College Essay Tone: How to Sound Like Yourself on Paper

Short answer: Voice type your essay.

Longer answer: You speak far more than you write. Voice typing gets that onto the page — the rhythm, the word choices, the way you actually talk. That’s what you’re going for.

When you edit, say the change out loud before you make it. If you’d never say it that way in conversation, rewrite it or cut it.

Sounding like yourself is the easiest thing to do — when you’re not trying too hard to sound like whoever you think you’re supposed to sound like.