Writing Those Pesky Applications
So, it’s the middle of December, and you’ve got a pile of blank applications staring you in the face. All that mostly-white paper is begging you for answers, and you aren’t really sure what you’re going to say. The pressure to dazzle is overwhelming, and you sit for hours at your computer, staring at a blank screen with a blinking cursor. How to break this applicant’s block?
Conventional wisdom for breaking writer’s block is to just write something, anything, and keep writing until the creative juices are flowing and the real answers you seek come naturally. But we’ve learned over the years to question this wisdom, or at least to recognize that there are other ways to really get started, ways that work better for some students.
For instance, who says the only way to break writer’s block is by writing? Why can’t you do it by talking? Grab a tape recorder or turn on your computer’s microphone and start recording. Then read the application questions out loud, and talk your way through them. Invite a friend or a family member (or a tutor) to help you with your brainstorming session. If you stay focused and talk through what you’d like to write down, you’ll end up with a set of comments you can refer to when the time comes to actually write down your answers.
If you can’t find a recording device, why not use another person? Last week, one of our tutors took notes on her laptop while she and her student chatted about possible answers to the application essay question, “If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?” Discussing the question was easy for the student, who was well-versed in superpowers and comic book lore. Since her only trouble seemed to be initially writing down her ideas, the tutor did the actual writing. The lesson felt like an informal conversation, but at the end of it, the student had a full page of notes transcribed from her own words, from which writing a first draft essay will be considerably easier. (Of course, the student will write the actual draft. Be very wary of any “tutor” offering to write an essay for you – that is cheating, plain and simple.)
Brainstorming is arguably the most important part of writing an essay. But if you are one of the many people who find the first step the hardest, don’t forget that there are many ways to give yourself a little push.