Finding Your Unique Voice for College Essays, A Simple Guide That Works

A senior once stared at a blank screen until midnight, then said in a small voice, “I do not know what they want me to say.” Here is the truth. The moment your essay stops trying to please a nameless judge and starts telling the truth about you, the fear begins to fade. Erin Gordon’s book, Conquer Your College Admissions Essays: A Step-By-Step Plan for Crafting Engaging, Stand-Out Applications Essays, shows a simple path to get there. Her style is calm, kind, and clear. The goal is not to sound fancy. The goal is to sound like you on your best day.

Why Your Real Voice Wins With Readers

Admissions readers are people. They are tired. They want to meet you, not a slogan. Gordon reminds us that the best essays are the ones only you could write. A counselor once said that if your essay fell on the floor without your name, your friends should still know it is yours because no one else could have written it. That is a helpful test. It pushes you to pick details that are yours alone.

Two of Gordon’s favorite student examples prove this. One student wrote poems on oyster shells while walking the beach. Another hunted for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Small stories, big honesty. These details showed patience, joy, and character. They were more powerful than a speech about “working hard.”

Here is the deeper point. When you pick a real memory, your voice shows up. The reader can hear your rhythm and your heart. That is what gets remembered.

The Shift That Changes Everything, From Impressing To Informing

Most students try to impress. You do not need to. Gordon suggests you write to inform, not persuade. Show how you think, what you notice, and what you do. Let your essay answer a simple, human question. What would it be like to share a classroom or a dorm with you?

This shift lowers the pressure. You do not have to sell yourself. You just have to tell the truth in a clear way.

Try saying it out loud. If it sounds like a commercial, you are pushing too hard. If it sounds like you, you are on the right track.

Hook The Reader, Start With A Story

Many drafts start with throat clearing. That means big, vague lines like, “Community is important” or “Diversity matters.” Gordon’s advice is sharp. “Ditch throat clearing in favor of diving right in.” Begin with a scene. Then write a short paragraph that explains why the scene matters. Journalists call this an anecdote, then a nut paragraph. In an essay, it simply helps your reader care.

Here is how you do it:

1. Put us in one moment. Five to ten sentences. Make us see it.
2. Tell us, in a few lines, what the moment shows about you.
3. Move on to what changed, what you learned, or where that trait shows up again.

Instead of, “Community is important because,” try, “On Sundays I chop onions in the synagogue kitchen with Ms. R. She laughs at my tears. I tell her it is the onions. She does not believe me.” Then explain what cooking with Ms. R taught you about showing up for people.

Small Details, Big Truth

General claims fade. Specifics stick. Gordon suggests a simple move. After any broad line, write one sentence that starts with, “One time,” or, “For example.” Watch your draft wake up.

• Bland, “I worked really hard.”
• Specific, “On opening night, I woke up before dawn. I ran my lines in the mirror so long my calves ached.”

That one line shows energy, time, and care. You can feel it. The reader can too.

A Golden Nugget To Keep Forever, Tell The Truth, Do Not Try To Sell

This lesson will help you long after you submit your application. Do not write what you think they want. Write what is true and meaningful to you. Your topic does not have to be flashy. It can be a quiet ritual, a small win, or a hard habit you are working on. Truth has its own power. Clean, honest sentences carry more weight than big words.

“Write as a reporter not an editorial writer.” That is Gordon’s tip. It means you can drop phrases like “I believe” or “I feel.” Say the thing. “Dyslexia has not affected my ability to learn.” Simple and strong.

Pick A Topic Only You Can Write

Here is a test Gordon loves. If your essay landed on the ground with no name, would people who know you say, this is yours? If not, make it more specific until the answer is yes.

Also, try to avoid the most common themes, like the missed buzzer-beater or the “I taught kids and learned more than they did” story. If sports or service matter to you, tell us the smallest, truest slice. Focus on a small moment only you lived. The oyster shell poems and the cookie recipe are great reminders that ordinary life can reveal who you are.

Tone Matters As Much As Topic

Tone can quietly ruin an essay. Gordon shares a strong example. A student wrote about chatting with Uber drivers. The writing was skilled, but the topic hinted at money and drifted toward classism. That same day, Gordon read a less polished essay from a student who lived with seven family members in a one-bedroom apartment and faced domestic violence. Even though the first essay was better written, Gordon says tone made the choice clear. Humility beats polish.

To check tone, ask, would my future roommate want to keep reading this? If the answer is no, change the topic or the angle.

Keep Your Voice, Even When Others Help

You should get feedback. Just make sure your voice stays put. Gordon says admissions readers can spot an adult’s heavy hand. If a helper rewrites your sentences, speak up. Ask them to point to confusion, not to take the wheel. A neutral reader, like a counselor or a trusted family friend, can flag typos, tone issues, and repetition while keeping your style intact.

A Simple Process You Can Trust

Erin Gordon’s step-by-step approach is kind and doable. It will keep you from getting stuck and will help your voice stay strong.

Step 1, Write, Let Your First Draft Be Rotten

Yes, rotten. Gordon quotes Justice Louis Brandeis, “There is no great writing, only great rewriting.” Your only job is to get words on the page. Try 15 minute writing sprints. Set a timer. Do not stop. If your mind freezes, talk into your phone first, then transcribe. The first draft is a starting line, not a final product.

Actionable step, here is how you do it:

• Set a timer for 15 minutes.
• Pick one memory.
• Write straight through. No backspace. No judging. Stop when the timer rings.

