At the risk of obfuscating the meaning of Oscar Wilde's play, being earnest [the adjective] is always important when you want people to trust that they know the real you.

For high school seniors applying to college, being earnest is a critical component in the personal statement essays. Your essay should provide further depth and understanding of who you are and your intellect. Don't restate the facts listed on your application or try to cram in the 10 most important accomplishments from your high school years. Don't try to write the perfect essay, write what is real and genuine and, hopefully, unique.

You want the reader to learn something about you that the spaces on the application itself don't allow you to detail. From your writing, readers should learn something about your personality, the way you think, or your values.

Don't succumb to the temptation of several popular or over-used themes: the best sports victory or worst sports loss; the mission trip; the "off the wall" approach that no one else will do; the traumatic heartbreak; the 1 or 2 word responses (use your imagination); the overemotional drama.

Pick the prompt that speaks to you, rather than choose one you think will make you seem more impressive or smart. The prompt should spark a few ideas in your mind when you think about it and it shouldn't seem like a painful chore. Don't try to sound like someone you are not or try to work with a vocabulary very different from your own. College essay readers will spot your inauthenticity very quickly.

If you are having a hard time getting started, begin with spontaneous writing to a few prompts, without worrying about perfect grammar or structure. Something will pop out as "the" idea; then follow that thread and write. Next, spend the time to put it into essay format. Let people you trust read your essay and be open to suggestions. But, make sure help from others doesn't obscure your voice.

Never plagiarize. Grammar, spelling, punctuation and word count matter.

But, again, be true to yourself. Be earnest (not Jack or Algernon)!