Tips for writing an effective college admissions essay are essentially the same for all students. You will want to reveal to the admissions officers more about yourself, your interests, your values, what you feel strongly about, and what is important to you than what they can discover in the numbers and statistics that make up most of the rest of the application.
A natural understanding of narrative structure — not the prefabricated “academic paper” structure — and a great story to tell. Don’t worry so much that other people may have “better” stories than you. Everyone’s life is full of story, narrative, and it’s up to you to tell these stories in compelling ways.
Students ask me this all of the time. The answer? A great college essay is PERSONAL. It doesn’t need to be earth-shattering. We haven’t all pulled babies from burning buildings or sailed around the world in a catamaran. That’s okay. Tell a story from your own life that shows something unique about you. Be honest and even a little vulnerable. The story that your friends perk up to listen to- that’s the stuff that makes for great app essays.
When you write an essay you need to ask the question: “What would everyone else say if they were writing about your topic?” Discard all of that and write YOUR story about the topic. Making the story unique is what makes a great college essay. Good essays are personal. A reader should be able to learn about at least some of the following: your passions, feelings, perspectives, values, your defeats and/or accomplishments.
The best advice I can give about writing an essay is speak from the heart. The college essay is not like your English papers. It is “your voice” in the application process. It is not an opportunity for you to tell them about your parents, your grandparents, your teachers or your friends. It is all about YOU!
(1.) Originality: You can’t FORCE yourself to be funny or to write with great Wisdom. You CAN FORCE YOURSELF to sit down in a quiet room WITH NO MEDIA (ipod, iphone, itunes, web, tv, etc etc.) and take a blank sheet of paper and begin to create something that NO WRITER could do as well as you–remember events or experiences from your life.
(1.) Originality: You can’t FORCE yourself to be funny or to write with great Wisdom. You CAN FORCE YOURSELF to sit down in a quiet room WITH NO MEDIA (ipod, iphone, itunes, web, tv, etc etc.) and take a blank sheet of paper and begin to create something that NO WRITER could do as well as you–remember events or experiences from your life. The reason independent college counselors or essay coaches–and this is a generality- could be more helpful is that often (not always) they spend more time and effort up front on COACHING the essay for topic, originality, creativity and HOW to approach writing. What many parents (who may love you, but often just are NOT good writers themselves) or an overworked guidance counselor does is to take a trite, or unoriginal or hackneyed essay and dwell on punctuation and spelling. It’s like going to the junk yard and waxing a rustly heap. Wouldn’t you rather design your own Ferrari??
There are FOUR essential components in preparing a great college essay:
Honesty, thoughtfulness, and proofreading. Sometimes, a sense of humor doesn’t hurt, if it’s applicable to your subject and/or that moment in your life.
You’ve filled in all the applications. Your teachers have submitted their letters of recommendation. You’ve sent in your transcripts and SAT scores. The only thing left to do is the thing you’re dreading the most: Write your admissions essays.
A great college essay is one in which the student’s voice and though process comes through clearly. It should be consistent with the rest of the application and showcase an aspect of the student not highlighted in the rest of the application. It is also well written and grammatically correct.
TYPICAL ESSAYS REQUIRED
We remember things in stories. A good story is memorable. Our mind is created to recall things in stories. You want to be memorable to the counselors who read your app. You want to be memorable to the committee.
A great college essay grabs your attention from the first sentence. It takes readers into, through, and beyond the story in 500 words or less. A great essay tells a a unique story that communicates key qualities you can offer the college. That is why a great college essay is personal.This great essay is very visual and helps make you become 3-D for the reader. It starts right away with a specific story from running a marathon in the rain to spilling water on customers–twice– and keeps us engaged from the first word to the last. You can contact me for samples as I collect great essays from the students with whom I work.
Focused. Purposeful. Authentic. Revealing. Well-written.
