Let’s make one thing clear: the college essay is not an English class assignment.

If you’re a rising senior staring down the Common App or supplemental prompts, here’s what you need to know. This isn’t the time to showcase your vocabulary, experiment with metaphors, or impress your AP Lit teacher. It’s the time to be strategic, honest, and above all—clear.

Because here’s the truth: most college essays fail not due to poor writing, but because of poor decisions.

They waste time. They over-explain. They try too hard.

And when an admissions officer is skimming their 47th essay of the day, you don’t get points for effort. You get points for resonance.

Mistake #1: Writing Like It’s an English Class

One of the most common traps? Trying to make your prose sound “impressive.”

Students load up their essays with complex metaphors, flowery language, and SAT words they’d never use in real life. The result? An essay that reads more like a literary analysis than a personal narrative.

But admissions officers aren’t grading your diction. They’re trying to understand who you are and what drives you.

You don’t need pretty. You need real.

You need to get to the point—and fast.

Mistake #2: Telling Instead of Showing

Here’s what telling looks like:

“I became more resilient and learned to lead.”

Here’s what showing looks like:

“By the third week, I was the only one left stacking food bank crates in the August heat, sweat soaking through my shirt as I taught a new volunteer how to log donations.”

See the difference?

Your job is to put the reader in the moment. Let them feel what you felt. Then, and only then, explain why it matters.

Mistake #3: Letting Too Many People Edit Your Essay

We get it—you want your essay to be perfect. So you send it to your parents, your English teacher, your debate coach, your older cousin who “got into Stanford.”

Here’s the problem: the more hands on the essay, the less it sounds like you.

Admissions officers can tell when an adult has hijacked a student’s voice. It sounds polished, but flat. Safe, but generic.

Guidance is helpful. But excessive direct edits are dangerous.

Pick one or two trusted reviewers who will help you sharpen your narrative—not rewrite your story for you.

Mistake #4: Wasting Your Word Count

You only get 650 words. Every one of them should earn its place.

That means no long backstory. No warm-up paragraphs. No moral-of-the-story conclusions. Get in. Make your point. Show growth. Get out.

Our team at Admittedly has helped hundreds of students tighten, clarify, and elevate their essays. And the #1 thing we cut? Fluff.

What to Do Instead

Let’s flip the script.

1. Lead with meaning.
Start with the core insight or moment that matters. Then build the story around it.

2. Anchor your essay in action.
What did you do? What did you realize? What changed?

3. Use simple, strong language.
If a sentence sounds like something you’d never say out loud, rewrite it.

4. Write with a point of view.
What do you want the reader to understand about you by the end? Make sure every sentence supports that.

5. Get help—but not from everyone.
Too much feedback will water down your voice. Choose one or two strategic reviewers to guide your thinking—not take it over. If you’re not sure where to start, download our free Essay Guide or check out the Admittedly Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts for practical tips and strategy.

Strategy First. Always.

At Admittedly, we review essays not just for polish, but for power. We help students figure out what to say—and more importantly, what not to say.

Because a beautiful essay won’t fix a broken strategy. But a clear, authentic, forward-looking one? That’s the kind admissions officers remember.

Want to avoid these mistakes—and write an essay that actually works? Download our free Essay Guide and get started today.