The January 15 application deadline for many colleges is less than two weeks away. If your essay is not in final form this is the time to be revising and refining. Once you’ve gotten it in the best shape possible, print it and have everyone in your family read it to make sure there are no grammatical mistakes or misspellings.

Use imagery and action verbs to engage your reader. Consider that a college admissions officer is wading through hundreds of applicants. You want your essay to grab the reader and be memorable. Your topic is important because it can serve as a metaphor, demonstrating how you’ve grown during your high school years or moved forward from a difficult time.

Good luck and have faith in yourself!