Writing A College Essay

Writing A College Essay Want the strategies we have used to get students into top Ivy League schools in your email box every month? Caroline’s admissions consulting service has helped students get into Harvard, Stanford, UPenn, and Columbia. Writing about yourself can be a slippery slope, which is why it is best to stick to the truth and leave the lies behind. In the end, the admissions committee is just looking for insight into your mind and character. It’s all about the delivery, the reflection, the conversational tone, showing not telling that will make for a winning essay. To write an engaging and effective 650 word or shorter essay, you need to have a sharp focus. Allow enough space for self reflection so that whatever your topic is you spend at least some time talking about its significance to you. As you plan your essay, you definitely want to keep the length requirement in mind. Many applicants attempt to do too much with their essays and then struggle to edit them down to 650 words. Realize the purpose of the personal statement is not to tell your life story or to give an exhaustive overview of all of your accomplishments. For example, many scholarships are funded by private companies that sell products. You might want to reference those products in your essay. You’re telling your story, so write from your perspective! Simply recanting facts will not distinguish you from other candidates with equal class rank, grades and test scores. Making your scholarly endeavors personal will pique curiosity and demonstrate your potential to contribute to an academic community. If you can make the reader laugh, say “I get that” or “me too”, you are on your way to a strong application. In addition, you are sharing something about yourself that is not anywhere else in your application. Finding a cure for cancer, saving the whales singlehandedly, or traveling abroad to build homes for orphans does not automatically make a great essay. Narrate a single event, or illuminate a single passion or talent. Whichever essay prompt you choose, make sure you zero in on a specific example that you narrate in an engaging and thoughtful way. Let your list of extracurricular activities, academic record, letters of recommendation, and supplemental essays and materials show your range of accomplishments. The personal statement is not the place for long lists or catalogs of achievement. Even if you take advantage of the full length available to you, keep in mind that 650 words is not a long essay. It's roughly the equivalent of a two-page, double-spaced essay. It's about the same length as this article on essay length. It’s up to you to show them through your writing just what you can add to their school. Focus on ways you have internalized and personalized academic research and demonstrate how this will enhance the university’s academic community. Writing about hiking the Appalachian Trail or obsessively reading “To Kill A Mocking Bird” is noble but not memorable. Most essays tend to be between three and eight paragraphs depending on the applicant's writing style and essay strategy . If, on the other hand, you just touch on a wide range of topics, you'll end up with an essay that reads more like a resume. Nonetheless, admissions officers recognize that different students have different strengths. If you’re applying for a scholarship, research the scholarship provider. If you’re applying to college, research the school. Understanding what makes the provider/college unique and what their motivations are, will allow you to incorporate that information in your essay. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using “I” and “me” throughout your essay. Don’t be afraid to let your strengths, challenges, and personal stories shine through in your essay! Scholarship and admissions committees love to see that you’re self-aware how you can improve as a person, or how you’ve grown because of your experiences.