned from the experience, and explain how it has impacted you or shaped your perspective going forward. |
| You claim to possess certain qualities or values without providing concrete evidence to support those claims. | Include detailed anecdotes and examples that demonstrate these qualities in action, showing the admissions committee rather than just telling them about your attributes. |
| The focus of your essay is primarily on another person, idea, or external factor rather than on you and your own experiences. | Shift the focus to elaborate on how this other person or idea has affected your own personal growth, worldview, goals, or decision-making process. Make it clear how this has been integral to shaping who you are. |
Check transitions and flow
Start by underlining the topic sentence and transition phrases in each paragraph. This will help you visualize whether you’ve maintained a clear, logical progression of ideas.
Look for smooth connections between paragraphs – make sure your topic sentences guide the reader smoothly from one point to the next. Identify any abrupt jumps or disconnects, and rewrite or rearrange the transition sentences to create a more natural outline.
Additionally, pay close attention to your introduction and conclusion. Your opening should hook the reader and set the stage for the narrative that follows. And your ending should provide an impactful payoff, building upon the insights and experiences you’ve shared throughout the essay.
Read through the full essay again with these structural elements in mind. Ask yourself if the overall flow feels cohesive and compelling. If not, make revisions to tighten up the organization and transitions.
Check for content quality
Go through your essay and highlight any parts that feel unclear, boring, or unnecessary. These are the areas you’ll want to target for improvement.
For the unclear sections, rewrite them to enhance clarity and ensure you’re effectively communicating your message. Inject more vivid, descriptive language into the boring parts to help your essay stand out. This is what colleges are looking for. And ruthlessly delete any sentences or details that don’t directly support your main narrative.
Voice: Check for style and tone
When revising your college essay, it’s important to ensure your unique voice and tone come through effectively. Ask yourself the following questions to evaluate whether you’ve struck the right balance:
- Does the essay sound authentic and natural – like it’s truly in my own voice? The language and word choices should feel genuine, not overly formal or artificial.
- Does it demonstrate vulnerability and genuine self-reflection? The best essays allow the reader to see your humanity and gain insight into your thought processes.
- Is the overall tone conversational yet respectful? You want to find a balance between sounding casual and maintaining an appropriate level of formality.
- If touching on sensitive topics, is the tone polite and considerate? Be mindful of how you discuss issues that may be personal or controversial.
| Problem | Solution |
| Your essay doesn’t sound like your authentic voice. | Review your word choices and rewrite any clichéd expressions to ensure the language feels natural and reflects your unique way of communicating. |
| Your essay lacks vulnerability and self-reflection. | Share your genuine thoughts, feelings, and personal experiences surrounding a meaningful topic to give the reader deeper insight into who you are. |
| Your essay has a tone that is too casual. | Avoid using any slang or text abbreviations, and upgrade basic vocabulary words. Rewrite sections as if you were talking to a teacher, mentor, or other respected figure, using more complex sentence structures. |
| Your essay has a tone that is too formal. | Replace any high-level, overly academic vocabulary that sounds unnatural or awkward. Use simpler, more conversational sentence structures instead. |
Read it aloud to catch errors
One of the most effective strategies for revising your college essay is to read it aloud. Hearing the words spoken out loud can help you identify issues with style, voice, and even grammar that you might miss when reading silently.
For example, reading aloud can reveal if you’re overusing certain words, have inconsistent sentence structures, or are using vocabulary that sounds unnatural or forced. The rhythm and flow of the language becomes more apparent when you hear it.
You should incorporate this step multiple times throughout your revision process. Try different methods:
- Read the essay aloud to yourself, paying close attention to how it sounds.
- Ask a friend or family member to read it aloud for you and provide feedback.
- Use a text-to-speech program to convert the essay to an audio file and listen to it.
- Record yourself reading it aloud and then play it back.
Details: Check for grammar and punctuation
After focusing on the big-picture structure and style of your college essay, it’s time to dive into the details and ensure it’s polished from a grammar and punctuation standpoint.
Run a spell check
Run your essay through a spell check. This will catch any obvious spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes.
Punctuation, capitalization, and verb errors
Review it more closely for subtler errors in punctuation and capitalization that the spell check may have missed. Also check that you have consistent subject-verb agreement and verb tenses throughout.
Sentence structure
Examine the sentence structure as well. Look for any fragments, run-on sentences, or other issues that could impact clarity. Make sure you vary your sentence lengths and structures to create an interesting, rhythmic flow.
For more complex sentences, ensure you maintain parallel structure. And fix any dangling or misplaced modifiers that could cause confusion.
Consistency
Check for overall consistency in your essay. This includes things like your use of contractions, acronyms, and verb tenses. If you’ve reused this essay for multiple applications, double-check that you’ve replaced any references to the previous university.
Feedback: Get a second opinion
Getting input from others is really important before submitting your college essay. Try to stick to 2-3 people to review it – any more and you might get conflicting advice.
Look for people who know you well, like teachers or family members. They can give feedback on whether the essay captures your unique personality and experiences. It’s also valuable to get feedback from someone familiar with the college application process, like a guidance counselor.
You may also want to consider working with a professional essay coach or editor. They can provide helpful suggestions, but they shouldn’t rewrite the essay for you. Their job is to offer advice, not take over the writing.
Here are some key things to ask your reviewers about:
- Does the introduction grab the reader’s attention?
- Do the specific examples and stories effectively demonstrate your qualities and values?
- Are the transitions between ideas smooth and logical?
- What overall message or impression did you take away from the essay?
- Which parts were unclear, boring, or unnecessary?
- Does the essay sound like it’s authentically in your own voice?
- Does it reveal genuine self-reflection and vulnerability?
- Is the tone appropriate and consistent throughout?
- If you used humor, did it come across as natural and effective?
Don’t be afraid to seek out feedback. Fresh perspectives can help you identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement that you may have overlooked on your own. Just be sure to thoughtfully consider the input before making any revisions.
Get help from a teacher, guidance counselor, or mentor
These are great people to get feedback from because they know you well and understand the college admissions process. A teacher can provide insights on the quality of your writing, whether your ideas are well-developed, and if the essay aligns with the prompt. A guidance counselor can evaluate if the essay presents a compelling and authentic representation of you. A mentor, like a coach or club advisor, can assess if the essay reflects your personality and values.
Ask family or friends to check for authenticity
Your close family and friends know you better than anyone, so they can provide valuable feedback on whether the essay truly sounds like you. They can identify if there are any parts that don’t ring true or feel inconsistent with your character. Getting their input on the overall authenticity and vulnerability of the essay is crucial.
Hire an essay coach or editor
A professional essay coach or editor can offer a more objective, experienced perspective. They can help refine your essay’s structure, style, and clarity, as well as catch any lingering grammar/punctuation issues. However, it’s important they only provide feedback and suggestions – they should not rewrite the essay for you, as that would undermine the authenticity.
Incorporate feedback after a break
After receiving feedback, take some time away from the essay before incorporating the revisions. This allows you to come back to it with fresh eyes and objectively evaluate whether the changes have improved the overall quality. Implementing feedback right away may cause you to lose perspective. The break can help you maintain clarity on what needs to be fixed.