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Jul 16, 2020 · One of the best ways to write a successful college essay for your college application is by learning from real college essay examples that worked. I've compiled a few of my favorite essay examples here that cover a variety of college essay topics.
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- Common App Essay
- Read the instructions carefully. They say starting the essay is the hardest part. You may think it’s redundant to mention that you need to read the instructions carefully, but with all the excitement and stress that characterizes this period of your life, it needs to be highlighted.
- Start with a compelling introduction. Great writing is hard to achieve, but it’s possible if you’re smart about it. Anyone who works in journalism will tell you that you can catch any reader’s attention as long as you deliver a great introduction.
- Use your inner voice. Universities are looking for authenticity and quality of thinking, so don’t try to shape your essay around phrases or ideas that people have used many times before, but base it on your genuine beliefs.
- Avoid clichés. While you research your application essay, you will be encouraged to check out some examples of great essays and get inspired. While this is a great exercise, many students allow themselves to be influenced too much by the examples, and use lots of clichés in their desire to impress the admission officers.
- know that the best ideas for your essay—the perfect opener, a great twist, a brilliant insight—often come when you least expect them. That’s why it’s a good practice to keep a reliable collection system with you at all times as you’re preparing to write your essay.
- Do not feel pressure to share every detail of challenging experiences, but also do not feel that you need to have a happy ending or solution. Your writing should provide a context within which the reader learns about who you are and what has brought you to this stage in your life.
- Read it aloud. There is something magical about reading out loud. As adults we don’t do this enough. In reading aloud to kids, colleagues, or friends we hear things differently, and find room for improvement when the writing is flat.
- We want to learn about growth. Some students spend a lot of time summarizing plot or describing their work and the "in what way" part of the essay winds up being one sentence.
- Be Authentic
- Grab The Reader from The Start
- Focus on Deeper Themes
- Show Don’T Tell
- Try Doing Something Different
- Write with The Reader in Mind
- Write Several Drafts
- Read It Aloud
- Don’T Repeat
- Ask Others to Read Your Essay
More than any other consideration, you should choose a topic or point of view that is consistent with who you truly are. Readers can sense when writers are inauthentic. Inauthenticity could mean the use of overly flowery language that no one would ever use in conversation, or it could mean choosing an inconsequential topic that reveals very little ...
You’ll be competing with so many other applicants for an admission officer’s attention. Therefore, start your essay with an opening sentence or paragraph that immediately seizes the imagination. This might be a bold statement, a thoughtful quote, a question you pose, or a descriptive scene. Starting your essay in a powerful way with a clear thesis ...
Some essay writers think they will impress committees by loading an essay with facts, figures, and descriptions of activities, like wins in sports or descriptions of volunteer work. But that’s not the point. College admissions officers are interested in learning more about who you are as a person and what makes you tick. They want to know what has ...
As you expand on whatever theme you’ve decided to explore in your essay, remember to show, don’t tell. The most engaging writing “shows” by setting scenes and providing anecdotes, rather than just providing a list of accomplishments and activities. Reciting a list of activities is also boring. An admissions officer will want to know about the arc o...
If you want your essay to stand out, think about approaching your subject from an entirely new perspective. While many students might choose to write about their wins, for instance, what if you wrote an essay about what you learned from all your losses? If you are an especially talented writer, you might play with the element of surprise by craftin...
Writing for the reader means building a clear and logical argument in which one thought flows naturally from another. Use transitions between paragraphs. Think about any information you may have left out that the reader may need to know. Are there ideas you have included that do not help illustrate your theme? Be sure you can answer questions such ...
Set your essay aside for a few days and come back to it after you’ve had some time to forget what you’ve written. Often, you’ll discover you have a whole new perspective that enhances your ability to make revisions. Start writing months before your essay is due to give yourself enough time to write multiple drafts. A good time to start could be as ...
Writer’s tip: Reading your essay aloud can instantly uncover passages that sound clumsy, long-winded, or false.
If you’ve mentioned an activity, story, or anecdote in some other part of your application, don’t repeat it again in your essay. Your essay should tell college admissions officers something new. Whatever you write in your essay should be in philosophical alignment with the rest of your application. Also, be sure you’ve answered whatever question or...
Be sure the people you ask to read your essay represent different demographic groups—a teacher, a parent, even a younger sister or brother. Ask each reader what they took from the essay and listen closely to what they have to say. If anyone expresses confusion, revise until the confusion is cleared up.
Jul 24, 2024 · Section 1—How to draft your montage college application essay; Section 2—How to draft your narrative college application essay; 7 Tips for writing your college application essay; Final thoughts and key takeaways for your college application essay
Apr 3, 2024 · College admissions officers read hundreds of essays from hopeful applicants, each of whom think their personal experiences and reasons for applying to a particular school are unique. This contributes to the difficulty in standing out in your essays, since almost anything you write about will likely have been encountered by your reader before.
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.
