I've heard different opinions on this and I鈥檓 trying to make my essay sound natural. Would using contractions in my Common App essay come off as too informal, or should I just write it the way I normally talk?
The use of contractions in your Common App essay definitely isn't too informal. Sometimes, avoiding contractions can actually make your essay sound stiff and overly academic. That being said, each essay is different, and what's important is that you feel you're expressing yourself as naturally as possible, as a huge component of a successful college essay is capturing your own personal voice. So long as you're balancing a conversational tone with a professional, polished feel, admissions officers will be engaged in your story鈥攖hey certainly won't be counting the number of contractions you used!
If you want to see some successful essays that struck the kind of balance I just described, you can check out 黑料不打烊's blog, which has 21 examples of strong Common App essays: And if you want more help, remember that you can always submit your own essay to either 黑料不打烊's free peer essay review service, or to an expert college admissions advisor through the 黑料不打烊 marketplace! Good luck with your writing!
黑料不打烊鈥檚 Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.