With college admissions as competitive as it is today, admissions officers are increasingly turning to the application essay as a means of evaluating students. But many applicants fail to take advantage of the essay – they choose the wrong question, write about an inappropriate topic or just fail to put together a compelling essay. The essay can mean the difference between an acceptance or rejection letter.

So, what should applicants write about? Here, we breakdown the six questions from this year’s Common Application, an online application accepted by more than 450 colleges and universities. (Even colleges that don’t accept the Common App tend to have essay prompts that are the same or similar.)

1. Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk, or ethical dilemma and its impact on you. Consider any experience or achievement that is significant to you – it can be big or small. Perhaps you found working with children rewarding because you want to be a teacher someday, or perhaps you got fit by creating your own workout regimen. Don’t dwell on the experience – talk about how you or your outlook changed because of it. Fewer students will talk about a risk they’ve taken, but remember: It doesn’t have to be bungee jumping! It can be saying no to peer pressure and risking your friendships. If you choose to write about an ethical dilemma, use caution – you don’t want admissions officers questioning your moral integrity.

2. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you. Here’s a chance to give more context about you. If the matter is personal, that’s easy to do; but if it’s a national or international issue, then it’s tempting to talk about, say, the environment or the war-torn Middle East. But do we learn about you? We do if you want to be an environmental studies major, or if you have family living in the Middle East – and this ties into your interest in international politics.

3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence. Don’t tell admissions officers too much about the influential person – they’re just going to want to admit that person! Instead, talk a little about the person, but mostly how you have changed or reacted because of that person; maybe you found an academic passion or hobby because of that person, or maybe you changed how you treat others because of that influence.

4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence. This is a hard question for most students to answer – again, you don’t want to talk too much about that character or historical figure or creative work, but instead, describe the influence on you. Perhaps a building’s unique design influenced your desire to study architecture. Maybe a lead character’s actions in a movie or novel oddly paralleled your own actions. Note: If you’re going to write about a fictional character, avoid very common novels that most students read in high school, and instead use a novel that you read on your own – it’ll help you stand out.

5. Describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you. Consider diversity in many ways – your geography, academic interests, family background, religion, race and ethnicity. How would you contribute to a college? Or what do you hope to learn from others who are different from you?

6. Topic of your choice. If you’re applying to colleges that do not accept the Common App, it might make sense to answer one of their essay questions and then simply use that essay for your Common App colleges. Or ask and then answer your own question – it’ll show off your creative side.

Colleges want to get to know more about you. It doesn’t matter which question you choose – it’s what you do with the answer that matters most. Write clearly and show colleges how you think and what you will contribute to the campus.

EqualApp (http://www.EqualApp.com) and Lokvani will be co-hosting four free “Inside the Admissions Office” workshops on September 18 and 25, 2011 in Shrewsbury, Norwood, Lexington and Westford. Space is limited – register today (http://learnmore.equalapp.com/lokvani/).

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