By Harini Subrahmanyam Fredrickson, Special Correspondent
A good college essay provides insight as to who you are. What motivates you to succeed? How do you handle difficult situations? Your essays should be personal and engaging and invite the reader to bond with you. Don’t write about what you think colleges want to hear. Write about an experience that is meaningful to you. Here are two very different examples of how to communicate effectively with your audience, one a heartfelt speech and the other a college video essay.
Joel Burns, a city councilman from Fort Worth, TX, gave an emotional speech addressing the recent rash of suicides linked to bullying. He spoke out about how he himself was traumatized in high school. He wanted to assure young people that “things will get easier” and encouraged them to “stick around to make those happy memories.” Mr. Burns recounted an incident that affected him deeply. He spoke with sincerity and connected with millions on the Internet. He didn’t dwell upon his unpleasant past. Instead, he offered students a compelling reason to live.
Another Internet phenomenon, Amelia Downs submitted an optional supplemental video to Tufts University that demonstrated her love for math and dancing. She used math graphs, from scatter plots to sine waves, as inspiration to develop new dance moves. Her video essay was creative and original and successfully expressed her interest in math outside the classroom.
Similarly, your college essay should be personal and focused. If you can cohesively tie in your past experiences and future aspirations, the end result will be a statement that is uniquely yours.

