Congratulations! You’ve survived your first three years of high school. Now it’s time to get to work. For the most of us, getting into our dream college (or college in general) is the primary thing on our minds. If not, you should be worried.

Unless you’re an athlete, your GPA and test scores are the main factors that determine whether or not you’ll be accepted into a school. But there is still hope for those of us whose grades and test scores could be…better: your application essay.

Alongside your letters of recommendation, your application essay can help redeem your academic image. Unfortunately, we don’t have much control over what our letters say, unless you’re bribing a teacher to write you a good one. In that case, kudos to you. But if you choose to take the honest path and really need help on writing a good essay, keep reading. After rewriting my essay three times, spending hours on end at CollegeTracks, and watching nerdy Ivy League students read their accepted essays on YouTube, I’m here to provide the knowledge that I have gained.

A college admission essay, before anything, should tell admissions officers something about the student that their transcript and application don’t. Whichever prompt you end up choosing, make sure that it tells your story and describes you well. Don’t go rambling on about how you spent every summer since the seventh grade as a camp counselor and how you learned the significance of giving back to the community. Instead, discuss what inspired you to sacrifice those summers, how you learned to be a leader, and how you plan on putting the other skills you learned to use.

A smart thing to do after finishing your essay is letting someone who knows you well read it, and ask them if it describes you well. But avoid asking for opinions from too many people, because everyone will give you different feedback and it will make you reconsider how good your essay is.

If you don’t know what to write about or are one of the kids who say “my life is boring,” just think about your day-to-day life. What distinguishes you from your peers? How will you positively affect a school if they accept you? These are things that the person reading your essay really wants to know.

Talk about clubs you’ll join and opportunities you will take if the college accepts you. Keep in mind that universities want students who will engage in extracurriculars and school events, not kids who will just go to class and go straight to their dorms afterwards.

Also, remember to keep in mind that this essay should be personal, so never be afraid to get too deep. If you’ve gone through adversity that has sculpted you and changed your perspective on life, talk about it! Tell your story, but avoid a pity party. Stay away from a “My childhood sucked, so you should feel bad for me and let me into your school!” essay, and go for a “I still succeeded through a difficult childhood and it made me into a better person,” essay.

I know it’s hard to squeeze everything you want to say into 650 words or less, but it isn’t impossible. Just remember to tell your story and be yourself. If all else fails, just tell them your dog ate your essay. Gets them every time.