First and foremost is making sure you answer the prompt or question. Admissions personnel recognize if you are submitting a generic essay and they are looking to make sure that you can follow the directions. You then must make sure you can stay on topic, don’t go off on a tangent as you write. Keep referring back to the prompt to make sure you have strayed in some way that doesn’t answer the prompt. It is also is important that you not just say, “I am a compassionate person. Just relate a story or something that happened to you that SHOWS you have that quality.
A great college essays is uniquely YOU. It is well-written with college bound vocabulary and style, but easy to read and somewhat unassuming. Like great works of fiction, these essays clearly paint a picture in the reader’s mind. The main character (YOU) is developed with depth and detail. Great essays are memorable because they distinctively portray their subjects without relying on clichés or formulaic topics. They convey on paper a sense of who the writer is as a person. After reading a great essay, I feel as if I have just had an enlivening conversation with the person even though it was entirely on paper.
Herea are some favorite topics & subjects of to write about:
The best essays are the ones that provide real insight into who you are and how you think. Your essay should definitely provide perspective on you that augments what is found in the rest of your application….perhaps highlighting an area of passion for you that may not otherwise be obvious. The essays that read best are the ones written authentically, and from the heart.
Memorability makes the difference. I absolutely endorse spell checking, at least one second read for grammar and, of course respect for the word limit. However, having read some 5000 or so application essays, poignancy counts. There are essays I read in the 90’s that I remember because they were artfully rendered, made me laugh aloud or moved me to tears. Do not attempt that at which you are not proficient! Write what you know, felt or experienced. Few folks who opined regarding politics, social commentary or world peace are successful. Do your best to add “living color” to your topic and remember, that in 90% of the cases, it’s the one and only way admission reviewers hear your voice. Make that voice as sultry and memorable as Etta James’ “At Last!”
A great college essay is one that makes your reader want to get to know you better, to engage in a conversation with you. It is an essay that makes your reader laugh or cry or think. It is an essay that truly engages your reader. The best college essays deal with specific examples from the writer’s life. They are not general or abstract, the more details the better. Whether it’s describing an invention, an important experience, or a significant influence, the best essays work their way back to the writer and how he/she was impacted/affected as a person by whatever was described before. The best essays are 20% about the “topic” (the “what”) and 80% about the writer.
Authenticity! Your essay has to be a true revelation of some facet of YOU – whether it’s your character, how you will contribute to the college/university community, or what your future goals and aspirations are and how a particular school can help you achieve them. (In rare cases, a truly great essay can accomplish all three!)
Your honesty. Your sense of humor. Your sincere vision of life. You confident and easy-readable style.
Your honesty. Your sense of humor. Your sincere vision of life. You confident and easy-readable approach.
A great college essay gives the college an opportunity to see who you really are. Pick a meaningful experience and take the reader through your process of self-discovery. I assisted a student who wrote about her father. A man that she adored but discovered that he was a cocaine addict. She took the reader through the stages of loving, hating, being disappointed, ashamed and finally acceptance, understanding and again loving while “Dad” was going through treatment. She allowed herself to be vulnerable which made the essay dynamite. Another student talked about the struggles of having learning disabilities and the pain that he experienced during his educational career.
English teachers have the best intentions when helping students with college essays, but they don’t always understand that a great English essay does not always make a great college essay. It is fine to break out of the 5 paragraph mold for a college essay, and it needs to tell about the applicant. It needs to have heart and depth. The college essay often frightens students because they think it has to be about some extraordinary event and they may not have something momentous to write about–that is OK. Actually, the best college essays I have read have been about mundane, everyday life. What made them great is that the students showed (did not tell) who they were through their writing.
