The Essay

The Essay

Purpose

The essay is an opportunity to express who you are, just like the interview.  The readers of the essay want to assess your writing skills and learn something about you that the rest of the application doesn’t tell them.  The essay is also a time to enhance something that is covered in your application or highlight something that is not covered.  A well-written essay can give insight as to how you will add to the college community.

Tips

• Read the essay question. 

• Write about something that matters to you.  Reveal yourself in your writing.

• Start early so you leave time for reflection and revision.

• Don’t be afraid to write about something unique.

• Make it personal...about you.

• Use your own voice.  Don’t let anyone edit your voice out of the essay.

• Don’t neglect the technical part of your essay; 250-500 word essay is preferable.

• Show rather than tell...by giving examples and illustrating your topic you help bring it to life.

• Be positive.  Negative comments and making excuses aren’t received well.  Don’t look for the sympathy vote.  It’s okay to write about something that was hard for you but remember to also write about what you learned from this experience and how you grew from it.

Tips can also be found on the here.

Finally...

All the different essay questions in one way or another ask the same thing: “Tell us about yourself” which means you are an authority on the topic.  The format is not unfamiliar; it is a regular essay with “you” as the subject.  Don’t forget to share it with someone and ask for feedback.

Writing the “Perfect” Essay (compliments of the Boston College Admissions Website)

http://www.bc.edu/admission/undergrad/process/tips/s-perfectessay.html

    The best essays that we read are ones that tell us not only about a specific event, mentor, excursion, or accomplishment, but also tell us how the writer has been affected by their experiences.  For example, a typical essay might inform the reader of a trip to France that the student took the previous summer.  It might focus on the challenges faced in getting to their destination, the French culture, or even the people that the student met.  The better essay, however, takes it to the next level.  It makes the experience personal.  The student might choose to explain what surprised, frustrated, or inspired them about the trip.  The student might choose to focus on how they now view the world a little bit differently after this newfound international perspective.

    Another common example is students' essays on a person who influenced their lives.  Frequently, we read essays about applicants' grandparents, for example.  Many essays simply focus on the attributes that a grandmother has that make her special to the applicant.  They may focus on the challenges that a grandmother has overcome or the successes she has enjoyed.  They leave the reader knowing that the student loves his grandmother, but not knowing anything more about the student.  The better essay, however, might also focus on the way the writer has attempted to emulate these admired qualities.  The student might choose to share how learning of his grandmother's life experiences has helped him better understand the world.  This allows us to learn more about the student and what makes the student special.

    Both of these examples, the first essay simply tells us of an experience, but the second essay shows us more about the individual. We walk away from it knowing a bit more about the qualities the applicant possesses and how he or she might fit into our campus community.