College essay season is right around the corner! As this is the time many students
finally turn to the dreaded essay as the final part of college applications, we're here with some tips to help you write the best college application essay you can!
College application essays are usually the last thing students do when applying for colleges, because it is the portion that requires the most effort and thought. Admissions teams pay close attention to the essay students write, and can often tell in one paragraph if the essay is good, and if that student should be offered admission to the college. Remember, they read thousands of essays during this time of year, yet can only offer acceptance letters to a few select amount. That being said, the essay is crucial. So let's go over four important things to remember when writing your essay that will help you stand out to admissions.
Be Authentic
Admissions officers are looking for genuine voices. Write in a way that reflects your true
personality and experiences. Reflect on a core belief, explore your cultural background, or tell a story that demonstrates who you are. Rather than listing accomplishments only, be sure to include aspects of what makes you who you are, and how you grew from the situation you're writing about. Don't try to sound overly impressive or changing aspects of the story or your character to try to sound like the school. Admissions teams welcome different perspectives, and want to experience the world through your eyes.
Be Passionate
Share why you are passionate about a specific extracurricular activity or volunteer project. This could be something you started or are involved in your community. Or discuss a subject or topic that fascinates you and how you've pursued that interest outside of the classroom. This could range from anything creative (art, singing, theater), to sports, to a school subject that intrigues you so you pursue it further. Highlight any unique experiences or circumstances that have shaped your worldview and made you who you are.
Typically, what we're passionate about we lead in. Describing a time you took initiative or led a project, organization, or team, and how it impacted others and yourself. Even if it didn't go as planned or outright failed, there is often a valuable lesson to be learned through this, and often help in an essays case such as this. Maybe it led you to create something different, or was the pivot you needed to something else, or you persevered and continuted finding a way to succeed. Regardless of what the situation, bringing your passion to your essay shows admissions who you are on a different level.
Reflect
Focus on the "why" and "how." Why does this experience matter to you? How did it change or shape you? Admissions teams want to know not just about the experience, but who the person applying for their school is today and how that experience helped
cause this person to exist. Reflecting on the moment is often a great way to show this.
Simply telling admisisons who you are is one thing, but the opportunity to go so much deeper and showing them how you got to be the person you are, and why it's meaningful, gives the team a more comprehensive view on who you are as a student and a person who could be attending their school. Especially if you tie in why your story is meaningful to the morals, values, or vision of the school.
Be Different
When writing your essay, you'll want to be careful to stay unique and true to yourself. It can be easy to get swept into saying what you think admissions will want to hear, but you risk your essay sounding scripted, generic, or completely unlike you! There's a saying that goes: "Your admissions essay should be so tailored to you that if your name was taken out and someone else's put in, it wouldn't be accurate." Aim for this! You're a unique individual with unique experiences. Capitalize on this during your essay.
We hope this helps you with figuring out the basis of your college essays! Thank you for reading!
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