SMYSP– Stanford Medical Youth Science Program

Essay Writing Do’s and Don’ts

 

DO

DON’T

Topic
  • Talk about what matters to you
  • Give serious thought to what you are going to write about
  • Talk with people about your topic
  • Write about a topic that you know very little or nothing about
  • Worry about what topics admissions officers want to read about – write what you know and love
  • Forget to put your own personal stamp on your topic
     
Style
  • Be honest and be yourself!
  • Use formal English, but not too formal
  • Stay away from clichés and commonly used expressions
  • Tell a story only you can tell
  • Try to force your essay to be funny or overly dramatic
  • Try to be clever in unproductive ways
  • Just recreate your activities and awards list
  • Brag or put down others
  • Forget to show the admissions officers who you are
     
Drafts & Grammar
  • Let others read your writing!
  • Work on your essay for more than a week and do multiple drafts
  • Cut out unnecessary words and phrases
  • Turn in your 1st draft
  • Write like you talk
  • Rely on a thesaurus too much
     
Aesthetics
  • Be neat
  • Type your essay on the computer or typewriter
  • Use single spacing
  • Make sure that the essay fits in the allotted space
  • Use font that is too big or small
  • Handwrite your essay
  • Attach extra pages
  • Turn in anything smeared, blurred, or messy

Describe a significant moment in your life.

Example A:

The most exciting moment of my life was when I won the election for class president. I worked really hard, and it was so tight that I won. It all started over the summer when I was talking to my friends about school. We where talking about what we liked about campus and what we didn’t and what we wished we could change. I had lots of fly ideas, and my friends told me that I should do something about it. So I decided to take a chance and run for class president. I thought that I would probably win but I was scared all morning and at lunch. I was really nervous, and my friends tried to make me feel better and cheer me up. I couldn’t even eat, I was that nervous. We talked a little bit, and some of my other friends came by to wish me luck. I waited and waited until I heard the principal’s voice over the loud speaker say “Good afternoon.” My heart just about stopped and my stomach was all seized up....

Describe a significant moment in your life.

Example B:

I sat out on the quad with my friends, nervously tearing out blades of grass and checking my watch. I looked over at my lunch bag and contemplated eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I made that morning, but the thought of it turned my stomach. With a frown I put the bag into my backpack and looked at my watch again. When would it be 12:30? Why was time moving so slowly? I looked at my best friend Shawna and she smiled sympathetically. She reached out, patted me on the back and said, “I just know that you’ll win.” I looked down at my hands and mumbled “Thanks,” as a couple of my friends from English screamed “Good luck Rena!” from across the lawn. Looking up, I waved at them and called out “Thanks,” again, and went back to demolishing the patch of grass next to my seat. There was only a blade or two left in the cool, hard dirt when I heard “Good afternoon,” come through the loud speaker. My hands stopped shredding and began to shake – this was it.

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