3.1 Drafting & Getting Feedback
How to begin drafting a Montage (theme-based) essay
If you’re interested in using Montage to write your personal statement, by this point you should have a topic that is:
- Elastic (connects to different parts of you)
- Uncommon in some way (either because the topic itself is unusual, or you sense you can write about it in an unusual way)
- Something you can connect to qualities colleges look for (i.e., intellectual curiosity, service, leadership/initiative, collaboration, consistent engagement)
Once you have that, you’re ready to create an outline.
Because I’m trying to keep this guide short, I’m not going to go into how to outline every single type of montage essay, but here are some rules that apply no matter what type of montage you’re writing:
Pick your anchor
This is your central theme… the thing, object, skill, place, or identity you’re building around. It could be food, your bookshelf, your ability to find patterns in things, the weight room, your name. Whatever it is, it should be elastic (if possible, something you could connect to 7+ values in around two minutes).
Brainstorm your examples
List out the specific moments, stories, or instances you might write about. In an “I Love/I Know” essay about food, for instance, these might be: the “finish your ribs” story, the Thanksgiving tablecloth, Gefilte fish, the Otter Pops business. In an Essence Objects essay about books, it’s each individual book (or group of books). You don’t have to filter yet; you can just come up with ideas right now.
Connect each example to a value
What does each example reveal about you? Curiosity, self-care, openness to new experiences? These will turn into your paragraphs.
Once you’ve taken those steps, set a timer for 30 minutes, open a Google Doc, and start writing! ⏱️
If on the other hand you’d prefer to write about a challenge you’ve overcome, here is…
How to begin drafting a Narrative (challenges-based) essay
Complete the Feelings and Needs Exercise
Once you’ve done that, you should have answers to the following:
- What challenge(s) have you experienced?
- What were the effects of those challenges on your life?
- What feelings did you experience as a result?
- What needs were underlying those feelings?
- What did you do as a result / to meet your needs?
- What did you learn from the experience(s)?
Turn those into bullet points
Open a Google Doc and write these three headings on it
- Challenges and Effects
- What I Did About It
- What I Learned from the Experience
As you write, aim for each section to be about one third of your essay, so around 225 words per section. If you are a little bit long on the challenges and effects section, don’t worry; you can shorten them later. Remember that your goal here is to show skills, qualities, values, and interests. The “what I did about it” and “what I learned” sections are the best places to do that.
Tips on getting feedback on your first draft
Here’s an email you can send to someone:
Email template
Email template
Don’t have someone who can help you?
Here are some options:
- Ask a friend who is also writing their essay right now.
- Ask a teacher, mentor, sibling, parent, or family friend.
- Still can’t find someone? Reach out to us here at College Essay Guy. If you identify as low-income, you can get essay help through our Matchlighters Scholars Program. 💛