How to Write the Penn State University College Essay

 Penn State University Excerpt

by Sarah O'Neill, Coatesville, Supreme Editing

According to PSU admissions (via the website):  We are looking for students that want to share in the passions and talents of this impactful Penn State community.  They aim to shape your academic and career pursuits, broaden your perspective, establish  life-long connections, and set the stage for experiences.  


We seek and create new knowledge and understanding, and foster creativity and innovation, to benefit our communities, society, and the environment. 


The types of students admitted consisted of students that demonstrated the traits that will set you up for college success.  Successful students were specific and didn’t pick topics that were too broad.  They avoided using experiences that virtually all applicants will share.  Great responses were quite personal and avoided generalizing or vague statements.   It can be connected to things you’ve already written, but it should bring something new to the table. Dig deeper. 

Supplemental Essay Example:

Example: For as long as I can remember I have written and sung songs. Apart from concerts I would put on for my family when I was younger, complete with costumes and excessive choreography, I initially refrained from sharing this with the world. I saw it as an outlet rather than a performance.

That being said, there have been times the songs I created were the definition of unique, to say the least. Once when I was drafting an email to my math teacher about having a field trip on the day of the test, I got carried away with the clacking of my typing and started to hum the words being written. Eventually, I ran to my keyboard and added a few chords before finally creating “Ode to Test,” a power ballad about how I was going to have to take the test an hour early. However, this was nothing compared to “Why Me,” a sad song detailing the fateful day on which I lost my precious water bottle, and I use the word precious because, oddly enough, there were numerous references to Gollum throughout it. 

As I started to have more assignments in school and more activities outside of school, I began to share my music, to some extent. When a cross country meet got canceled, I created a song loosely based on “Hallelujah” called “Thank you, Thunder” and it ended up becoming the team’s faux anthem, making it into the end-of-the-season awards ceremony slideshow. That was the last song I have allowed others to hear, but I hope to share many more, including my latest creation: “Hate to See You Go,” an upbeat song that describes my sentiments whenever my wifi disconnects.

These fabrications bring a certain sense of vibrancy to my life that many other things do not provide. They allow me to turn experiences as simple as sending an email or losing an item into an event that means so much more, letting me gain a better understanding of just how significant each and every action I take truly has on me as a person.

The creativity associated with this will enable me to thrive in the innovative environment that Penn State fosters. Whether I finally muster the courage to audition for the Pennharmonics, or I just decide to continue to write music on my own, I will always have room to grow, not just as an amateur musician, but as a person as well.



by Sarah O'Neill, Coatesville, Supreme Editing






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