practical advice writing college app essay.pdf

PRACTICAL ADVICE ON WRITING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY Top Five Most important Points 1) The essay can make the difference in whether you are accepted, waitlisted/deferred or rejected. 2) Start early; have essays drafts ready before the senior year starts 3) The essay is error-free; ask two or three grammarians to proofread 4) Yawn. The essay must be interesting to read. Admissions officers read hundreds, perhaps thousands of essays you need to stand out for the right reasons. Be memorable, but not shocking or outlandish. 5) Optional essays are mandatory if you want to be accepted. Topics/Styles to Avoid • Trips or vacations • Adversity (many times these essays give reasons for colleges to reject an applicant); if you select the adversity essay, be very careful • Essays that match the applicant to the college because of climate, prestige/reputation, friends, parents, fun or some other shallow reason. • Influential books, people, or events that are nothing more than a report from Wikipedia. • Major catastrophes (unless you have firsthand experience) • Humor that isn’t funny or is offensive to a subgroup • Going over the word limit • Essays written by parents or a college counselor • Essays published in books and merely copied or paraphrased • Avoid gimmicks • Do not exaggerate • Avoid getting too personal; highly personal information used for shock value seldom works • Avoid bragging or an arrogant tone • Rehashing activities or something else in the application which could be inferred • Making excuses (e.g., I have a low GPA because my parents watch reality TV every night) • Avoid telling your life story in 500 words; go for the slice of life • Overused topics or topics from books of essays • Melodrama (“It was a dark, stormy night . . .”) or overuse of adjectives to the point that the nouns