Admissions officers read thousands of essays. The ones that stick are specific, honest, and reveal something a transcript cannot.
What works
Strong essays share a few common traits. They center on a specific moment or story rather than a broad life summary, and they use your actual voice instead of what you think admissions officers want to hear. They include reflection on what you learned, not just what happened, and contain details that only you could write.
What to avoid
Common pitfalls include rehashing your resume in paragraph form, writing about a topic because it sounds impressive rather than meaningful, using vocabulary you would not normally use, and trying to cover too many topics in 650 words.
Use Essay Coach to get feedback after your first draft. Structural suggestions early on save time compared to polishing prose that needs to be rewritten.