Think you have a handle on your narrative? Great! Now how do you pitch it?

In admissions, the “narrative” is essentially a way of describing the through-line of your college application. How do your academic choices fit with your extracurriculars, and how does that pairing align with the goals and interests that you plan to highlight in your application?

An example might be a student who is passionate about the outdoors, active in service organizations centered on conservation, taking high-level math and science courses and related electives like AP Environmental Science and Environmental Literature, and applying for a degree in environmental engineering.

The problem with a narrative is, of course, that, as a teenager, you are naturally going to change your mind (a lot!), and not because of indecision, but because you’re figuring out who you are, what you are good at, what you enjoy, and also what’s out there in this rapidly changing world. In short, you might be charting a zig-zagging path through life.

Nevertheless, your goal should be to present an application that tells a cohesive story for an admissions officer who is short on time and high on standards. Who are you as a student, what makes you tick, and how will you contribute to the campus community?

So how to do this?

Start by figuring out what the reader will already know. They have your activities list and/or resume, transcript, course list, and recommendations. What can they reasonably figure out about you from those pieces of information? Make a list. If they know that you are a good student who has challenged yourself academically, you don’t need to write an essay about this. You also don’t need to write an essay that essentially summarizes your resume. Again, they have access to this information. These are topics that you should avoid.

Now make a list of what they don’t know. As examples, they probably don’t know about your formative life experiences, your hobbies, or how you spend your time beyond the activities listed on your resume. Cross out anything from this list that you don’t think they will care about, namely anything that is not relevant to what you will bring to their institution. That bad breakup or falling out with a friend in junior year? Cross it out. How you tend to scroll social media or play video games when you are procrastinating? Definitely not. Strike. How you love playing chess with your grandmother, or how you moved from another country in middle school? Now we’re getting somewhere.

Add to your list of what they don’t know by asking “why.” Why did I do this and not that? Why did I start that club, or quit this organization and focus on a different one? Why does my transcript look like I want to study engineering, when I am actually going for an English major? Cross out the “why” questions that are irrelevant or worse, red flags. “I didn’t continue with French because I heard the teacher was hard.” Please don’t say those quiet parts out loud.

Circle anything that you think is a “must explain.” A choice that might be confusing, a connection between your interests that might not be intuitive, a late pivot. Anything circled is a priority and should be addressed in all your applications, such as through the primary personal statement.

Now circle anything that is a “nice-to-explain.” Your involvement in a group that showcases how strong of a collaborator you are, an unusual hobby that is mostly for fun but interesting to read about, an extracurricular that you did for a shorter amount of time but that was transformative (or at least influential). Anything on this list should be addressed in your applications when possible, likely through your supplemental essays and short answers.

Prioritize including elements from this list that match the values or mission statement of the institutions to which you are applying. Have a bunch of small liberal arts colleges on your list? Showcase those collaboration skills and all the varied ways you intend to get involved. Applying to Jesuit schools? Think about service and the ways that you advance the common good or pursue education with a purpose.

As you start writing, remember that everything is an opportunity to make a point. A personal statement should showcase big pieces of information or character traits; an activities list should showcase concrete ways you have made an impact; short takes should showcase your sense of humor, hobbies, or character; school-specific supplements should showcase your intellectual curiosity, your genuine interest in a specific institution, and ways that you can contribute as a student and community member.

In short, think about what they know and what they don’t. Consider what they care about and don’t. Reflect on what might confuse them and what might be intuitive. Then write. Not randomly, but intentionally.

Your path will, of course, zig and zag. That’s okay, and even expected. But don’t forget to take your reader down it.