Eric Tipler, who lives in Cold Spring, is the author of Write Yourself In: The Definitive Guide to Writing Successful College Admissions Essays.
What did you write about in your essay for Harvard?
I spent the summer before my senior year in high school at Interlochen, a big arts camp in Michigan. I thought I’d apply to a music conservatory and become a professional musician. I spent eight weeks practicing the bassoon and hated it. That’s what I wrote about: Although I wanted to study music, I didn’t want to be a bassoonist. I’d give my essay a B. Being an all-state bassoonist, valedictorian and having great SAT scores from a rural Virginia school played a bigger role in my being accepted than my essay.
What’s different about your book?
I started writing it five years ago. I was moving from helping kids with writing to coaching them on the college application process. There are so many books and websites trying to sell a product or service, I wasn’t sure where to turn. I wrote the book I wish I’d had as a kid and 10 years ago when I started helping students.
What’s the key ingredient in an admissions essay?
There’s no secret ingredient. By 17, every kid has developed skills and abilities and has something that colleges are looking for. The process is more about figuring out what the student has so they can put their best foot forward. People stress about picking a topic, and that matters, but an Ivy League admissions officer once told me topics matter less than voice. They’re looking for a sense of who the writer is as a person: intellectual curiosity, community engagement, leadership, passion and achievement. They’re not looking for clones. They want to assemble a class of students who will contribute different things.
What are some common mistakes?
One is to write what you think an admissions office wants to hear. It’s a mistake to try to game the system. Also, essays shouldn’t be too formal — they should be written in a serious but conversational tone. That’s hard for kids. For 11 years they’ve been taught not to write in the first person, to support everything with evidence, talk about facts, not feelings. Sometimes it can be a mistake to write about someone who has inspired you. It needs to be about how that person impacted you, and how you took what they gave you and ran with it.
Can students get too much help from parents or coaches?
My job shouldn’t exist; college admissions have gotten way too complicated. You shouldn’t need a consultant to apply for college. Most schools don’t require disclosure of outside help, but that’s becoming a trend. I’ve figured out for myself what is ethical in helping a student. It’s OK to point out problems, to say, “This is an issue,” “You need to say more here” or “This paragraph is unnecessary.” But the students need to fix the problems themselves.
