How To Write The College Essay

How To Write The College Essay Telling Caltech why you want to attend MIT is a quick way to end up in the “no” pile. Take the time to write original responses to all the prompts. It’s a lot of work, but it will pay off in the end. Are you looking to write the most awesome personal statement ever? Are you wondering what factors comprise essays that make college admissions staff go “WOW! For students applying to colleges with more generous admit rates, a “wow essay” can help secure admission to reach schools. Deciding which colleges to apply to is difficult enough, but you add to that the stress of writing a personal essay for each of your applications. So the primary purpose of the college essay is to provide an opportunity to tell your whole story. Our college essay experts go through a rigorous selection process that evaluates their writing skills and knowledge of college admissions. Admissions officers have to read an unbelievable number of college essays, most of which are forgettable. Many students try to sound smart rather than sounding like themselves. Others write about a subject that they don't care about, but that they think will impress admissions officers. It is okay for a parent to review a child’s essay; it is not okay for a parent to take over a child’s essay, tell her what words to use, what story to write, what message to send. The college essay often frightens students because they think it has to be about some extraordinary event and they may not have something momentous to write aboutâ€"that is OK. Actually, the best college essays I have read have been about mundane, everyday life. What made them great is that the students showed who they were through their writing. It really depends on the schools to which you are applying. We can tell when the student’s voice is missing; the colleges can tell too. English teachers have the best intentions when helping students with college essays, but they don’t always understand that a great English essay does not always make a great college essay. It is fine to break out of the 5 paragraph mold for a college essay, and it needs to tell about the applicant. College admissions officers tell us time and again that too many essays come to them sanitized. They want to read a genuine story written by the child in the child’s words and the child’s voice. When parents get too involved, the stories do not sound genuine. When a parent gets too involved, the story does not sound like an essay written by a 17-year-old student. With upwards of 25 or more essays to write for a balanced college list of schools, it’s tempting for students to repurpose essays across applications if the prompts are similar. While students can use the same main essay on the Common App for multiple schools, we always recommend that students tailor their supplemental essays to the individual colleges. These tend to be smaller liberal arts schools or small selective programs within a larger university. Other schools may only read an essay if there is some question/s about the other parts of the application or there is a scholarship component and the answer to the essay has influence over that decision. The college application essays are often the college application component where students experience the most stress, and the element where they’re more likely to make mistakes. Because colleges are looking for students who know themselves well, have academic goals and a career direction, and can articulate them clearly. However, admissions reps also need to know how you think. Your personal essay is supposed to give college admissions teams a snapshot of who you are as a person and who you hope to become but you don’t have to spill your guts or transcribe your whole life story. To increase your chances of getting accepted, first learn just how important your essay is and then take the time to learn the Dos and Don’ts of college application essays. Pizza, community service, grandmothers, barnacles…you name it, and admissions officers have probably read an essay about it. And given that thousands of students are admitted to colleges each year, I hope we can all agree there is no one “best” topic on which to write yourCommon App essay. What makes a college essay strong isn’t necessary its theme, but the personal and reflective story that emerges from that theme.