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 ou'd
think the most difficult parts of college would
be the papers, exams and finals that come after
you've been accepted somewhere, but for many students
that is not the case. The application essay-because
it determines exactly where you will be writing
papers and taking exams and finals for the next
few years-can be a far more daunting task.
While it helps to keep in mind that life will go on, great entrance essay or not, don't make the mistake some prospective college students do and take the essay portion of your application too lightly. Over one-third of the time an admissions advisor spends on your application is spent on your essay(s). It is the single best chance you have to attach a personality to your GPA and test scores and to differentiate yourself from thousands of other applicants. Why be merely John/Jane Doe when you can be someone who showed us in her essay that she is adventurous; has great leadership potential; is original, curious and kind; and is absolutely perfect for our school?
Follow these tips to writing the best college entrance essay you can.
Your college entrance essays serve two purposes: to convince the admissions advisor you are original and worthy of admission and to show them you are more than a GPA or test score. Keep these in mind with every sentence you write.
Whether the school you are applying to asks you
broadly for a "personal statement" or has a very
specific question for you to answer (e.g., "What
are you most proud of in your life?"), you will
find yourself with dozens of different experiences
and events to choose from. One of the best ways
to identify and then narrow down your choices is
by brainstorming. Questions to get you started include:
Does any quality distinguish you from everyone else?
Have you ever worked very hard for something and
succeeded? And failed? How did you react? Has anyone
or anything heavily influenced your life? What is
your strongest personality trait? What are your
most important extracurricular activities and why?
How did you get involved with them? Where do you
see yourself in the future?
The main thing you are looking for when considering subject matter is an idea you feel passionate about. Don't write about an extracurricular activity because that's what you think a college wants to hear; write about it because in doing so your enthusiasm, personality and originality will shine though. Ninety percent of college entrance essays are boring. Writing about something you have a passion for is the best way to ensure your essay doesn't fall into that category.
You don't want to be passionate at the expense of
the answering the question, however. If you're asked
to write about topic X, write about topic X, even
if you're more interested in topic Y. No college
wants students who can't answer a simple question.
To make sure you're on target, read through your
finished essay, asking yourself at the end of each
and every sentence, "How does this statement help
answer the question?"
Admissions advisors
have to read hundreds-possibly thousands-of essays.
Expect them to spend a minute or two on your essay…unless
they have a compelling reason to read rather than
skim. Use your introduction to grab their attention
from the beginning. Don't answer the essay question
in the first sentence; but rather create suspense
that forces the admissions advisors to read on.
Most likely,
whatever experience you choose to write about has
been shared by others. What will make your essay
unique are your thoughts and feelings during that
experience. Focus on those.
Passive-voice expressions are ones
in which something is being done to the subject
rather than the subject being the one to take action.
Sentences written in the passive voice are usually
uninteresting and flat. Nearly any sentence initially
written in the passive voice can be rewritten in
the active.
Before: The statewide writing content's
award-winning essay was the one I wrote.
After: I wrote an award-winning essay for
a statewide writing contest.
While it is certainly
tempting to rush for the thesaurus for some big,
intelligent-sounding words, don't. College admissions
officers want to get to know you, not Roget. Besides,
chances are high you're going to misuse the new,
fancy words (sorry, but that's the truth). And even
if you do manage to use them correctly, too many
big words are going to make the essay sound contrived.
Rather
than merely asserting you have a particular quality,
use a detailed example that showcases it.
Before: I learned patience
and kindness while volunteering at a nursing home.
After: At first, Mrs. Ellis' tantrums
and yelling made me angry, but after a few weeks,
I realized she just wanted someone to spend time
with her. As soon as we started watching reruns
of The Cosby Show every night, she, and
her roommates, were much happier.
No matter how many
times you reread your essay, it's still only one
pair of eyes looking at it. And as far as essays
go, the more people who look at it the better. Have
friends and family read it over, looking not only
for spelling or grammatical mistakes, but also making
sure you answered the question asked, have an engaging
introduction, use active-voice verbs, don't repeat
yourself, haven't left anything unclear, and have
used every single sentence to your advantage. It
may also help to ask your proofreaders what the
essay shows them about your personality. You may
think you're coming across as original and open-minded
when, in fact, others reading it see pride and conceit.
Good luck!
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