College Essays 

What is an College Essay?

Generally, college essays (often written for admissions or scholarships) fall into the mold of explaining something about yourself, whether they are directly biographic or are asking about weaknesses and strengths, the goal of the scholarship and application essay is to let the committees and interviewers know something more than just test scores, statistics, and data. This is your chance to let your personality shine. The essays will generally have a length restriction, usually 250-650 words--it's a remarkably small space to express yourself. 

From an application

“Personal Essay: Please write an essay on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below. This personal essay helps us become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself.” 

The essays will generally have a length restriction, usually 250-650 words.

From Cornell: 

• Tip #1: Give careful thought to the questions asked, but don’t try to write the answers that you think we want to hear; give us the answers that tell us about you.

• Tip #2: In your essay, help us understand your thoughts and feelings about something that is important to you. We are interested in the topic you choose, how you develop your idea, and how well you express yourself.