Ahh, summer! Students are sleeping, eating, reading, working, traveling, spending hours on social media. Many are also visiting colleges and are sorting through impressions and thoughts. It's hard to believe, but summer is more than half over! Soon enough, classes will start and senior year will begin.

There is one other crucial thing for students to do this summer: WRITE!

That Common App and/or state school main essays are lurking on the horizon. They may seem impossible to start. After all, how do you describe yourself in 650 words or less? It is not easy, to be sure. But, it can be done! Now is the best time to check this essay off the list. It will be much harder to do once school starts. Your supplemental essays will flow from the brainstorming you do for your main essay.

Students should begin with brainstorming to get the ideas and thoughts flowing. There are many resources out there which provide questions created to draw out ideas and generate inspiration. Ask your school counselor, your college consultant or search the web to get started. Then write, see what comes out and map your brainstorming results to the essay prompts. Choose which one(s) provide the most inspiration.

The essay provides schools with a more in-depth look into who you are, how you are unique and what makes you tick. It is a way to express yourself in your own words. You should not try to write about everything you have done since you were born or all you have accomplished in high school; nor make the essay seem like a synopsis of your application. Get feedback from counselors, consultants, friends and teachers.

Most importantly, get the writing done. What a weight off your shoulders it will be to have your main essay(s) finished before your senior year starts. You will have so much else to do for your applications once you get going. So, do yourself a favor and get the creative juices flowing!