Our Tips On Writing Your College Essay

Our Tips On Writing Your College Essay DON’T use the personal statement essay to repeat your resume. This final step will likely take much longer than writing the entire essay. You may have to revise several times before your essay delivers your message perfectly. As you go through your revision keep these basic guidelines in mind. It’s time for you to narrow down your options for an essay topic and begin to build your story. Your essay should reflect a powerful sense of commitment to your goals and your future success. Your academic resume, which should include your GPA, completed coursework, and SAT/ACT scores. You should also include some evidence that you are ready for college, a record of your extracurricular activities, work experience, and recommendations. Have another person (or several!) read your essay, whether it’s a teacher, guidance counselor, parent, or trusted friend. You know what you meant to say, but is it clear to someone else reading your work? Universities are not just looking for students that hope to acquire good skills; they are looking for those who have a promising future. Your future success makes them look good and encourages more students to want to study with them. You have a unique background, interests and personality. The best way to tell your story is to write a personal, thoughtful essay about something that has meaning for you. Be honest and genuine, and your unique qualities will shine through. Two summers ago, I travelled to Ecuador to live with a friend’s family and teach Spanish theater to third graders. Believe it or not, the brainstorming stage may be more tedious than writing the actual application essay. The purpose is to flesh out all of your possible ideas so when you begin writing, you know and understand where you're going with the topic. Their goal is to pull together a certain mix of people. They don’t want a collection of copycats all doing the same thing in their respective high schools. Your essay should show something that is unique; a demonstration of a distinctive quality that no other student may choose to offer. These three facts give us the first clues as to what should be included in your essay. Now forget all that, because a successful college application essay is totally different. How well do you understand the college admissions process? At this point you already have all the information you need to create a powerful essay but now you need to start building it. Remember, that every story has a main plot, a few characters that the reader can connect with, and a slow build up to the climax. Have these people review your application essay to make sure your message is on target and clear to any audience. Start with your main idea and follow it from beginning to end. This is the same approach you need to use in your essay. Line up your scenes in chronological order so that the story is easy to follow. When tailoring responses to individual college prompts, it’s important to use specific details you’ve learned through visiting and research. Not only does this show colleges that you’ve have done your homework, but it also demonstrates your interest in the college â€" and colleges want to admit students who are likely to enroll. Show your knowledge of the college by mentioning specific courses, professors, places of interest, and more. Show how you fit into the campus culture and how you will impact the community through specific examples.