Is Your Common App Essay One Giant Block Of Text? Here's How To Fix It

I’ve noticed an alarming trend among my students. (And this one’s worse than a cliched title at the top.)

The one-giant-block-of-text essay. The no-paragraph-breaks essay. The good-god-my-eyes-are-going-to-bleed-if-I-read-this essay.

My big piece of advice is not only to separate your essay into multiple, distinct paragraphs, but also to separate each paragraph with smooth transitions and topic sentences that help the reader follow along with your narrative. Your goal should be to introduce the new idea of the paragraph with its opening line. Bonus points if it also relates to the last sentence of the previous paragraph. I also advise my students to end each paragraph with a bang - the last line of each paragraph should be powerful and make the reader want to keep reading.

Better yet, aim for short and sweet paragraphs that make for easy reading. Remember that admissions officers are going through hundreds of these essays a day — don’t make it harder for them to concentrate with one dizzying block of text that’s difficult to read.

Multiple paragraph breaks also help you build momentum. Remember that a personal essay is creative writing — one paragraph can be made up entirely of just one sentence or one quote. Sometimes, even a word if it feels right.

Breaking up your Common App essay down into multiple, easy-to-read paragraphs also shows you understand your essay flow and know where you’re headed in your story. Think of each paragraph as one stop in the marathon of the story you’re trying to tell. If you’re not sure how to do this, stop writing and reasses each paragraph. Next to each one, ask yourself: What am I trying to say with this paragraph? How is this paragraph helping me to tell my overall story? Write the answers down next to each paragraph to help you process the flow.

If you’re not sure when to break the paragraph into smaller sections or when to create a new paragraph, here’s an easy tip. Ask yourself: Is this a new train of thought? Is this a new idea? If so—> new paragraph!