Drafting Dreams: the Common Application Essay (SAMPLE Admitted Johns Hopkins) Sarah O'Neill Coatesville Supreme Editing

 By Sarah O’Neill Coatesville Supreme Editing

Drafting Dreams: Crafting Your Best Common App Essay

So, you’ve embarked on the exciting (and sometimes challenging) journey of writing your Common Application essay! At this point, you’re likely diving into your first rough draft — what we call “Version 1.” But drafting doesn’t stop there. In fact, refining your ideas and honing your expression through multiple revisions is what makes an essay truly shine. The process of drafting is essential, and learning how to do it effectively can help you create an essay that stands out to admissions committees. Let’s dig into what drafting really means and explore strategies for doing it efficiently.

What Does “Drafting” Really Mean?

Drafting is the art of transforming your initial ideas into polished, compelling prose. The first draft is just the beginning; it’s the raw, unfiltered version of your ideas. Drafting means revisiting and reshaping these ideas multiple times, improving clarity, coherence, and creativity in each iteration. This is where many students experience a roadblock — especially when they feel attached to their initial version.

However, even professional writers go through numerous drafts before reaching the final product. Stephen King, who has authored more than 88 bestsellers, famously described the drafting process with this advice: “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” Yes, the words and ideas in your essay may feel like “darlings” — close to your heart and difficult to let go of — but letting go is often the best way to improve.

Embracing Constructive Criticism

It can feel disheartening to pour your creativity into a piece, only to hear it needs improvement. Remember, though, that mentors, teachers, editors, and counselors have one main goal: to help you present the best possible version of yourself to an admissions committee. They have insights into what works, drawn from years of experience in the field. Ivy League admissions teams are some of the toughest readers out there — they know how to spot genuine, thoughtful writing and will scrutinize your work closely. To create a piece that resonates with these readers, keeping an open mind to constructive criticism is crucial.

Five Keys to Drafting Success

To help you navigate the drafting process smoothly, here are some practical strategies:

1. Take Feedback with an Open Mind
   Understand that critiques aren’t meant to discourage you; they’re opportunities for growth. Each piece of feedback can highlight aspects of your essay you might not have considered, opening doors for stronger, clearer writing.
2. Be Pliable — Try New Angles
   When you receive feedback, don’t be afraid to try new approaches. Flexibility can lead to unexpected insights and improvements. If you’re advised to rephrase, reframe, or rethink an idea, give it a go!
3. Save Every Version
   Keep all drafts saved in a shared drive or folder where you can access them later. Sometimes, an idea from an early version may prove useful or inspiring as you work through subsequent drafts. Tracking your progress also shows how far you’ve come and reinforces the effort you’ve put into the essay.
4. Experiment with Different Topics
   While it’s great to feel passionate about a specific topic, don’t be afraid to try others if you hit a wall. Experimenting can lead you to a topic that feels even more authentic and resonates more deeply with you.
5. Stay Honest About Your Feelings and Ideas
   The drafting process can feel overwhelming, so it’s essential to stay honest with yourself and those supporting you. If you’re feeling frustrated, talk about it. Brainstorming or discussing ideas with someone you trust can bring fresh perspectives to the process and remind you that you’re not alone in this journey.

Final Thoughts on Drafting

Drafting is more than just editing; it’s an exercise in patience, flexibility, and self-discovery. Each draft refines not only the essay but also your understanding of what you want to communicate about yourself. So embrace the process, take pride in each version, and don’t shy away from the work. Your openness to feedback and willingness to reshape your “darlings” will ultimately help you craft an essay that tells your unique story with clarity, authenticity, and purpose.

Happy drafting — and remember, every writer, even the greatest, started with a rough draft.

COMMON APP ADMITTED JHU

Nobunaga’s snuck to the hill of his grave enemy Yoshimoto. He looked around at his few men, much fewer soldiers than Yoshimoto, but he was willing to risk his life to become the most powerful lord in Sengoku. There he stood with his small army, with sweat dripping from his brow. Soldiers circling around him, waiting for his commands, and just when the last drizzle of the storm dripped away, Nobunaga drew his sword high and commanded his soldiers to charge. Just like that, Yoshimoto was taken down by the meager Nobunaga. This was five hundred years ago in Japan but, somehow, I feel the same way — I take big risks to succeed.

Sengoku Jidai has always been my favorite historical period because I feel I have that same warrior spirit as soldiers who lived during that time. In fact, I spent a whole year writing a book about Sengoku Jidai and published it on Amazon. So, when I was actually able to travel to Japan, I wove in and out of castles and monuments seeing what I had once only read about in books. It was fascinating. This is when I felt an even truer kinship with them because there’s something so graceful about finding solutions under pressure.

Even though Nobunaga’s battle took place during a serious warring time in Japan, I have fought some battles of my own…in the chem lab. A tribe of soldiers, better known as my partners in the titration lab, encircled me with their gargantuan goggles glued to their foreheads and leaned over to see what was going on. We were painstakingly preparing for the upcoming Chemathon contest when we stumbled upon an issue. As they looked to me to try to find the precise molarity for an unknown acid, the room grew tense. Using every instrument in our arsenal, the sweat dripped from our noses and we stood there in our lab coats encircling our concoction. Even if we didn’t say it, we all knew that the results could easily mean absolute disaster if one more drop of base solution was added. So, I took the lead as operator while they huddled around me.

I inched closer to the lab table, took a deep breath like when wind takes your breath away and doesn’t give it back, calmed my shaking hands and held the pipette like a sword ready for battle. Little by little and with extreme caution, I added the base solution to the flask, definitely not knowing what would happen next. With each drop through the plunger, the air froze for a moment as dozens of eyes stared in anticipation, looking for the slightest change in color. Then… just as I added the last of the solution…drip…drop… the acid turned pink. Air expelled from every mouth in the room representing a sweet success. My partners cheered on and on as I patted the sweat from my forehead with my still shaking hand, perhaps feeling the same kind of happiness Nobunaga had when he defeated Yoshimoto three hundred years ago.

We all face battles in our lives whether they are internal or when many other people rely on us to find the right mixture to prevent disaster. Even though the lab did not mean life or death to me, it was still something that had to be overcome and an event that really put my leadership skills to the test. There are other times when difficulties have challenged me directly, and I know that there will be many more, but I think my warrior spirit, like Nobunaga’s, will continue to push me to overcome them along the way.

By Sarah O’Neill Coatesville Supreme Editing