By Melanie Jimenez, Reflections Head
This quarantine taught me many things.
*shakes head furiously* No, this sounds too lifeless, too formal, too… rehearsed. Like you’re answering a prompt. These essays should come from yourself, not from a list of “college essay topics to write about”.
Hardships come to us very often in life. Challenges present themselves in the most inopportune times, preparing us for the real world. For me, quarantine was one of these challenges.
Ah, yes. Setting the scene, bringing up the main topic, and relating it to the real world. Most importantly, talking about growth. Colleges honestly don’t care about what you’ve done during quarantine if it didn’t help you ~grow~ as a person.
Now, what did you do during quarantine that would have made an impact?
Well, I guess this is the really challenging part. Just… talk about the thing you did most. The thing you spent the most time doing.
This quarantine, I watched all the incoming shows on Netflix. All of them.
Wow, that’s just depressing.
Ok, maybe not that. There has to be something more exciting. Maybe you did something new? Tried out something for the first time?
This quarantine, I slept for a full twenty-two hours for the first time.
Well that’s just pathetic sad. Can’t you think more positively? Maybe you did something that had an impact on someone else. Did you do something meaningful over the course of quarantine?
If you can bring your caring heart or love for your community into the essay, the college admissions people will love you even more!
This quarantine, I babysat my little sister. Both my parents were deemed essential workers, so I had to somehow balance school, homework, and a rowdy seven-year-old who seems to always be on an annoying sugar-high.
Ok, great! Sounds great. It shows you have love for your family. It’s a very basic activity but it is one that can be easily expanded upon. Just… try not to sound annoyed in your writing. It’s unbecoming of an incoming freshman of your caliber.
I learned that I am horrible with children. I hate having to wake up before 7:00 and I cannot keep up with little kids anymore. I know why my parents claim they have sore joints.
Uh… maybe try not to be so negative? The college admissions committee want to read about positivity. World peace and all that.
What have you learned? What makes you different after this experience? If you endure something but don’t learn from it, have you really grown as a person?
Taking care of my sister was a big adjustment to make. I had never tried to care for someone other than myself before. But there I was, making breakfast and lunch for a picky kindergartener, teaching her to do basic addition, and having to force her to memorize the alphabet. It was difficult—much more difficult than I had anticipated—but it taught me many things.
For one, I can never be an elementary school teacher. Taking care of a kid for few months is one thing; doing that for the rest of my life? No way.
Amazing! You’re bringing up specifics, as well as including a bit of humor. This allows the readers to connect to you a bit more. Your personality is coming through in your writing!
Now, try to think about how you would apply your newfound knowledge to college life. How would you benefit your school with the lessons you’ve learned? Colleges want to know why you are the right pick.
I’ve learned how to come up with different solutions. Kids are spectacular at finding ways to weasel out of things—my sister came up with so many excuses on why broccoli was Kryptonite and eating it would literally send her to the hospital—but you have to always find new, better resolutions. There will always be another answer to a problem. You just have to keep working towards it.
This quarantine has exercised my perseverance, patience, and so much more. But I have come out of it as a much stronger person.
And you’ve finally finished a college essay! Congratulations!
Now you just have to do it fifteen more times with completely different topics.
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