College Essay

What is in a College Essay?

Why is it so important?
The college essay tells the university about you. Other parts of your application, grades, test scores, and recommendations show what you have achieved. Your college essay shows “who you are” and shows the admissions committee your unique character. It also demonstrates your writing skills and your ability to organize your thoughts.

Types of Application Essays
Generally, there are three types of questions that could appear in an essay:

1 - The "you" question. Many universities ask for an essay framed in the following way: "Tell us about yourself." The universities just want to know you better and see how you will introduce yourself.

2 - The "why us" question. Some universities ask for an essay about your choice of their university. They are looking for information about your goals and about your commitment to this particular university.

3 - The "creative" question. Some universities might ask you a very specific question such as your view about a famous person or what a certain picture means to you. Here, the university is looking for evidence of your creativity and the breadth of your knowledge and education.

How to start your Essay
Before you do anything, read the college’s directions of the essay thoroughly (you may be required to type the essay, adhere to a specific word length etc). The essay should reveal something about you not easily derived from other parts of the application.

Essay writing steps
Essay writing requires some thought and serious preparation. To simplify the process for yourself, do the following:
 

• Prepare
• Brainstorm
• Discover your strengths
• Create an outline
• Solicit feedback
• Start writing
• Proofread at least two times
• Make sure you have at least one great idea
• Avoid big topics like “peace in the Middle East,” human rights and general human nature
• Use the active, not passive voice
• Concentrate on the positive and not the negative
• Use specifics rather than generalizations
• Be yourself. Whoever reads your essay can tell genuine feelings, interests and thoughts from fake ones. Yes, you are trying to impress others, but all they really want to know is the real you.
• Be creative. You need to convince the reader of your abilities by making your essay stand out from the rest. Think of it as an opportunity to show the university that you have what it takes to be a successful student there.
  
  AND always remember…
   
• The most important advice of all: proofread, edit, rewrite and then proofread again.
• Set your completed rough draft down for a few hours then come back to it.
• Write several drafts making sure your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are perfect. Then ask your college guidance counselor or English teacher to critique your essay and rewrite it accordingly.