Kathleen Harrington

Owner
New Jersey College Consulting

It is imperative that an applicants essay answers the question that is being asked of him/her in the most authentic way possible. Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, many applicants approach the essay thinking more about what they believe admissions counselors want to hear than the actual question itself. This is the one part of the application that will tell your story. A high school transcript...

Dr. Bruce Neimeyer

CEO/Partner
Global College Search Associates, LLC

Your application essay would be assess no differently than a nationals application essay. However, there would probably be more attention given to your grammar skills than a US student whether the admissions office cares to admit it or not. To write effectively, you should first consider the essay question. Make sure you understand all the parts of the question to that each may be addressed in the...

Patricia Krahnke

President/Partner
Global College Search Associates, LLC

Pay Attention to What they Ask For in an Essay

Short Answer: The same way an American student should write an effective college admissions essay: Pay attention to what the college or university wants to see in your essay...and don't submit one if they don't want one. Detailed Answer: Here’s some background before I get to the answer you are looking for… They are looking at your grades and your language skills. The essay tells them...

Pamela Hampton-Garland

Owner
Scholar Bound

College Admission Essays

Remember that colleges do not read your essays based on your nationality; they read them to get a written picture of you. I do mean a picture in words. Therefore use the approach in your essay known as "show don't tell" rather than telling them the answer to the question which often times can be a simple one liner and leave you feeling like you have to feel the rest of the essay with "fluff", answer...

Dalia Singleton Wimberly, M.Ed.

Owner/Educational Consultant
RaeBrown Consulting

College Essays for Internationals

Writing a college essay as an international student is very similar to the process a US student would have. Regardless of you citizenship, colleges are looking for essays that show who you are, tell about what's important to you and what makes you unique. In many ways, international students may have an advantage in this category of the admissions process since your experiences will likely be very...

Mark Gathercole

University Advisor
Independent University Advising

Be yourself, not who you think they want you to be.

The guidelines for writing the essay are no different for international students than for anyone else: Be genuine, write from your own experience, and use your own words. An effective essay is one that allows an admissions person to get to know you better. You don't have to write an "important" essay - just one that offers a glimpse of who you are.

Rebecca Joseph

Executive Director & Founder
getmetocollege.org

Tell a powerful story, a true, self-written powerful story

Many international students hire people to write their essays. That is a major mistake as colleges can smell adult written essays. So international students need to write an essay that matches their English writing skills as revealed by the TOEFL or SAT. These essays serve to show your writing and your life experiences. More importantly, international students need to reveal some core qualities that...

Kristina Dooley

Independent Educational Consultant
Estrela Consulting

Think, Be Yourself, Proof...and Proof Again

Writing an effective college admissions essay is one of the most difficult tasks an international students faces when completing their college applications. Not only are you required to write something in your second language (or maybe your third or fourth!), but you also have to do this within character or word-count limitations. These two things often make it difficult for an international student...

Carita Del Valle

Founder
Academic Decisions

Write about yourself but remember the context of whom you are writing for.

International students are vastly different from American students and our universities approach academia within a different context. Make sure to write about something important from your personal experiences, but also make sure you put the school in context that you want to attend. For example, if coming from Korea, how do you see yourself fitting in both academically and socially to a school in...

Reecy Aresty

College Admissions/Financial Aid Expert & Author
Payless For College, Inc.

Your numbers are your numbers, but you're a unique individual. Write about your life experiences, travel, etc., and especially how a 4-year education at XYZ will benefit you. Be specific in naming names, and you're sure to enhance your chances of getting in.