You want the admissions officer who reads your essay to go home and say “wow, I read 250 essays today. I’m sick of high school students, of their summer trips and grandparents and their views on the Civil War and Romeo and Juliet. But there was this one kid whose essay I brought home for you to read…”
You want the admissions officer who reads your essay to go home and say “wow, I read 75 essays today. I’m sick of high school students, of their summer trips and grandparents and their views on the Civil War and Romeo and Juliet. But there was this one kid whose essay I brought home for you to read…”
Here are some components of a great college essay: — It gets the admissions officer to learn something important about you that does not appear elsewhere on the application. — It focuses on a narrow topic, that you have firsthand experience with — It is an essay that only you could write. — It relates the essay topic back to you — It includes vivid descriptions, specific details, examples, and anecdotes — It is interesting, well-written, and follows the essay instructions
Here are some components of a great college essay. It: — Gets the admissions officer to learn something important about you that does not appear elsewhere on the application. — Focuses on a narrow topic, that you have firsthand experience with. — Could only have been written by you. — Relates the essay topic back to you. — Includes vivid descriptions, specific details, examples, and anecdotes — Is interesting, well-written, and follows the essay instructions
Let’s start at the end:
I have all of my clients think about this question for some time and then literally present to me what the “John or Jane Smith brand” is. To write a great college essay, one needs to have a crystal clear understanding of what their brand is and the story they are going to tell. Reason being, when an Admission Counselor or committee gets done reading your essay, even a week or more later, you want them to have a clear visual image of John or Jane Smith.
College application essays are a special literary genre, but they are of course personal. They add further dimensions to an individual’s record and great ones need to be creative, thoughtful, and well written. Most importantly however, a great essay will reveal an aspect of a self that a student has chosen to highlight and a voice that is unique to that self.
Few things are as eternal as the search for the great college essay. But given the range of factors that go into the decision making process, it is hard to know if the “successful” essays ones really tipped the balance. That being said, the essay is something you can control so you want to make it good. Quite simply, a great college essay helps illuminate who you are. You need to take the opportunity to present yourself in a way that gives the reader–the potential decision maker–a greater understanding of who you are and what you will bring to the community they are seeking to create. The worst things you can do is write an essay that is generic, one where if your name was replaced by another, the reader could not tell the difference. The people in the admissions office are trying to learn about you and the essay is often the last chance you have to shape their impression and understanding of you. Make it yours.
The personal statement is arguably one of the most important components of a student’s college application. It is the student’s chance to lend his application a third dimension, to transcend his grades and test scores, and figuratively speak to the admissions officers. This opportunity should not be taken lightly. When approaching the personal statement, the cardinal rule students should keep in mind is: if any other person on the planet could have written the same essay, trash it and start over again. The essay at its very core should be PERSONAL. It should reveal positive qualities about the applicant (maturity, responsibility, compassion, commitment, etc) through the lens of an engaging narrative. Tell a story about your life that an admissions officer would find compelling and/or amusing that is a vehicle for showcasing your strength of character.
If you can make the reader laugh, say “I get that” or “me too”, you are on your way to a strong application. In addition, you are sharing something about yourself that is not anywhere else in your application. Finding a cure for cancer, saving the whales singlehandedly, or traveling abroad to build homes for orphans does not automatically make a great essay. It’s all about the delivery, the reflection, the conversational tone, showing not telling that will make for a winning essay.
A great college essay is an essay that is interesting, pithy and well written. You want both to keep the reader’s attention and to make the reader want you to be a member of the next freshman class at the reader’s college. Write actively about something you know well. This is your chance to make your application stand out and your one opportunity to have a real voice appear in the file. Tell the reader something about yourself that might not be included in the rest of the application.
A great college essay is one that certainly doesn’t repeat what is written on the rest of your application. The college desires to know about you not the character in a book. Who are you? What motivates you? What challenges have you encountered and how have you dealt with those situations. I tell students the following: The admissions official has just read 25 essays and is falling asleep. Lo and behold your essay is next as his/her eyes begin to close. Will the first few sentences keep the admissions person up and eager to read your essay. If the answer is no, start again. Also, I ask the following: In each paragraph of the essay, what did admissions learn about you that they did not already know. Piece together all the things one found out about you and what did the college admissions person now know about you that made them back you for admissions.
