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Essay Mistake No. 1: The Essay Turned Resume —
Don’t waste valuable space listing your credentials.

Laundry lists are useful things—when grocery shopping, running errands, and, I suppose, when making a list of your laundry items. When it comes to writing an essay, however, turning your entry into a lengthy listing of activities and awards is a good way to bore the reader.

Instead, take the following approach: Try to convey something deeper than just your surface credentials, while tactfully mentioning a few key accomplishments along the way. When you’re responding to questions about a pressing societal issue, for instance, resist the temptation to include in your essay mention of every socially aware organization, club, or extracurricular activity you’ve ever participated in. Although such an essay response speaks to your credentials, without the proper context it comes across as little more than self-congratulation.

The savvy essay writer, on the other hand, will focus on how a few personal experiences with such activities have shaped his or her views on an issue, or perhaps how such extracurricular participation has been driven by a deeper commitment to certain beliefs and values. Remember, you’ll have plenty of room to reference a few of your most relevant credentials as part of this broader thematic discussion.

Copyright 2003-2004, Ben Kaplan.