Step 2, Revise, Do A Macro Edit

Step away for a few hours or a day. Change locations. Your brain will see the draft in a fresh way if you read it somewhere else. Print it. Read it out loud. You will hear where meaning does not match words. Fill in missing parts. Move paragraphs until the story flows. Add an example where you made a vague claim.

Actionable step, here is how you do it:

• Read out loud with a pen in hand.
• Circle any spot where your mouth trips or a sentence says little.
• Write a note in the margin, add a “One time” line or cut the fluff.

Step 3, Refine, Do A Micro Edit

Now polish. Gordon teaches a handful of small fixes that make a big difference.

• Cut filler. Words like very, really, actually, first and foremost, basically can almost always go.
• Use precise words. Swap “very hot” for “scalding.”
• Guide the reader. Add simple transitions like Afterward, Instead, As a result, Consequently.
• Be consistent. Keep capitalization, numbers, and commas tidy.
• Move punch words. Strong nouns and verbs often belong at the start or end of the sentence.

Actionable step, here is how you do it:

• Take one page at a time.
• Cross out filler words with a pen.
• Underline the strongest noun or verb in each sentence, then try moving it to the start or end.

Micro Edits That Make You Sound Like You

Here are before and after lines based on Gordon’s examples.

• Before, “Our very last season together was so special and we were all sitting together in a circle talking about old memories.”

• After, “In our final season, we sat in a circle and told stories.”

• Before, “Painting and drawing are great for creativity.”

• After, “On Saturdays I take my sketchbook to the park. I listen to rap and draw skateboarders and birds.”

• Before, “I believe my dyslexia has not affected my ability to learn.”

• After, “Dyslexia has not affected my ability to learn.”

These small edits make your voice cleaner and your meaning sharper.

How To Answer “Why This College” Without Sounding Fake

Many schools ask why you want to attend. Do simple, real research. Go beyond the homepage. Watch videos made by current students. Ask an alum. Look up a club that fits you. Find one program that is special. Then connect it to something you have already done.

Do not write, “I want to double major in math and philosophy.” Every college has those majors. Write, “Your campus preschool gives education majors hands-on practice. After a year as a first grade TA at my Sunday School, I want to keep working with young learners.” This ties the school to your life. It sounds real because it is.

Actionable step, here is how you do it:

• List three real things at the school that you could join, study, or help build.
• Write one sentence for each that links it to a past action of yours.

Short, Quirky Prompts, Be Real, Have Fun, Stay Kind

Some schools ask odd questions. You can be playful. Still, be you. If you mention a big topic like climate change, make it local and specific. Your creek that dried up last summer is more vivid than a global speech. Avoid snark. Avoid bragging. Aim for a light, human tone that makes a reader smile and think you would be a good classmate.

Stuck On Topics, Two Easy Ways To Find Your Story

Try these two moves from Gordon’s playbook.

• The free weekend test. If you had a full weekend with no plans, what would you do? Your answer points toward true interests and habits you can write about.
• Research yourself. Ask two or three people who know you well what stories sound like you. What do they notice about you when you are at your best? You will hear patterns that can guide your topic.

Actionable step, here is how you do it:

• Text three people today, “What is one story you think only I would tell well?” Use the best one as your starting scene.

The Last Paragraph That Leaves A Good Feeling

A strong ending looks forward. Gordon suggests ending with a line about how you will carry your lesson into college. You can name a club you will join, a class you hope to take, or a way you plan to show up for others in the dorm. No one will lock you into these plans. It simply shows that your story has motion.

Actionable step, here is how you do it:

• Write this stem, “Because of this, at college I will,” then finish it with one small, concrete action. Keep it honest.

A Short Toolkit You Can Use Today

• Open with a scene. Ten sentences, one moment, then a short paragraph that explains why it matters.
• Add one example. After any broad claim, write, “For example,” then give a detail.
• Try a 15 minute sprint. Timer on, no backspace. If stuck, speak your story into your phone and transcribe.
• Read aloud on paper. Mark where you stumble or feel bored. Fix those spots first.
• Trim and punch. Cut filler. Use precise words. Move your strongest words to the edges of the sentence.
• Check tone. Ask, would my future roommate like me after reading this?
• Protect your voice. Get feedback that keeps you sounding like you.

A Note For Parents

You matter in this process. You can be a calm editor who helps, not a co-author who takes over. Offer observations, not rewrites. Ask, where do I hear you most clearly, and what part sounds like a brochure? If stress builds, bring in a neutral reader, as Gordon suggests, to keep the peace and keep the student’s voice strong.

What This Work Gives You For Life

Conquer Your College Admissions Essays is not only about getting into college. It is about learning to show yourself with honesty and care. When you can choose a true story, say it clearly, and show what it taught you, you gain a life skill. You will use it in interviews, scholarship apps, internships, and in moments when your words need to carry your values.

Gordon likes to repeat a line that helps when you feel stuck. “There is no great writing, only great rewriting.” You do not have to be perfect. You have to be honest, specific, and willing to work the draft until it sounds like you.

Take a breath. Picture a reader, late at night, looking for a real person behind the file. Tell them about the small thing that shaped you in a big way. The recipe you tweaked until it finally worked. The creek that turned to dust and made you care. The bunk of third graders who taught you patience. The sketchbook that calms your mind. Let them meet you. Then close with a quiet statement about the kind of classmate you will be.

What is the one story only you can tell, and what truth does it show about who you are becoming?