The Benefit of Starting Early

I was driving a high school senior back from a soccer game with my son, a junior, who was asking questions about the college application process, when the senior shared, ‘My advice: get your essay done over the summer. You’re going to be busy with so many things in the fall, doing all your classes and activities alongside your applications, you don’t want that hanging over your head.’ I looked at this wise teenager in my rearview mirror. This was sage advice. But not just because it leaves you with one less thing on your fall to-do list. My reason for advising my son to start his essay at least as early as this coming summer is the simple fact that writing is a process. As a TV writer, I know that what we see on our screens, the so-called finished product, is the result of countless rewrites and a collaboration between lots of writers and many departments. While you hear a lot of folks say a TV script is a blueprint that cannot exist without further collaboration, the script that was sold and turned into a show is also the result of a long development process. A writer had an idea and shared it, and the people the writer shared it with offered their thoughts and feedback to elevate the material to the point that it told the story the writer was trying to tell, in the way the writer intended. It was a process that took time and energy and creativity and an openness to seeing one’s work from another perspective. The same is true of the personal statement.

I recently stayed up till 1.30 in the morning with my son, helping him with an essay for a summer program application. When it was ‘finished,’ he read it aloud, and it was really good! But, alas, it wasn’t great. And, sadly, the application was due and we didn’t have the time to make it great. What’s more, the following morning (after what was truly not enough sleep!) I found myself remembering other examples from his life that he could have used in his essay, even activities he could have added to his resume. But it was too late. The application had been submitted. From that moment, I vowed to be on top of his college essays to avoid being in the same situation on the eve of college application deadlines. And I’ve carved out time to sit down with him and offer the same exercises and guided structure-planning I use with students at 826LA or my private coaching clients.

Doing those exercises early gives you more time to notice themes in your life experiences and ‘connect your dots.’ It also gives your family, friends and teachers time to weigh in on what’s wonderful about you, the things you forgot about yourself or never noticed. It also gives you time to live your ending. You might be facing a challenge right now that could perfectly serve as the answer to one of the essay prompts. If you brainstorm now, you can track your progress and reflect on your experience later – which means you will be able to do one of the most important things an essay can do: demonstrate personal growth.