Going to college? An application essay seems like a dreadful requirement to most college applicants, but this shouldn’t be the case. True, it is a crucial requisite as it can be the reason for your rejection. But with careful planning and information, you can nail your college application essay.
With admission staff reading hundreds of essays, how can you make your work stand out? How can you craft a well-written application essay? Or can you basically write one? The answer is absolutely yes!
Read on to have great advice and boost your confidence in penning a college application essay.
Give Yourself Enough Time
College application essays are not just any schoolwork. Your future relies on it thus, you need to invest time and effort in submitting the best essay that you can write. And to do this is to give yourself enough time. Never write at the knick of a deadline or your will end up a mediocre and poorly written essay.
If you give yourself enough time, you have more time to think of the topic, write, and edit. All the other tips of this article can easily be followed if you have enough time.
Choose the Right Topic
This should be the first thing to think about as you start your essay. What should you write? Most often, selecting the topic consume much of your time. The best thing to do is to take your time to brainstorm the topic you will be writing.
Just like how a bad choice of song can eliminate a singing contestant, your bad essay topic may lead to your rejection. Likewise, a great topic can boost your chances in entering the college of your choice.
You can brainstorm by yourself. Take a walk; be alone or go to library. Sometimes, the topic will just come to your mind in unexpected
Do not be shy to ask your parents and friends for any suggestions. Rely on your own experiences and avoid clichés and negative topics.
Read Sample Application Essays
Study other essays from various colleges and universities. This will give you a roadmap on how to write your essay that is specially suited for college admissions. You can read short essays as well as short stories if you feel that you don’t have the knack for writing.
Reading makes you a better writer even if feel that you don’t have the skill. Read and you will have an idea on the voice and style as well as how they present their ideas.
Nail It With Your Title and Introduction
In every college, at least hundreds of applicants will be submitting their work. This can be tedious for college admission staff. How can you be sure that your work will get their attention?
Catch their attention with your introduction and title. Tease then with your title. Spark their interest with your introduction. Be brief and in 1-2 sentences, your reader should know what you are writing about. Throw some questions that will lead them to follow the rest of your essay.
Be Concise and Coherent
As you write your paragraph, be direct to the point. Keep your ideas short and avoid going around the bush. Be direct and avoid using flowery words. If you are asked to write a 500-word essay, use this requirement to maximize your thoughts.
Planning your essay by making an outline will make your work more clear and crisp. You want to impress your reader, but you should not use “heavy” words. Choose simple words. No reader wants to look for a thesaurus while reading your essay.
Avoid fillers and empty words. Do not use “ very” and use the right word. Use simpler words but has more weight to make your essay outstanding. Try to paint a clearer and vivid picture in your work. Let your reader follow you in every word and paragraph.
Check Your Facts
You will get more points if you add some information and facts in your essay. Your essay will be better if you relate certain events and people in your arguments and ideas but you must check if you are right.
Be careful when citing popular sayings and quotes. Like “ Let them eat cake” is attributed to Marie Antoinette and not Queen Elizabeth; Hong Kong was a territory of Great Britain and not with the US.
Present a Likable You
An essay is not just to check your writing skills and grammar but a chance to have a glimpse of who you are. Colleges are big communities and it can start with how you write your essay. Your topic tells a lot about yourself, hence stick with positive and inspirational topic.
You don’t have to be project perfection but authenticity. Tell a story about yourself or something close to you. This makes your essay bland and a little but different from other submitted works.
Be Unique
Close to the one mentioned above, celebrate uniqueness in your application composition. If you want to be controversial, be a little careful and not to go overboard and be cautious if you want to use humor – you may offend someone and it can be someone reading your essay!
Just be original and follow your thoughts and emotions. Give yourself much time to finish your essay. If you don’t feel like doing it, take a break and return if you are well rested. When you mind is relaxed and calm, your real and unique you will naturally flows into your essay.
Edit and Revise
When you are done with your essay, let it “rest” and check it out after a few hours or the next day. You need to check your work when your brain is calm and stress-free.
Letting your work “rest” before editing or submitting will give you the chance to have a fresher outlook. You will be surprised on the tone of your essay that you don’t like to present or some errors that you could have overlooked.
Never underestimate the power of editing and revisions. Admission staff can easily spot essays that were poorly or not edited. If you are comfortable, you can have your family or friends to edit or take a look at your work. It also doesn’t harm if you let a professional editor to check and polish your work.
You see, writing a college application essay is manageable and everyone can deliver a well-written composition. Follow the tips mentioned and for sure, you will ace your college applications.
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