Get a Second Eye

I remember the first time I thought I had written a very strong essay.

It was clear. It flowed well. It sounded like me. I read it a few times and felt satisfied. For a moment, I thought, “This is good enough.”

Then I sent it to someone to review.

They didn’t say it was bad. But they pointed out things I couldn’t see.

“This part is not clear.”

“You repeated this idea.”

“I don’t understand what you mean here.”

At first, it was uncomfortable.

Because in my head, everything made sense.

But that was the problem. It made sense to me because I already knew what I was trying to say.

The reader does not have that advantage.

At this stage in your journey, you are doing a lot right.

You are choosing the right opportunities.

You are telling a clearer story.

You are showing evidence instead of making claims.

You are finding time and putting in the work.

But there is one more step that can significantly improve your applications:

Let someone else see them.

When you work on something for a long time, you lose objectivity. You fill in gaps without realising. You assume clarity where there is none.

A second eye helps you see what is actually on the page, not what you intended.

This does not mean you need many reviewers. One or two thoughtful people are enough.

What matters is that they:

• read carefully

• give honest feedback

• focus on clarity, not just grammar

Ask simple questions:

• Is my story clear?

• What is confusing?

• What stands out?

• What feels weak?

And then listen.

You do not have to accept every suggestion. But you should take the feedback seriously.

This is how you improve faster.

On your own, improvement is slow.

With feedback, it becomes sharper.

This connects to everything we’ve discussed.

Strategy — you choose where to apply.

Clarity — you shape your story.

Evidence — you prove your claims.

Execution — you do the work.

Feedback helps you refine all of it.

You are not just writing an application.

You are building something that needs to be understood by someone else.

Let someone else see it before you submit.

—Ojonugwa

Scholar ChitChat