How to Write About Yourself Without Bragging (Too Much!)
by Molly R.
Many college essay students don’t want to seem conceited or egotistical in their college essays. At the same time, it is also important to not diminish your skills and achievements in these essays. Use your college essays as a place to shine and as an opportunity to highlight all of your high school success. If you are gearing up to write your college essay next year or are working on your essay about a summer learning experience, at Ivy Boost we recommend you write about something meaningful to you and showcase your many accomplishments.
As you write about successes, a strategy to remember is to share how you accomplished something. Focus on the process it took, not the outcome. For example, you might write about how you improved a grade. Don’t focus on the letter grades (the outcome), but instead highlight how you improved.
Read on for an example:
Poor example: “I knew I was in danger of failing Chemistry during my junior year. If I wanted to be placed into AP Biology during my senior year, I knew I had to improve it. I worked really hard and brought my grade up to a B.”
These sentences are rather generic and don’t really display character. It also doesn’t sound so genuine.
A revised statement that displays perseverance and vulnerability could be:
Better example: “I was ashamed of my low grade in Chemistry during my Junior year. I was having a hard time understanding the complex topics and struggled to grasp the concepts. Because I wanted to get into A.P Biology, I knew I had to improve my grade. I worked with my teacher after school and asked my guidance counselor if she could recommend a tutor. It was a little embarrassing needing to ask for help, but being vulnerable allowed me to admit that I needed help and I was able to get support.”
Other tips to keep in mind as you write about yourself include:
- Write about a personal change. Maybe instead of saying that you were president of the yearbook committee, share about how you came to the realization that you wanted to leave something behind before you graduated high school.
- Don’t be too modest! Don’t forget not to highlight all that you have accomplished. It’s okay to brag a little, just don’t over do it.
- Use specifics. Share personal narratives so admission officers can get a greater understanding of who you are as a person.
- Be vulnerable. It’s okay to share a story involving pain or loss- these are part of the human experience. Do it in a way that will generate an emotional response from your reader.
- Avoid cliches. While many college essays are about similar topics (family, school, extracurriculars), what is always unique is your personal story.
By sharing specific, meaningful examples of your achievements and focusing on lessons learned, you will be able to write about yourself without bragging (too much) to colleges.