4 Tips For Writing A Successful College Admission Essay

4 Tips For Writing A Successful College Admission Essay If you are more thoughtful, take on a slightly more serious tone. When it comes to writing a successful college essay, you must realize that honesty trumps everything (except possibly good grammar/a typo-free piece). Schools aren’t interested in fantasy versions of their applicants. You are a unique individual; be truthful with your answers and the admissions committee will appreciate your point-of-view. Similar to the questions above, the emphasis should not be on who you choose. If you choose a person in the hopes of merely impressing the admissions committee, it will likely make your essay appear disingenuous. Regardless of the topic about which you choose to write, be sure the essay reveals more about you than the other characters or places in the story. The college essay is not a test to see if you can read minds or anticipate what the admission office wants to hear. Plain and simple, they want to know about you, how well you write and how self-aware you are. We help every applicant, no matter their prior comfort level with writing, compose a powerful personal essay that transmits who they are in the most important ways. We work with students at our labs in small-group workshops, private sessions, and also at schools and partner CBOs. You may have an amazing story to tell for your college application essay, but your writing is going to fall flat if it doesn't use an engaging and effective style. For your essay to truly shine, you need to pay attention to not justwhat you say, but also how you say it. These style tips can help you turn a bland and wordy admissions essay into an engaging narrative that improves your chances of being admitted. Visit our Writing Lab for more writing tips, pertaining both to your college essay, and to the array of other writing challenges you’ll face in college or graduate school. This advice applies to most creative writing situations. We assume some well-meaning English teacher shared this advice with you in high school. There’s always that chance that your reader could recognize what you’re sharing. And if they have even the slightest suspicion, the answer will always be just a Google search away. Start with a main idea and cite specific evidence to support your statement about yourself. Describe your feelings when you found your career or major goals. The admissions department at UC Berkeley will read about 20,000 application essays and Stanford will read about 16,000. The college essay may be your only opportunity to show your personality to the admission office. If you are witty, show the reader your sense of humor (But be cautious. What you think is funny, someone else may not.). Admissions officers aren’t interested in a timeline of events or a bullet-list of accomplishments. What they’re really seeking is a story, a personal narrative, a reflection that carries subtext. As with many of these questions, the issue/cause you select is not nearly as important as your explanation. Though you can certainly demonstrate passion and fervor for your argument, it’s vital you don’t come across as dogmatic. You want to reveal that you can think logically and objectively; the reader shouldn’t come away thinking you’re myopic. Additionally, you must remember that, ultimately, admissions officers are using these essays to gain insight into you. You should relate your opinions and arguments to your own life and experiences. You might think you’ve read or heard the perfect opening someplace elseâ€"a book of sample essays, a speech, a line in your favorite movie, etc. But pirating someone else’s writing is plagiarism, and every college I can think of would frown on an applicant who steals other people’s work without crediting the source. Instead, write about a person who truly has impacted your life. It doesn’t matter if it’s a third cousin, your boss at the local pizzeria or your French teacher. Just be sure that the essay isn’t merely a biographical sketch. You must write about what they taught you and how it relates to your own outlook on life.