How To Write The Best College Admissions Essay

How To Write The Best College Admissions Essay College essay writing fills most students with apprehension and dread. 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! Before the whole process even began, I already felt pressured to craft this beautifully written ssay that screamed, “This is who I am! While I was aware that I would be writing countless essays over the next couple months , the Common App college essay felt the most daunting. In most cases, you will be required to limit the essay to a certain number of characters or words. I always suggest that students not worry too much about this limitation to begin with â€" just get your ideas written down . After that, some strategic editing can be done to trim the fat off and get the essay down to the required size. Although this task may seem daunting when you think about it, it inevitably results in a more concise, streamlined presentation of your concept. Finally, make sure that the essay does not have glaring errors in spelling, sentence structure, and paragraph formulation. 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. 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. Tips for writing an effective college admissions essay are essentially the same for all students. Remember that admissions officers will be reading large numbers of essays, and you will want to create an essay that will stand out in the interesting way it is formulated, as well as in its unique subject matter. You definitely don’t want to put the readers to sleep! You have surely had certain life experiences which will provide interesting material for your essay â€" even things which you yourself take for granted. Consider how the story you have to tell would be perceived by someone else who has never before heard that story. Write analytically, rather than merely descriptively. I felt intimidated, to say the least, especially since I knew that I had to knock it out of the park with my essays if I even dreamed of being admitted to the selective schools on my list. I was terrified of clichés and blending in with thousands of other applicants, and I struggled to look away from “successful” essays, wondering if I could do what they did. Your essays are your only true voice in the application process. Everyone â€" my parents, peers, counselors, teachers â€" always emphasized the importance of the Common Application college essay. It felt so daunting, to summarize the last 18 years of my life into 650 words, all while showcasing my “unique” personality against thousands of other students. ” From working with students as a private college counselor for over a decade, I have found certain patterns in the essays that help get students into the most exclusive universities, like Stanford and Harvard. For students applying to colleges with more generous admit rates, a “wow essay” can help secure admission to reach schools. College application essays are important to winning over the admissions officers. Reading other successful admissions essays is the best way to learn how to write a college application essay. Descriptive writing is a factual account of a topic or event, simply telling what happened. Analytical writing will pose or answer questions, make comparisons, or present and defend viewpoints. Rather than just state what happened, an analytical approach will explain and interpret events. How do/did you feel about the topic about which you are writing? Besides appearing very careless, these kinds of errors can actually interfere with the ability of the reader to understand your point. As students write their essays, it might help to keep in mind why colleges ask them for these writing samples in the first place. The style and tone of a college essay are very different from most essays and research papers you write in school. So, often students aren’t sure exactly what to aim for when writing their essays. A quick and easy remedy is to read example essays written by successful applicants.