When you sit down to write your college essay, you’re not just sharing facts — you’re sharing you. But how do you do that without sounding like a résumé, a robot, or a writing contest entry? The answer lies in finding your voice.

Let’s break down what that actually means—and how to do it well.

🎙 Voice vs. Tone vs. Style

These three often get jumbled together, but they’re not the same thing. Here’s how to think about them:

Voice is your personality on the page. It’s what makes your writing sound like you and no one else. Think of it as your fingerprint—unique and consistent.
Tone is the mood or attitude you take toward your subject. It can shift from serious to playful, curious to reflective, depending on what you’re writing about.
Style is the technical stuff: sentence structure, word choice, grammar, and punctuation. It’s how you construct your writing—but style serves your voice, not the other way around.

🤔 So… How Do You Find Your Voice?

Your voice isn’t something you invent. It’s already there. Your job is to uncover it — and give yourself permission to use it in a personal, authentic way.

Here’s how:

1. Talk, Don’t Perform

Imagine telling your story to a friend—someone you trust, who’s really listening. How would you describe your passion, your challenges, your dreams?

Write that down.

Avoid writing like you’re trying to impress an admissions committee. That leads to essays packed with fancy words and stiff phrasing (“I have always been captivated by the intricacies of neurological development…”).

Instead, try this:

“I used to think my sister’s brain worked like everyone else’s, just slower. But after watching her navigate the world in her own way, I started asking questions—and that curiosity never really stopped.”

Sounds like a real person, right?

2. Write First, Edit Later

Don’t try to perfect your voice in the first draft. Just get your thoughts down. Rant. Ramble. Be weird. Be honest. The point is to let your natural phrasing and rhythm show up on the page.

You can always revise later. In fact, you should revise—but don’t revise the life out of your voice.

3. Show Your Thinking, Not Just Your Achievements

A résumé lists what you did. Your essay should show why it matters to you and how it changed you.

Let’s compare:

Résumé-like:

“I founded a nonprofit to provide school supplies to underserved communities.”

Voice-driven:

“I didn’t expect the hardest part of starting a nonprofit would be convincing adults to take a teenager seriously. But the night a third-grader hugged me after getting her first-ever backpack, I stopped caring what anyone thought.”

See the difference? One tells us what you did. The other shows us who you are.

4. Read It Out Loud (Seriously)

This trick is simple but powerful. Read your draft out loud. If you trip over a sentence or think, “Ugh, I’d never say that,” change it.

Your goal isn’t to sound casual; it’s to sound real.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Be Vulnerable

Your voice shines brightest when you’re honest. That doesn’t mean spilling every secret; it means sharing something real.

It could be your confusion, your growth, your joy, your fears. Vulnerability doesn’t weaken your writing—it deepens it.

“I used to think asking for help made me look weak. Then my best friend showed up at my house after I bombed a calculus test, holding two milkshakes and zero judgment.”

🔑 Final Thought: Your Voice Is Your Superpower

Admissions officers read thousands of essays. I myself read dozens every year. The ones that stand out aren’t the ones with the most impressive awards; they’re the ones where a person comes through the page.

So don’t write what you think they want to hear. Write what’s true to you.

Trust your voice. It’s the one thing no one else has.

✍️ Try This Prompt:

Write one paragraph about something that changed you—a conversation, a failure, a weird hobby, a random moment. Write it like you’re texting a friend. Don’t overthink it.

Then read it back. That’s your voice.

🗣️ Telling Your Story: Finding Your Unique Voice