Personal Statement Tip Cliches of the Year

I havent decided whether to have an annual Clichà ©s of the Year post, but I have decided to have one this year. Either I am getting old and crotchety since becoming a grandmother for the second time, (Actually Im thrilled. Shes gorgeous, 3 weeks old tomorrow, and this was simply the first time I figured out a way to mention her .) or you folks are including more clichà ©s in your writing, or its just time to write about them. I think the latter. A cliche according to Dictionary.com: a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse. I like that definition. But Ill also share my own description.   In a recent email to Accepted.com editors asking for their favorites, I wrote: Every year certain phrases seem to come into vogue, almost like an outlandish fashion that works only on a few models and rare occasions and somehow everyone who is anyone wears it everywhere and all the time. Then it ceases to be fashion statement. It ceases to express anything. So what are my favorite clichà ©s in applicant personal statements and essays? And the winner is Take it to the next level   This poor phrase, abused and overused, has lost all meaning, distinctiveness, and color. Like the frequently washed tie-die T-shirt form the 70s, its long past retirement age. Its more than ready for the rag heap.   Strike it from your essays! Frankly, when I see take X to the next level my eyes glaze over, and I really just dont want to read more because I have read this so many times before.   Thats not the reaction you want your essay to engender. Now the Runners Up, in no particular order. Synergies:   Jennifer Bloom   nominates synergies. She thinks theyre going nuts this year. Sheila Bender adds that she feels like sneezing when she sees synergies in a personal statement. You also dont want your essays to trigger allergic reactions. Leverage: Tanis Kmetyk is seeing less of   leverage, but I still see too much of it for my taste. Been there for me: So banal and hackneyed. And vague. Did he or she listen to you rant and rave at all hours of the night? Walk with you daily to help you deal with loss? Visit regularly? Sit with you quietly? Work long hours? Simply lend profound emotional support in uncounted ways large and small? For Heavens sake tell me what they did! The bottom line: Whatever happened to conclusion, summary, crux, main point, core, or a host of other phrases. Bottom line means Income Expenses. Limit its use to income statements. These are just a few of the most pernicious clichà ©s that infest your essays.   Dont use them!!!!! Ok. I feel better now. If other admissions readers, Accepted.com editors, English teachers, or admissions consultants are reading this blog and want to share their favorite clichà ©s from application essays and personal statements    you know the ones you really, really despise and never want to see again please add them in a comment. Maybe, just maybe, we wont see them so often if applicants know how evil they are. We can only hope, although I recognize this post reflects the tip of the iceberg.   And yes, Thats a cliche.