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Writing
an Effective College Entrance Essay
You’d think the most difficult parts of college would
be the papers, exams and finals that come after you’ve
been accepted somewhere, but for many students that is not
the case. The application essay—because it determines
exactly where you will be writing papers and taking exams
and finals for the next few years—can be a far more
daunting task.
While it helps to keep in mind that life will go on, great
entrance essay or not, don’t make the mistake some prospective
college students do and take the essay portion of your application
too lightly. Over one-third of the time an admissions advisor
spends on your application is spent on your essay(s). It is
the single best chance you have to attach a personality to
your GPA and test scores and to differentiate yourself from
thousands of other applicants. Why be merely John/Jane Doe
when you can be someone who showed us in her essay that she
is adventurous; has great leadership potential; is original,
curious and kind; and is absolutely perfect for our school?
Follow these tips to writing the best college entrance essay
you can.
Recognize the importance of the essay. Your
college entrance essays serve two purposes: to convince the
admissions advisor you are original and worthy of admission
and to show them you are more than a GPA or test score. Keep
these in mind with every sentence you write.
Brainstorm for subject matter. Whether the
school you are applying to asks you broadly for a “personal
statement” or has a very specific question for you to
answer (e.g., “What are you most proud of in your life?”),
you will find yourself with dozens of different experiences
and events to choose from. One of the best ways to identify
and then narrow down your choices is by brainstorming. Questions
to get you started include: Does any quality distinguish you
from everyone else? Have you ever worked very hard for something
and succeeded? And failed? How did you react? Has anyone or
anything heavily influenced your life? What is your strongest
personality trait? What are your most important extracurricular
activities and why? How did you get involved with them? Where
do you see yourself in the future?
The main thing you are looking for when considering subject
matter is an idea you feel passionate about. Don’t write
about an extracurricular activity because that’s what
you think a college wants to hear; write about it because
in doing so your enthusiasm, personality and originality will
shine though. Ninety percent of college entrance essays are
boring. Writing about something you have a passion for is
the best way to ensure your essay doesn’t fall into
that category.
Answer the question. You don’t want
to be passionate at the expense of the answering the question,
however. If you’re asked to write about topic X, write
about topic X, even if you’re more interested in topic
Y. No college wants students who can’t answer a simple
question. To make sure you’re on target, read through
your finished essay, asking yourself at the end of each and
every sentence, “How does this statement help answer
the question?”
Use the introduction to create mystery or intrigue.
Admissions advisors have to read hundreds—possibly thousands—of
essays. Expect them to spend a minute or two on your essay…unless
they have a compelling reason to read rather than skim. Use
your introduction to grab their attention from the beginning.
Don’t answer the essay question in the first sentence;
but rather create suspense that forces the admissions advisors
to read on.
Be yourself. Most likely, whatever experience
you choose to write about has been shared by others. What
will make your essay unique are your thoughts and feelings
during that experience. Focus on those.
Use active rather than passive voice. Passive-voice
expressions are ones in which something is being done to the
subject rather than the subject being the one to take action.
Sentences written in the passive voice are usually uninteresting
and flat. Nearly any sentence initially written in the passive
voice can be rewritten in the active.
Before: The statewide writing content’s award-winning
essay was the one I wrote.
After: I wrote an award-winning essay for a statewide
writing contest.
Stay away from the thesaurus. While it is
certainly tempting to rush for the thesaurus for some big,
intelligent-sounding words, don’t. College admissions
officers want to get to know you, not Roget. Besides, chances
are high you’re going to misuse the new, fancy words
(sorry, but that’s the truth). And even if you do manage
to use them correctly, too many big words are going to make
the essay sound contrived.
Show, don’t tell. Rather than merely
asserting you have a particular quality, use a detailed example
that showcases it.
Before: I learned patience and kindness while volunteering
at a nursing home.
After: At first, Mrs. Ellis’ tantrums and yelling
made me angry, but after a few weeks, I realized she just
wanted someone to spend time with her. As soon as we started
watching reruns of The Cosby Show every night, she, and her
roommates, were much happier.
Have others proofread your essay. No matter
how many times you reread your essay, it’s still only
one pair of eyes looking at it. And as far as essays go, the
more people who look at it the better. Have friends and family
read it over, looking not only for spelling or grammatical
mistakes, but also making sure you answered the question asked,
have an engaging introduction, use active-voice verbs, don’t
repeat yourself, haven’t left anything unclear, and
have used every single sentence to your advantage. It may
also help to ask your proofreaders what the essay shows them
about your personality. You may think you’re coming
across as original and open-minded when, in fact, others reading
it see pride and conceit.
Good luck! |
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