Does anyone have a good template for college essay drafts?

As a Yale graduate and college admissions advisor with over 8 years of experience helping students gain admission to top universities like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT, I’ve found that starting your college essay with a strong structure makes the writing process far less overwhelming and gives your story a clear path. Many students benefit from using a loose outline when brainstorming and drafting, especially for personal statements.

Here’s a basic template you can use for your drafts:

Hook (Opening): A short, engaging sentence or two that draws the reader in—a surprising fact, a vivid scene, or an intriguing question. For example: “I learned to whistle from a parakeet my grandma kept in our kitchen.”

Context/Background: Provide some quick context to set the stage for your story or theme. Answer the reader’s potential questions: Where are you? Who is involved?

Main Story or Experience: The heart of your essay—focus on one specific moment or sequence of events. Instead of recounting everything, zoom in on detailed actions, thoughts, or conflicts.

Reflection/Insight: Show what you learned and how it changed you. What do you want colleges to understand about you from this story?

Looking Forward/Conclusion: Reveal how this experience will influence your future goals, character, or perspective. If possible, tie the ending back to your opening for closure.

Example breakdown:

Hook: “The morning of my national spelling bee final, my hands shook so badly I had to eat my cereal with two hands.”

Context: Briefly explain your passion for language and why this competition mattered.

Main story: Describe a pivotal moment during the competition, maybe when you made a mistake and how you handled it.

Reflection: Share what you learned about yourself from the pressure and how it changed your approach to challenges.

Conclusion: Explain how you want to embrace similar challenges in college with this new self-awareness.

There’s no single template that works for everyone, but using this kind of structure helps create a strong narrative flow. You can always tweak sections as your draft evolves. For early drafts, don’t worry about perfection—focus on getting your story down, then use the structure to guide your revisions.

Over the past 8 years, I’ve helped thousands of students use frameworks like this to craft essays that not only tell their story but also resonate with admissions officers at the most selective schools. If you’d like personalized feedback and one-on-one support, you can connect with me here on Sundial.