I’ve read a lot of college applications over the past eight years — enough to tell you that the best ones don’t sound like they’re trying to impress anyone. They sound like the person who wrote them.

That’s really what the short response section of your Biola application is for. Your transcript tells us what you’ve done. Your test scores (if you’re submitting them) tell us how you perform under certain conditions. But none of that tells us who you are: what you care about, how you think, what makes you you. That’s the gap your responses are meant to fill. Think of them less like a test you need to pass and more like a conversation we wish we could have with you in person, if distance (or time) allowed it.

With that in mind, here are a few things I want every applicant to know while they’re writing.
 

1. Answer every part of the prompt

This sounds obvious, but it’s the single most common thing I see students miss. Our short response questions are often built with two or three parts tucked into one question — and it’s easy to answer the part that feels most comfortable and gloss over the rest. Before you submit, go back and literally check off each piece of the prompt. If a question asks what you value and how that’s shown up in your life, make sure your response actually does both.


2. This is your space — use it to add depth, not repeat your extracurriculars

Your activities list and transcript already show us what you’ve done. Your short response is your chance to tell us why it mattered, or what it taught you, or how it changed how you see something. Don’t spend your limited words re-listing accomplishments we can already see elsewhere in your application. Spend them on the context only you can provide.


3. Write like yourself, not like you think we want

The students whose essays stick with me aren’t the ones using the fanciest vocabulary or the most dramatic language; they’re the ones who sound like an actual human being talking about something they actually care about. Write the way you’d explain this to a friend who asked you a genuine question. Authenticity reads clearly, and so does its absence — we’re eager to know what you think, how you feel, what you’ve learned. 


4. Polish still matters

Being genuine doesn’t mean being careless. Once you’ve got a draft that sounds like you, go back through it for grammar, spelling, and flow. A typo won’t sink your application, but a response that’s clearly unedited can distract from a great story underneath it. Give it the same care you’d give a final paper.


5. Get a second set of eyes

Before you hit submit, hand your draft to someone who knows you — a parent, a teacher, a mentor, a friend who’s known you since third grade. Ask them one simple question: Does this sound like me? They’ll often catch things you can’t see because you’re too close to it, and they might point out a detail or story you forgot was worth including.


6. Draft somewhere else first

Don’t write your first draft directly into the application portal. Open a blank doc — Google Docs, Notes app, even a piece of paper — and get your thoughts down there first. Staring at a tiny text box with a word count ticking down can make even confident writers freeze up. Give yourself room to think, ramble, cross things out, and shape your answer before you ever worry about hitting a character limit. You can always trim and polish once the real thinking is done.


You’re not alone in this

If you get stuck — whether it’s a technical glitch in the portal or you’re just staring into space — reach out to your admissions counselor. That’s genuinely what we’re here for. We’d much rather help you work through a rough draft than have you stress through it alone.

At the end of the day, we’re not looking for the “perfect” applicant. We’re looking for you. So take a breath, answer honestly, and let your voice do the talking.