This is an opportunity for you to tell a story that you connect with in your own voice. The reader should learn something important about you through the story that might not come through in your application. As a reader, I want to finish an essay and say this kids is funny or brave or caring or clever or an individualist. I don’t want to read it and say, who is this kid?
The personal essay can help you improve your chances for admission. It may be as short as 250 words, but the words you choose can mean the difference between a “maybe” and a “yes”. The essay tells the admissions committee how and why you are different from everybody else.
admissions counselor only has a few min to read your essay and his or her attention is the key here. most college essay are very much the same so if you can make your essay stand out, you must delivery a great college essay that the counselor will remember and share with other counselors. a great college essay must use personal experiences to delivery a big message focused on passion of learning, motivation for excellences, and personal value in contributing to community as a whole.
Do you have any idea how many essays are written about summer camp, admiring your mom or dad, how terrorism is a bad thing, and your resume? BORING. Try to be original with your topic. It is okay if you have something different to say in one of these essay topics, but most of them are depressingly similar. BE CREATIVE.
Be specific and highlight traits that speak to your talents and interests. Don’t be vague and make sure you answer the prompt. Most of all, be yourself. When you try to impress an admissions officer, it can often appear that way and seem inconsistent with who you are. Use this space to show the school something special, be proud of who you are and let it shine through your written response.
I will leave this answer to an expert. Johns Hopkins University Associate Director of Admissions Calvin Wise told us he isn’t fazed when he sees impressive grades and test scores on applications for admission. But his adrenaline gets pumping when he reads a great essay. “I never run into a colleague’s office and say ‘look at this 4.0 GPA,’ ” Wise told Wow during a phone interview. ”I will run into an office with a good essay to share; that excites me.We are looking for your story. We want to know what makes you different, unique. We want to know who you are. Academically, we are glad you’ve done well. What did an experience mean to you? How did it shape you?”
A great college essay combines creativity, excellent writing, and honesty. The person reading your essay should feel as if they know more about you from reading your essay and they should feel confident that you will be successful with any writing assignments you may be given as a student at their institution. It’s important that your essay be a solid reflection of you as a person and as a student, and that you follow the guidelines provided in terms of topic and word-count.
Herea are some favorite topics & subjects to write about:
Here are some favorite topics & subjects to write about:
Here is my video response to the question.
Many books have been written about what makes a great college essay, or even more generally, a great essay of any variety. To be succinct, however, there are a few general rules that will help you write an essay that will draw positive attention from the admissions counselors who read your essay.
Avoid current issues (b/c everyone will write about it) Choose topics that genuinely interest you Be specific Colleges value “uniqueness” they want different people with different interests and backgrounds Avoid sob stories Get your essays reviewed by lots of trusted advisors, mentors and your English teacher(s) and be open to feedback
A great college essay gives the reader a glimpse of the person behind the page. Lots of counselors tell students to “tell a story only you can tell,” and I definitely agree with that. But sometimes students misinterpret this to mean — “tell me about a totally unique experience” — and they get totally stressed out because they don’t feel that they have any unique experiences.
The ultimate point of a college essay is to engage and hopefully convince the reader that you would be an asset on that campus. You need the essay to wow them with your personal qualities while sharing an engaging story, perhaps- a snapshot of your life. The tone could be funny or sad, reflective or poignant, but you NEED that reader to like you, so that they would support your application in admissions. If your essay does not reveal some sense of your best personal qualities are i.e. maturity, leadership or compassion then it has failed.
Focus on ways you have internalized and personalized academic research and demonstrate how this will enhance the university’s academic community. Writing about hiking the Appalachian Trail or obsessively reading “To Kill A Mocking Bird” is noble but not memorable. Simply recanting facts will not distinguish you from other candidates with equal class rank, grades and test scores. Instead of recounting your admiration of Atticus Finch or the red pine of the Carolinas, enhance your essay with the research you’ve done on forest preservation for ecological and cultural conservation or the means which Harper Lee challenges notions of race and gender and its specific correlation with your own understanding of humanity. Making your scholarly endeavors personal will pique curiosity and demonstrate your potential to contribute to an academic community.
