College Essay Tips: Short Answer Responses
Short answer responses are questions that ask you to confine your entire essay to a single paragraph. Many students consider these to be less important than full-length essays and, as a result, dash off a few lines with little care for clarity or revision. In reality, however, you should treat these responses the same way you would treat a full-length essay.
Plan to write multiple drafts. It’s okay if your first draft is too long. Many people need a chance to “warm up,” so to speak, when they first start writing. For this reason, it might help you to get all of your thoughts out, even if the initial draft exceeds the word length. When you revise, strike out all sentences that are repetitive or vague. Each subsequent draft should strive for increased specificity.
Be as specific and vivid as possible. Because of the length constraints of the short answer response, it makes little sense to waste words on a vague statement with the intention of providing specific details later in the paragraph. Instead of, “The students were friendly,” explain how you knew they were friendly: “Everyone I passed greeted me with a broad smile even though I was a stranger” or “As I scrutinized my map in the center of the quad, two students approached to offer directions even though I hadn’t asked for help.”
Avoid repeating information that can be found elsewhere in the application. Use the short answer response as an opportunity to provide new details about yourself and your interests. If you have already discussed it in your personal statement, do not repeat it in the short answer.
Focus on one idea or activity. Because you are striving for specificity, it makes sense to narrow your focus. Rather than listing all of your extracurricular interests, write about one that holds special meaning for you. Rather than reciting all of your duties and responsibilities as class president, write about one particularly memorable day, using it to stand in for the whole.
