How Long Does It Take to Write College Essays?
College applications are about to begin, and a question high school students and their parents ask is: How much time will it take to write the college essays? The answer is not all that straightforward since there’s no one-size-fits-all. Several factors impact the time spent and effort involved. Essay writing for colleges is a process that has a beginning, middle, and thankfully, an end.
In this blog, we try to break down this process into manageable chunks, drawing from years of experience working with students. However, for the benefit of the reader, we must mention that the time calculated is based on certain assumptions, and the reality of the work depends on a student’s capabilities, which include writing speed, organization, and clarity of thought. Having said that, it is true that each student has different starting points, but they all end up crafting the essays that resonate with their voice.
Let us see what goes into a supplemental essay.
If you’re applying to 20 colleges, each requiring one to three additional essays, you’re likely looking at 40 supplemental essays.
Typically, the supplementary essay ranges from 100 to 650 words. For the sake of our calculation, let us assume that the average length is 350 words per essay.
Although a grade 12 student may have a lot of experience in writing, they may not necessarily be experts in it, and write at an average pace of 100-150 words. This includes drafting and light editing, and occasional distractions such as checking their Instagram and other devices, which suddenly take precedence. Hence, keeping all these conditions in mind, let’s use 125 words per hour as a midpoint.
Essay writing is much more than just putting sentences on paper. Each essay requires a level of maturity for students to understand the prompt and the underlying expectations of colleges. Hence, reading the prompt at the surface level does not suffice. It requires thoughtful reflection. Students have to dig deep into their personal experiences, research the college, understand their values, and find their meaningful points of alignment between the two. Hence, for the brainstorming process, let us keep 0.5-1 hour per essay, using 0.75 as an average.
After a student has written an essay, revising and editing is an imperative next step. Looking for grammatical errors, sentence clarity, weeding out repetition, and checking for alignment with the prompt are important next steps. Assume 0.5 hours per essay.
Time Commitment
So, we are looking at 40 essays across 20 institutions, with an average of 2 essays per school, though some may need more. But this does not change the time allocated per essay.
We must consider that students may face fatigue while they are working on the essays, which may increase the time per session.
Let us do the math now.
- Writing Time:
- Average essay length: 350 words.
- Writing speed: 125 words per hour.
- Time to write 350 words: 350÷125=2.8 hours.
- Research/Brainstorming: 0.75 hours per essay.
- Revisions/Editing: 0.5 hours per essay.
- Total Time per Essay: 2.8+0.75+0.5=4.05 hours per essay. Rounding for simplicity, approximately 4 hours per essay.
Total Time for 40 Essays
- Total Essays: 40.
- Time per Essay: 4 hours.
- Total Writing Time: 40×4=160 hours.
Not Every Essay Starts from Scratch
Before getting overwhelmed by the mind-numbing numbers, it’s important to mention that many essays required by universities and colleges have an overlap in content; hence, the brainstorming time might be reduced, as students can reuse their foundational research and tailor the essay with specific details of each college. This certainly contributes to increased efficiency. That said, the overall time it takes to write each essay still rounds to about 4 hours when we consider research, writing, and revision.
Final Word
For 40 essays, with a time commitment of 160 hours, students need to invest nearly 8 weeks for the entire process. While that’s a significant investment, it’s manageable when spread out over several weeks. Since writing so many essays can cause anxiety ( considering students have to maintain their grades, juggle their extracurriculars, etc), to maintain clarity and avoid burnout, a student might work steadily, perhaps 4 hours a day, five days a week. Breaking it into manageable chunks is the key to success. In the end, writing 40 essays is less about the numbers and more about thoughtful storytelling.
For students who are applying to college, it becomes important to begin the process early, since with focus and planning, it’s entirely achievable.
At Ivy Central, we specialize in guiding students through every stage of the college essay journey. If you need help, our expert counselors will work with you at every step to bring out your authentic voice and strengthen your application.