My Darling My Hamburger
The essays you’ve written for school were organized according to a plan. You were probably encouraged to map out an introduction, a body of supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion. Sometimes teachers say, “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. And then tell them what you've told them.” While this may seem repetitious, it’s a good way to lead your reader through a complicated argument. And there's no reason why you can't start drafting your application essay with this familiar format in mind: present an idea, develop and support it, return to it for a wrap-up.

But keep in mind that most application essays are short. Typically, there is only one core point being made; it isn't going to be a "All of Shakespeare's early comedies explore disappointed love" type of thing. You are taking a little idea for a walk rather than building a massive structure around a policy that needs to be enacted or an interpretation with multiple sub-ideas. Help your reader follow you by defining what you’re about, bringing on your evidence or story as the middle of your essay, and winding up with a well-thought-out and focused conclusion.

But think of this essay as a burger. Sure, you need the bun to hold it together. But it's really all about the meat. Go light on the bun. Just a little bread at the beginning and the end. (And with only 150 words for your extracurricular paragraph, give almost all your effort there to the substance.) The application can be based on the familiar three-part structure of your school essays; just minimize the introduction and conclusion so that you're offering a decent meal and not a lot of empty carbs.