10 Common College Essay Mistakes That Get Applications Rejected
BY Collegebase Team
10 Common College Essay Mistakes That Get Applications Rejected
After analyzing 600+ essays from our database—both successful and unsuccessful—we've identified the most common mistakes that hurt applicants' chances. Here's what to avoid.
1. The Resume Essay
The Mistake: Listing accomplishments instead of telling a story.
What It Looks Like:
"I founded a nonprofit, served as student body president, won the state debate championship, and conducted research at a local university..."
Why It Fails: Admissions officers already have your resume. They want to understand who you are, not what you've done. Listing achievements wastes your one chance to show personality and depth.
The Fix: Focus on ONE experience and go deep. Show your thought process, emotions, and growth.
2. The Trauma Dump
The Mistake: Writing about trauma without showing growth or resolution.
What It Looks Like: Essays that focus heavily on difficult experiences—divorce, illness, loss, hardship—without demonstrating how you processed and grew from them.
Why It Fails: While authentic adversity can make powerful essays, simply describing pain doesn't help admissions officers understand who you are now. It can come across as seeking sympathy rather than demonstrating resilience.
The Fix: If you write about difficult experiences, spend 70% of the essay on your response, growth, and current perspective—not the trauma itself.
3. The Thesaurus Explosion
The Mistake: Using overly complex vocabulary to sound impressive.
What It Looks Like:
"The ephemeral nature of my quotidian existence precipitated a paradigm shift in my ontological understanding..."
Why It Fails: Admissions officers read thousands of essays. Forced vocabulary slows reading, obscures meaning, and signals inauthenticity. They can tell when students write naturally versus when they're performing.
The Fix: Write like you talk (but slightly more polished). Clear, specific language beats pretentious prose every time.
4. The Cliché Opening
The Mistake: Starting with overused openings that blend into the pile.
Common Offenders:
- "From a young age, I've always been passionate about..."
- "The dictionary defines [X] as..."
- "I'll never forget the day when..."
- Starting with a quote
- "Beep. Beep. Beep. The alarm clock..."
Why It Fails: Admissions officers have read thousands of essays with these openings. You've already lost their attention.
The Fix: Start in the middle of a moment. Drop the reader into a specific scene with sensory details.
5. The "I Saved the World" Essay
The Mistake: Exaggerating impact or presenting yourself as a hero.
What It Looks Like:
"Through my nonprofit, I transformed the lives of hundreds of underprivileged children and brought lasting change to my community..."
Why It Fails: Claims of massive impact often sound hollow without specific evidence. Admissions officers are skeptical of teenagers claiming to have changed the world.
The Fix: Be honest about your actual impact. Genuine, modest contributions are more compelling than inflated claims.
6. The Sports Injury Essay (Without a Twist)
The Mistake: Writing the standard sports injury → recovery → learned perseverance narrative.
Why It Fails: This is one of the most common essay topics. Unless you have a truly unique angle, your essay will blend with thousands of others.
The Fix: If you must write about sports, find an unexpected angle. What's something specific and surprising about your experience? Or consider a different topic entirely.
7. The Mission Trip/Volunteer Essay That Centers You
The Mistake: Writing about helping "less fortunate" people in a way that centers your own growth.
What It Looks Like:
"When I went to [developing country], I realized how lucky I was and learned to appreciate what I have..."
Why It Fails: These essays often come across as "poverty tourism" or "voluntourism." They can seem self-serving and lack genuine reflection.
The Fix: If you write about service, focus on specific relationships and what you learned from the people you worked with—not what you learned about your own privilege.
8. The Essay That Could Be Anyone
The Mistake: Writing something so generic it reveals nothing unique about you.
The Test: Could someone else with similar experiences write this exact essay? If yes, it's too generic.
Why It Fails: Your essay needs to differentiate you from thousands of similar applicants. Generic essays don't accomplish this.
The Fix: Include specific details only you would know. Name the specific book that changed your thinking, describe the exact moment of realization, include the weird hobby only you have.
9. The "Why [School]" Essay That Could Be Any School
The Mistake: Writing supplemental essays that don't demonstrate genuine knowledge of the school.
What It Looks Like:
"I want to attend [School] because of its rigorous academics, diverse community, and beautiful campus..."
Why It Fails: Every selective school has rigorous academics and claims diversity. This tells admissions nothing about your fit.
The Fix: Research specific programs, professors, courses, clubs, traditions, or opportunities that genuinely excite you. Explain why they matter for your specific goals.
10. Not Answering the Actual Question
The Mistake: Writing an essay you already have instead of answering the prompt.
Why It Fails: Admissions officers can tell when you've force-fit an existing essay. It suggests you're not putting in effort for their specific school.
The Fix: Start fresh with each prompt. Even if you can adapt existing material, make sure you're genuinely addressing what they're asking.
What Great Essays Have in Common
Based on our analysis of successful essays:
- Specific details that only the writer would know
- Authentic voice that sounds like a real person
- Self-awareness about strengths and weaknesses
- Growth narrative showing how they've evolved
- Clear connection between past experiences and future goals
How to Check Your Essay
Ask yourself:
- Could anyone else write this essay?
- Am I showing or telling?
- Does this sound like me?
- Would I actually say this out loud?
- What does this reveal beyond my activities list?
Read Essays That Worked
Want to see examples of essays that got students into top schools? Collegebase has 600+ real essays from admitted students.
COLLEGEBASE is the premier database for college admissions, statistics, and analytics. The platform features admission statistics for the top 200 colleges, over 1,000 past applicant profiles, and application information schools don't tell you. Learn more at collegebase.org.