College Essay

Student Essay

Since increasing emphasis is being placed on the quality of the student's application, it is important that the application be thorough, thoughtfully completed and received by the advertised deadline. Essays should be well written and reflect appropriate time and care in their preparation. The application is the student's portion of the process. Please encourage your student to have many people proofread their application. From the viewpoint of an admissions committee, a poorly prepared document makes a very definite statement about its author. Students must realize the importance of this segment of the process and the impact it can have on a final decision. While many college ask for a personal statement and it is very time consuming part of the application, it is one of the most critical! An especially weak or strong piece of writing can often sway the opinion of an admissions committee. Some colleges include faculty members on their admissions committee and these readers tend to pay particular attention to writing style, technical correctness, and content of the essay. The best advice.....and it cannot be overstated...is to take real care in preparing the essay portion of the application. Students should begin rough drafts in the spring and anticipate several rewrites. It is important for students to consider the appropriateness of topic and quality of writing.

Essay Do’s and Don’ts

There is no formula to writing an essay; no right or wrong answers. Be true to yourself and write what you care about.

What to Do:

Be original in your word choice and the way you present your ideas. Your essay should be in your voice. Colleges can tell the difference between a student’s essay and on that has been overly edited by a parent or adult.

Your essay should give the admissions reader insight into you as a student and a person. This is your opportunity to show the admissions committee what is unique and outstanding about you.

Address the essay topic. Avoid generalizations.

Know the word limit on the essay and stick to it. Be precise and to point.

Proofread your essay. Have others review it to give you feedback and suggestions. Ask the reader if it accurately reflects you as a person.

Write about a topic that you are passionate about.

Remember your audience. Understand the college you are applying to; why are they asking these questions?

What NOT to Do:

Do not be funny if you are not a comic writer. This may not come across as you expect to the admissions committee.

Do not repeat information in your essay that can be found elsewhere in your application. Do not just repeat your resume information or activities list.

Do not write “what you think the admissions committee wants to read.” Remember your audience while being true to yourself and be honest.

Do not use an essay that was written for an academic class. You don’t need a thesis and don’t use a thesaurus, big words are not necessary.

Do not wait until the last minute. You will need at least three drafts.

Do not get too many people involved in your essay. Pick one or two people to read your essay. If too many people get involved you lose “your voice” in the essay. It should always be in “your words” . Limit parent involvement.

Reasons college admissions have you write essays:

To see how well you write. Grammar, punctuation and sentence structure.

Your sense of maturity and perspective; values. What qualities would you bring to the school? How will you fit in?

To get to know you better. Tell about yourself; who you are.

Think of it like this.....if you were to have coffee with the admissions representative what would you say that is NOT found in the application and you want them to know about you?