College Essay Specifics: Writing about Your Goals in Life
Not every school is going to ask you about your goals in life—but even if they don’t, isn’t it time you started asking yourself? Before you embark on a four-year mission to Get Educated and Prepare for your Future, perhaps you want to consider what you want that future to look like. If you don’t choose deliberately, you might not like it. And if you don’t know your plan … you can’t write it.
Identify First, Write Second
The trick to this type of essay is that it isn’t actually a writing challenge—it’s a knowing-yourself challenge. When it comes to writing your main essay, it’s not really that you have nothing to say—even though that’s how it feels. It’s only that you don’t know how best to say it. (So if that’s your problem, start here.)
When it comes to writing about your goals in Life, on the other hand … sometimes you really do have nothing to say. Now is the perfect time to do it if you haven’t started considering possible majors and careers. Usually, summer is more open than the school year, giving you extra time to explore. Here’s how to get started …
Brainstorm
Just like with writing, answering a question like, “What do I want to do with my life?” needs to start with a good, open-ended brainstorm. One option is to make lists: careers you’ve heard of, school projects you’ve loved, questions you want to answer about the world, things about the world you’d like to see fixed, and things you think you’re good at. Another option is simply to journal about these same topics, writing complete thoughts to discover what you have to say, rather than to produce a perfect essay.
The trick, just like with all brainstorming, is to be open to possibility. I suggested making a list of every career you could think of, not just careers you’re interested in. If you’ve always been sure about a particular field, you might start with a narrower list. But if you’re still searching, you’re better off writing down a handful of careers you’d never consider than missing a potentially good one by editing your list as you write it.
Research
Once your lists or journaling are done, read and highlight to find areas you want to know more about. If you want to help people and you like biology, being a doctor might be the most obvious choice—but that doesn’t make it necessarily the best possible fit. When you’ve found the best path, you’ll enjoy your studies more, be more successful, and love your work. You might not figure out exactly what that path is before college, but taking steps toward identifying it might save you expensive mistakes in choosing your school or classes … and at application time, you’ll be able to show schools you’ve seriously considered your plan before jumping in. “Pre-med” is a necessary and noble calling, but a default for too many students. If that’s your calling, you want to be able to show schools you mean it.
Perhaps you have problems you’d like to solve for the world, and you don’t know if anyone is currently trying to solve them, or if so, what field they work in. Perhaps you have talents that you have no idea how best to put to use. At school, your favorite subject-area teachers and your guidance counselors are great people to ask. During the summer, I suggest starting at your public library and asking a reference librarian if they can point you to any books on the subjects of your interest—ideally memoirs!
Also, ask any adults you know, from your parents to extended family, friends’ parents, people you babysit for, and people in any smaller community you’re part of, from community theater to a house of worship. Ask what they do. Ask if they love it. Ask if they know anyone who is currently working in a field of your interest. As a general rule, as long as you catch them in the right moment, people will be happy to help. They usually love talking about their work and why it matters. Most people love giving advice and the idea of being able to help a teen think about their future. And they would love to make a helpful connection for you if they can. (“Did you hear about the newest mission to Mars?” “Oh yes, the lead engineer grew up down the street—I actually introduced her to her first aerospace engineer!” They’re all planning to say that about you someday 😀 )
Try It On
This is the best possibility for summer if you can manage it. Take advantage of free days to shadow, intern, or both. (The difference is just how involved you are in the actual work. Asking an adult to allow you to “shadow,” or watch them work, is not a huge imposition. Asking for an opportunity to “intern,” or try their work, is more of an imposition, though not out of the question!)
Of course, it’s too late to find and start a full-summer internship, but if you’re still in the trying-on phase of career research, that’s OK. If you’re worried shadowing is too big and ask for someone you don’t know very well, try asking to do just a morning or afternoon instead of a full day. If it’s someone you do know well, ask if you can do one or two weeks, perhaps a few days just shadowing and then doing some work if they have something for you. If you can, shadow at multiple different locations (such as several different dentist offices) to get a more accurate picture of what a profession is like.
Recognize Your Dreams … So You Can Chase Them!
You don’t have to have your future perfectly mapped out before you even finish high school. But don’t think that the right future is out there waiting to fall into your lap, either! Rising seniors, and even juniors, should use this summer to relax, renew, and recharge … but also to brainstorm, research, and try on possible careers! Get excited for the possibilities!
Underclassmen: Helping students answer this super-important question is a key reason I wrote What Story Will You Tell, the guided journal and planner that will help you discover what you want in life, for high school, and in the future!
(Photo by Alex Azabache on Unsplash)
