Trusted College Admission Counseling

Trusted College Admission Counseling Parents are blinded by love and perhaps perfection. Each student needs to be able to claim authentic ownership of their essays. Mom and Dad may be great help during the brainstorming process of generating essay topics. More than any other element of the application, the essay gives insight into who a student really is. If your essay is filled with lies and exaggerations, then you’ve missed the point entirely. It’s possible that college admissions officers may suspect you’re lying, which is a poor reflection on your ethics and morals. Many times the best way to get a clear picture of a student’s goals, accomplishments, and character is to hear it directly from the student him or herself. In fact, it’s important to write in your authentic voice and avoid using “fancy” vocabulary just to impress admissions officers. Remember that the purpose of a college admissions essay is to help admissions officers get to know you. Every year, more than 3 million essays will land on the Admissions desk in universities across the country. With so many eager young minds seeking acceptance in a school of higher learning, one can easily see just how difficult it is to get noticed when applying to a quality university. It’s particularly important when writing a piece about yourself that you write naturally. By planning the layout of your essay ahead of time, you’ll avoid changing your writing style mid-story. The example essay is one of the most basic essays in academic writing, but can be extremely difficult if you've never written one or do not know what to write about. Example essays focus on one main idea which you prove with several specific, convincing examples. If you're stuck on how to write an example essay, you can follow a few simple steps to dig yourself out of the rut and write an example essay that you can be proud of. I recommend that students try to find an adult other than their parents to help with essay editing. Instead, give the reader the piece of the puzzle that conveys your message. As long as your message is succinct and to the point, brief, and realistic your essay should have an impact. Each university has its own set of prompts you should write about. If proper understanding is not had of the requirements, the essay will be worthless. Spellcheck won’t catch every spelling or grammatical error! Take the time to read over all your essays carefully and keep an eye out for things like “out” when you meant to say “our” and other common typos. Here is an example of a prompt from the University of California. They also are looking to see how well you interact with other students, your willingness to see others succeed. Your essay should show evidence of how you interact with others. Evidence that you’re not just out there to help yourself but that you are willing to extend assistance to other students who may need it. It should reflect your social skills showing that you are an interesting individual that others will want to share their college years with. Have a parent or counselor read over the essay, too, to catch any errors you might have missed. Spelling and grammar errors can take away from an otherwise stellar essay â€" so be mindful. When developing a topic that reveals something new, find a way to frame the story or idea that shows a slice of your life or the event. Be descriptive and give details that appeal to the senses â€" taste, touch, smell, etc. When writing about a meaningful experience or event, you don’t have to give a long timeline of events. Asking someone who is slightly more removed from the application process may be the wisest route to go. While parents mean well, any constructive feedback may be misinterpreted, creating conflict at what can already be a stressful time. Teachers, guidance counselors, even friends are viable candidates when looking for a second opinion on your writing. Admissions officers want to get to know applicants. There’s only so much that application readers can deduce from your extracurricular activities, transcripts, test scores, recommendation letters, and other application materials. So it should “sound” like the applicant, revealing personality, interests, quirks, personal style, and voice. Some parents can act as a sounding board without taking over the project, while others cannot. While it is okay to have a parent proof an essay, they are not always the best option.