Can you Use Contractions in College Essays? (and Should you?)

College application essays are an integral part of the application process because they show admission officers a full picture of a student, rather than just their stats, like their test scores and extracurriculars. Thus, students feel the need to write a ‘perfect’ college essay but are confused regarding the level of formality and grammar rules when writing a college essay. One common question that comes up is whether students can use contractions. Contractions are ways of shortening words by combining two words into one. Contractions are used often in oral communication and informal written communication because they are efficient and easier to pronounce in speech They are very common when we write informally, and it’s hard to catch them if we aren’t paying attention. I just used two of them in the last sentence!

Most students need clarification about using contractions in their essays because contractions are traditionally considered informal. A personal statement or college essay is seen as a more formal piece of writing, as college officers are the audience. We use contractions when talking or texting our friends, and most students feel like a college essay is a more important piece that needs to be polished and serious. We have been trained to not use contractions when writing papers for our English classes because when writing professionally, people prefer if we spell out each word. After all, it means we’re “paying attention to our writing” instead of just writing whatever comes to mind. Thus, I can understand where the confusion regarding this topic arises.

According to me, using contractions in a college essay is useful for so many reasons. Firstly, contractions make what personal stuff you are narrating authentic and genuine. It makes the essay flow better as a narrative, instead of reading like a formal letter and it is easier for the audience to connect to your story. It is also a handy tool if you are above the word count and want to reduce it (don’t use contractions just to reduce the word count though!!). Most of us college-going kids use contractions, and the officer reading our essays wants to learn why we would be a good fit for their school. We should aim to make our essays as personal and easy to read as possible. If contractions are a common part of your informal speech or writing, I would recommend using them.

If I was asked the title of this blog, I would answer by saying you definitely can use contractions in your application essays, and you should if you feel comfortable with them. At the end of the day, it is important that the audience feel as though you have written this essay with thought and depth. Not using contractions, when you constantly use them would stunt your creative process, and make it harder to edit and proofread. On the other hand, using contractions when you do not feel comfortable using them in daily life would be a major flaw, because you will feel awkward when you write. This is definitely a case-by-case rule, and it is YOUR essay, so choose the writing style you feel most comfortable with. Happy writing and remember, this is YOUR personal statement, not a stunted version of yourself!