There are five qualities that make a great application essay. 1. A compelling opening that creates a question in readers’ minds that they must have answered. This propels them into the body of the essay. 2. A subject that is unique. It’s important to remember that Admissions Directors are human. They like variety; they want to be entertained, moved. Reading so many essays, there is a tendency to slump a bit in their chair, when that old familiar, “Why Grandpa Meant So Much to Me” essay comes around again. The applicant’s job then, is to get the AD to sit straight up, thinking, “Well, here’s one I haven’t read this week.” 3. Emotion. The essay should not read like a business report. The best essays contain an emotional content that usually stems from the applicant’s passion for the topic. If the essay expresses legitimate emotion, it will usually stir it in the reader. 4. That next step. The essay should go beyond the story the applicant is telling and discuss how that story is going to affect his or her immediate future. This can be a goal that the applicant wants to accomplish on campus, a self starting project, for example, or even beyond, after graduation. This gives the school a sense of what kind of citizen the applicant will be on campus, which can be a real plus in considering admission. 5. A strong close. The summary paragraph should convince the reader that this student is motivated, capable, knows who they are, and will contribute to campus life in interesting ways. But here’s the key. Try not to tell the reader those things, illustrate them by the depth and perception of your final thoughts. The old show business adage is “always leave them wanting more.” In the college application essay game, it’s “always leave them wanting you.”
Now is the time to get started thinking about writing essays for early admissions, and here are five tips for writing college application essays and why these tips work:
Essays are an integral part of the college application. Essays need to be both technically/grammatically correct and engaging. They are a place where the student becomes three dimensional. I explain to students that when the reader is captivated by the essay, it is as though you are sitting in the room with the reader sharing your story personally. Even my students who argue that they are not ‘creative’ writers can produce excellent essays when they find a unique perspective to a topic that evokes passion and enthusiasm. (I have seen engineering-minded students demonstrate written enthusiasm over robotics!) A very wise college admissions representative once shared with me (and an audience of parents and students) that the essay should be no more than 20% about introducing the topic (significant person, significant event, etc.) and at least 80% about the student. That 80-85% should be rich with examples and illustrations. When the reader finishes the essay, he doesn’t want your ‘significant person’ or ‘event’ to outshine you. The reader wants to remember you and your story!
A good college essay is one that stays with the reader after he or she finishes reading it, maybe even thinking about it later that day, or the next day. When possible, select a topic that engages you and is one you are interested in addressing. It is important that your voice comes through and that the reader feels he or she has had an opportunity to experience a more personal facet of your character and your unique perspective. Show not tell – very important. Avoid cliches at all cost and never write what you think someone wants to hear. When you are finished with the essay, read it out loud (to yourself) and carefully listen to the content, grammar, and pay attention to spelling or word glitches.
Sponsored Meaning Explained
EducationDynamics receives compensation for the featured schools on our websites (see “Sponsored Ad” or “Sponsored Listings” or “Sponsored Results”). So what does this mean for you? Compensation may impact where the Sponsored Schools appear on our websites, including whether they appear as a match through our education matching services tool, the order in which they appear in a listing, and/or their ranking. Our websites do not provide, nor are they intended to provide, a comprehensive list of all schools (a) in the United States (b) located in a specific geographic area or (c) that offer a particular program of study. By providing information or agreeing to be contacted by a Sponsored School, you are in no way obligated to apply to or enroll with the school. Your trust is our priority. We at EducationDynamics believe you should make decisions about your education with confidence. that’s why EducationDynamicsis also proud to offer free information on its websites, which has been used by millions of prospective students to explore their education goals and interests. close