You’re about to hit submit — but wait!
Finishing your last college essays is an exciting milestone, but before you send your application off once and for all… take a deep breath and pause.
College essays are a high-pressure situation, even in the best-case scenarios with plenty of time. That means if you’re rushing, they’re also highly prone to last-minute errors, which can send the wrong message to admissions officers. With the right prep, of course, your essay can improve your application’s overall strength; so there’s no need to let simple, preventable essay mistakes put your chance of admission at risk.
Today, we’ll help you do one final, powerful pass to catch and fix 7 sneaky but common errors that could undermine all your hard work so far.
Go ahead and pull out your essay drafts, and let’s get to revising. We’ll help you avoid the most common last-minute essay mistakes that show up on college applications year after year, so you can submit with confidence.
Last-minute essay mistakes to avoid
Ready? It’s time to cut through the foggy haze of admissions stress. If you’re on the fence about whether your college application essays are ready to submit, check that you haven’t committed any of these writerly faux pas.
1. Misspelling the school’s name
Imagine submitting your dream application to “Colombia University”…
It’s a doozy. Simple spelling mistakes (like mixing up Columbia, the college, with Colombia, the country) show a clear lack of attention to detail. To the universities, it reads as careless or rushed, especially for selective schools.
Now, you might be rolling your eyes here, totally convinced it won’t happen to you, but even autocorrect and spellcheck can’t save you from everything. Sure, it might catch the obvious ones, like Berklee versus Berkeley (or Berkley, Berkely, “Berzerkley,” or the many other variations we’ve seen). But did you know that there exists a Stanford, a Stamford, and a Samford? It’s worth an extra second, trust us.
How to catch it:
- Use the school’s official name from their website.
- Use “Control + F” to search your document for name mentions (and variations).
- Ask someone unfamiliar with your essay to double-check your proper nouns.
2. Referencing the wrong campus
Reusing your essays? It’s not against the rules, but you should always be careful to update and tailor them for each application. If you don’t, you risk accidentally copying and pasting a reference to the wrong university entirely — which isn’t a good look. Not only does it demonstrate a lack of care, but it also shows that you aren’t genuinely interested in each school’s uniqueness; it may as well be just another name on the list.
You’re on the right track by including these details, as Empowerly counselor Jermaine explains; you just need to make sure they’re correct:
Verify any instances of:
- References to majors, minors, and other specific academic programs.
- Professor and building names — especially the spelling.
- Language about the campus and its key features (the same tone isn’t universal for a UC as for an Ivy League).
3. Not spelling out acronyms
When you’re short on space and word count, it’s tempting to shorten everything you can. But not explaining what the abbreviations mean is a mistake. Why? Because unclear acronyms tend to flatten the effect of your accomplishments, admissions officers may underestimate the scope of your achievements if they don’t know the level of prestige involved.
This tip applies to your Activities List and any honors and awards, too. Don’t assume the reader is familiar with anything yet. The first time you reference the organization or league, define what its name stands for, and you can avoid any confusion.
Where to check for this:
- School clubs and teams
- Names of school- or district-wide awards
- Even state and national organizations (like FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America, or TSA Regionals, from the Technology Student Association)
4. Leaving generic sentences in your essay
You’re on a strict word count, so every single sentence should contribute to the theme of your essay and stand out as something only you could write. If there are phrases that feel like filler (or you can cut while keeping the effect of your story the same), then you’re probably not getting specific enough!
When you have so little space, you need to make sure each word is powerful.
Keep your eye out for:
- Sweeping generalizations or baseless claims (like “I love helping people” or “I’m a hard worker”).
- Any line you could cut/paste into someone else’s essay without editing (“Running for student council taught me about humility”).
- Opportunities to incorporate original emotions, thoughts, and details from your memory that set you apart.
Looking for a guide to bringing your writing to life? Check out Empowerly’s Guide to Essays for a good foundation in the creative nonfiction genre for applications. You can download your copy of the eBook to get started.
5. Assuming the reader understands jargon
Application readers come from a wide range of backgrounds and expertise, and you can’t know in advance who will read your essays. Not giving enough context for your achievements — especially if you’re talking about niche concepts, or using technical language from your field — can leave the reader out of the loop.
Why does this matter? Because that disconnect of understanding makes your story less resonant. Abstract ideas with no anchor tend to undersell your awesome achievements. Your reader might be an English or History graduate reading STEM apps, or vice versa. When you give details, it’s possible to be both specific and relatable to a reader from any background.
In the end, a strong story needs to connect with the audience, regardless of their level of expertise.
Try this test:
- Imagine explaining the central story to your 12-year-old neighbor or cousin, without dumbing it down. Middle-schoolers are very sharp and critical thinkers with slightly less life experience than you, and they hate being condescended to. Highlight anything that may need more context.
6. Relying on a thesaurus too much
Please — even if you’re desperately struggling to come up with new words and every sentence feels like pulling teeth — please do not rely on the thesaurus for every other word.
Imagine reading that your friend was “profoundly elated to commence his professional career with a vocational position in the rapidly-evolving field of retail business” (just got a job at the mall) or “immensely enthusiastic about the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in STEM education settings from a mentor’s perspective” (going to be a math tutor this semester). Sounds weird, right?
Yeah. The forced vocabulary disrupts the flow and makes your voice sound inauthentic (like you’re trying too hard). Worse, you might even misuse a random word if you aren’t already familiar with it, which could be a serious problem in other ways! Vivid language is good, but overly flowery language is honestly just distracting.
How to avoid it:
- Write how you talk, and elevate your voice through careful and intentional revision.
- Read your drafts aloud to check for “try-hard” moments.
- Cap your SAT buzzwords at 1-2 gems per paragraph (max).
7. Leaving “robot language” in your draft
Here’s the deal: AI detection is real, and educators are increasingly flagging formulaic or AI-generated writing. Not only that, but the human eye can pretty easily identify when something doesn’t sound like a teen wrote it. When it comes to college or employment applications, you really can’t afford to risk your academic integrity.
So, what can you do?
Before starting, thoroughly read college policies to ensure you’re compliant with the rules. If you’re in doubt, some counselors recommend their students record their screen while writing or keep notes from the process that can prove your work is original, if necessary.
Further, whether or not you utilize AI in your writing process, it’s best practice to try to avoid robotic language. There are certain phrases that LLMs like to use, so keep an eye out for those cliché metaphors (weaving a “tapestry of experiences” is popular) and repetitive language (“game-changer” or “game-changing” seems to pop up often) that could sound false or raise red flags.
As this counselor explains, authenticity matters in the college essay (and beyond):
Remember: AI is a tool that most people are still learning how to use. When it comes to education, it’s best to use your brain and keep trying to do hard things if you want to keep learning and evolving.
Your next chapter is waiting
If you’ve read this far, you’re now ready to go forth and tell your application story. Hopefully, you also understand the importance of polishing your college essays — even if you’re down to the wire. And, with this helpful checklist in hand, you have a concrete place to start revising your own responses.
Got time to kill? Take at least an hour of focused review to compare this list with your own writing. You deserve to give yourself the chance to put your best foot forward in this process.
Want expert eyes before you hit submit? Empowerly’s team of counselors and essay reviewers can help you avoid these last-minute essay mistakes and submit with confidence. Book your consultation today — before the deadline sneaks up on you. Revision is what takes an essay from good to great. Don’t leave it up to chance.
