Change Our Mindset Towards Writing

During the first session of our workshop on Personal Narratives this past week, I shared the following quote from the book “50 Successful Stanford Application Essays” by Gen and Kelly Tanabe:

“At its core the essay is not a “writing test.”  It’s a “thinking test.” So you need to spend the time to make sure that your thoughts are conveyed correctly on paper.  It may not be pretty writing but it has to be clear.”

Students really liked this quote.  It suggests a change to their current focus.  It’s not about “using fancy words”, as one student put it. Another student shared that she usually tries to make her essays more flowery and she would check on thesaurus.com to find synonyms for simple words. However, she tends to focus much less on the “core” of her essays. 

I can certainly relate.  I remember that, when I was a student, I was always drawn to fancy words and phrases when I read articles. Since the internet had not been developed then, I would copy those words down believing that learning to use them was the only way to improve my writing. Unfortunately, it felt like a lot of work without much result and certainly not much joy. I had many ideas, but I felt inadequate to write. 

My perspective changed after I joined a leading strategy consulting firm, McKinsey & Co., after college. “Keep your voicemail short and to the point!” I was told on the first day at work. That principle applied to presentations and memos, too. Our focus should be to understand the clients’ needs and to clearly deliver the “so-what”, that is, key insights and takeaways from our analyses. To impress clients or managers with over-the-top words and phrases never came up.

The co-authors of the book “50 Successful Stanford Application” evidently applied the same lens to admission essays.  Admission is not a literary competition and most students aren’t going for English majors.  What schools want from the essays is to know who you are, your interests and way of thinking, your experiences and motivations. They want to know if you will thrive in their academic environment, contribute to their communities, and make an impact after you go into the world.  So your task is to think deeply about these topics, to reflect on your strengths and values as demonstrated through your experiences, and to convey your thoughts in a clear and compelling fashion. 

This is not to say that a large vocabulary, perfect grammar, and mastery of literary devices aren’t valuable.  Beautiful writing is a delight and a gift.  But don’t let them distract you or deter you from developing the soul of your essays. 

This change of mindset has an even more fundamental effect on me. It has boosted the value I place on content over form, encouraged me to think independently, and empowered me to use my own voice. Even though my writing can always be “prettier,” I’m excited to share my ideas and experiences and to make a difference for others.  Writing has also become a friend who patiently listens to what I have to say, who helps me see my work in an honest and transparent way, and who constantly challenges me to hone my thoughts and to improve my delivery. 

It’s my sincere hope that you will develop a healthy relationship with your writing, too. I hope you will journal often, write down your experiences and observations, your thoughts and emotions, and feel genuine joy as you edit your writing and see the quality of your work improve in front of your eyes.  As you write more, more ideas will pour forth, and that’s the magic of embracing the new mindset towards writing: to think deeply and to write clearly.