Week 10 (of 10): Final Review, Proofreading & Submission Strategy
Updated: 1 day ago
Finishing Strong and Submitting with Confidence
By Week 10, your essay is essentially complete. You have built your narrative, refined your storytelling, added depth through reflection, strengthened your voice, and polished your sentences. Now, the focus shifts to the final step: making sure nothing undermines all that work.
This week is not about major changes. It is about precision, clarity, and confidence in your final product.
Step 1: Shift Your Mindset. You Are Not Rewriting Anymore
At this stage, avoid the temptation to make large edits.
Your focus should now be:
Correctness (grammar, spelling, punctuation)
Consistency (tone, formatting, tense)
Clarity (small wording improvements only when needed)
If you feel the urge to rewrite entire paragraphs, pause. That level of revision belongs in earlier drafts. Now, you are refining and finalizing.
Step 2: Make Your Essay More Concise (Especially for Word Count)
Strong essays are not just clear. They are efficient.
If you are over the word limit, or even close to it, look for ways to tighten your writing without losing meaning.
1. Cut Unnecessary Uses of “That”
Many sentences include “that” when it is not needed.
Before: “I realized that I needed to improve my communication skills.”
After: “I realized I needed to improve my communication skills.”
The meaning stays the same, but the sentence is cleaner.
2. Trim Lists and Redundant Examples
Students often include too many examples when one strong example is enough.
Before: “I learned leadership by organizing meetings, managing schedules, coordinating tasks, and communicating with team members.”
After: “I learned leadership by coordinating tasks and communicating with my team.”
You keep the strongest elements and remove redundancy.
3. Eliminate Extra Adjectives
When two adjectives say similar things, keep the stronger one.
Before: “It was a challenging and difficult experience.”
After: “It was a challenging experience.”
Or choose the more specific word:
Better: “It was a demanding experience.”
4. Cut Filler Phrases
Look for phrases that add length but not meaning.
Examples to cut:
“I think that”
“I believe that”
“In order to”
Before: “In order to solve the problem, I had to think critically.”
After: “To solve the problem, I had to think critically.”
Step 3: Vary Sentence Structure and Improve Flow
Even a clear essay can feel repetitive if every sentence follows the same pattern.
1. Avoid Starting Every Sentence with “I”
Before: “I joined the robotics team. I learned how to code. I improved my problem-solving skills.”
After: “I joined the robotics team, where I learned how to code and improved my problem-solving skills.”
Or:
“Joining the robotics team taught me how to code and strengthened my problem-solving skills.”
2. Combine Related Sentences with Coordinating Conjunctions
If two sentences are closely connected, combine them using a comma and a coordinating conjunction such as “and,” “but,” or “so.”
Before: “I struggled with my design. I kept testing new solutions.”
After: “I struggled with my design, but I kept testing new solutions.”
This improves flow and avoids choppiness.
3. Use Appositives to Add Detail Smoothly
An appositive is a phrase that renames or explains a noun.
Beginning of sentence: “A curious student, I was drawn to engineering challenges early on.”
Middle of sentence: “I built my first prototype, a simple water filtration system, during my sophomore year.”
End of sentence: “I kept refining my design, a process that taught me patience.”
Appositives help you add detail without creating extra sentences.
4. Avoid Overusing Em Dashes
Frequent use of em dashes can make writing feel unnatural and is often associated with AI-generated text.
Before: “I struggled with the project, but I kept going, and eventually, I succeeded—which taught me perseverance.”
After: “I struggled with the project, but I kept going and eventually succeeded. That experience taught me perseverance.”
Use periods and commas instead for a cleaner, more natural style.
Step 4: Proofread for Grammar and Mechanics
Carefully review your essay for technical errors.
Look for:
Subject-verb agreement
Sentence fragments
Spelling errors
Comma usage and punctuation
Helpful strategies:
Read one sentence at a time
Read your essay out loud
Read your essay backward, sentence by sentence
This forces you to focus on the writing itself, not just the meaning.
Step 5: Check for Consistency
Make sure your essay is consistent throughout.
Look at:
Verb tense (past versus present)
Tone (formal but natural)
Formatting (spacing and paragraph structure)
Even small inconsistencies can distract the reader.
Step 6: Do a Final Clarity Pass
Do one last pass focused only on clarity.
Ask:
Is any sentence slightly confusing?
Could anything be misinterpreted?
Can I simplify wording without losing meaning?
At this stage, even small improvements can strengthen your essay.
Step 7: Get a Final Outside Review (Optional but Helpful)
If possible, ask one or two trusted people to review your essay.
Good options:
A teacher
A counselor
A tutor
Focus their feedback on:
Clarity
Impact
Errors you may have missed
Avoid collecting too many opinions, which can lead to unnecessary changes.
Step 8: Prepare for Submission
Focus on the technical side of submitting your essay.
Check:
Word count
Formatting requirements
Proper copy and paste into application platforms
If you are using the Common App, preview your essay after pasting it to confirm:
Paragraph breaks are correct
No formatting or characters were lost
Step 9: Final Read-Through (Out Loud)
Do one last full read aloud.
Listen for:
Flow and rhythm
Awkward phrasing
Any remaining errors
If something sounds off, revise it.
Step 10: What You Should Have by the End of Week 10
By the end of this week, you should have:
A final, polished essay ready for submission
Concise, efficient language
Varied sentence structure and smooth flow
No grammar or spelling errors
Confidence in your final draft
Final Thoughts: Why This Week Is So Important
Week 10 is about finishing strong. Even an excellent essay can be weakened by small, avoidable mistakes.
This stage works because it:
Ensures your writing is clear and concise
Improves readability through sentence variety and structure
Eliminates distractions that weaken your message
Strengthens your final presentation
Admissions officers read quickly. Clear, concise, and well-structured writing allows your ideas to come through immediately.
Week 9 focused on polishing your writing. Week 10 ensures that nothing gets in the way of your message.
Need a Final Review Before You Submit?
If you are almost ready to submit your college essay and want help checking the final draft, book a free strategy call to discuss what could still be improved.
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