What are the best ways to check the grammar in my college essays?

First off, it's totally normal to worry about grammar—especially if English isn’t your first language. While tools like Google Docs spell check, Grammarly, and ProWritingAid can be helpful, they shouldn’t be your only line of defense. These platforms will catch obvious mistakes and awkward phrasing, but they sometimes miss subtleties or suggest changes that make writing sound unnatural. I’d suggest using them as a first pass to clean up typos and catch basic issues.

After you’ve run your essay through an online checker, definitely involve another person for feedback. This could be a teacher, a friend who writes well, a mentor, or even a family member. When I worked on my application essays, my AP English teacher was invaluable—not just for grammar but also for flow and tone. They pointed out sentences that sounded awkward and gave suggestions when it felt like I was using words that weren’t really ‘me.’

Try reading your essay out loud, too. It’s surprising how many mistakes or stiff sentences you’ll notice when you actually hear the words. For example, I once realized that a sentence sounded perfect on paper but incredibly awkward when spoken out loud. Rewriting it made my essay sound more natural and true to my own voice.

If you're worried about over-editing, the key is to accept some imperfections as long as your message is clear and authentic. Admissions officers want to get to know you, not read a perfectly polished, generic response. When friends read my essay, they sometimes flagged parts that sounded too "robotic"—usually sections where I'd accepted Grammarly’s suggestions without thinking.

Summing up: use online tools for the basics, but always get a real person or two to review for tone and clarity. And don’t be afraid to ask for specific feedback, like "Does this sentence sound like something I’d actually say?" That’s how you catch the little things that make a big difference!