Here's an excerpt from Jason Fried's article in Inc. this week, "Why is Business Writing So Awful?"
When you write like everyone else and sound like everyone else and
act like everyone else, you're saying, "Our products are like everyone
else's, too." Or think of it this way: Would you go to a dinner party
and just repeat what the person to the right of you is saying all night
long? Would that be interesting to anybody? So why are so many
businesses saying the same things at the biggest party on the planet —
the marketplace?
Writing that sounds like everyone else is bad writing–in business, and in college essays.
As Jason points out, bad business writing has phrases like, "Full-service solutions provider" and "Cost-effective end-to-end solutions" and "Provider of value-added services."
Does any potential customer read those words and think, "Now THIS is EXACTLY what I've been looking for!!!" No. That writing doesn't help you understand what makes the product unique, what it can do that other products can't, or why you can trust its makers more than you can trust those at other companies.
Bad college essays have phrases like, "I gained valuable life lessons," and "I came to appreciate the value of helping others," and, "I improved my leadership qualities."
No admissions officer will read one of those phrases and say, "FINALLY! A kid who discovered that helping people is important!" Those phrases aren't unique. In fact, they're cliches. They make you sound like every other kid who is applying.
If you don't want to sound like every other kid, don't write like every other kid. Instead, write what you really mean. Write it like you would say it if you really wanted to make a point. Don't just write about things you think sound good; write what you really want to say.
Here are some examples from real Collegewise kids:
"Everything to do with horses smells bad. They smell bad. The saddles and blankets smell bad. All of their shampoo and medicines smell bad. So as a competitive rider, I pretty much stink all the time. And it's absolutely worth it."
"Ten
minutes into my first shift as an EMT, I was in the back of a speeding ambulance doing chest compressions on
a 19
year-old motorcycle accident victim who'd just gone into full cardiac
arrest. At some point in the next 8 hours of that shift, I was sure for
the first time in my life that I had found what I am meant to do."
"I can make a mean hamburger. In fact, I'm a professional. I've got four years of professional hamburger-making experience."
You are not like every other kid. Your experiences are not like those of other students. Don't let bad writing kill your uniqueness.