These days, most colleges require that your application essay be no more than 500 words. In that essay, colleges expect you to reveal your writing ability and, just as important, the real you, with a capital y. Who are you? what makes you tick? what are your hopes, expectations, fears, joys, tastes, desires, foibles, sins, and virtues? that’s a lot to expect of a 500 word college application essay. Forget that list two sentences ago you can’t fit all that in 500 words. you must narrow the focus of your essay. So what do you write? some experts suggest that you start your 500 word college application essay with a brief personal story and then draw a moral from it that expresses your values.

There’s nothing wrong with that advice, but if i were a college admissions officer, i’d be sick by now of essays that begin with a touching little tale about a wise grandfather, a handicapped sibling, or a south american orphan the applicant met on a summer good works trip. I’d prefer hearing about why you still drink only chocolate milk at the age of 17, or how bonnie sue mckay broke your heart at the age of twelve and how you got over it by learning to quilt , or why table tennis is your favorite sport, or how you, with your tin ear, wept the first time you heard schumann’s piano concerto. Give me concrete images: a chocolate milk stain on a white hospital gown, a quilting needle stuck in your index finger, a cracked ping pong ball behind the basement furnace, a scratchy old recording coming out of a friend’s ipod. Give me wit, if you’ve got it, but don’t strain for something that doesn’t come naturally. Give me honest feeling, not prepackaged, hallmark card, tell ’em what they want to hear mush.

If i’m your college admissions officer, think hard about chocolate milk or bonnie sue or table tennis or schumann, and answer me this question, as accurately and honestly as you can: why is this important to you? if you think you know the answer to that question before you start writing, then you don’t know what writing is. Writing through thinking and brainstorming and free writing and revising and revising is a way of searching for the answers to such a question and then writing down those answers as accurately as you can. a good essay would surprise the you you were before you began to write it. i’m not a college admissions officer, but if i were, i’d say this: the subject of your essay doesn’t matter. Not everybody else, and certainly not some imaginary admissions officer honestly do care about. Think of this not as an exercise designed to impress colleges, but as a piece of writing as sincere as a love letter. In other words, it can be about lap blankets or roger federer, not necessarily about environmental awareness or your grandfather. I’m a professional writer and college writing teacher i knew i could make his essay better.

If colleges wanted to know what he had to say and how he said it, then the work had to be his. Who knows, you may want to write something you don’t want to show your mother or your guidance counselor. Do you really want them to know about your crush on bonnie sue or your fear of white milk? i know that many college applicants get help some of them get lots of help on their application essays. Why? because that’s the rule, and even if it’s a narrow and arbitrary rule, you need to prove you can color inside the lines. In my next post to this site, i’ll give you some advice about how to write concisely and make the most of those, or any other, 500 words. ed weathers is a retired magazine writer, editor, and college writing instructor.

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With so many other qualified candidates applying, this one little essay can often mean the difference between being accepted to the school of your dreams and never moving out of your parents' basement. But don't let that scare you away from trying! think of your college admissions essay as an opportunity to stand out from other applicants and really make an impression. With some planning and careful consideration, you can draft a great college admissions essay that will vastly improve your chances of being accepted to the college of your choice.

Sometimes a college may specify a topic for you, other times they may let you choose your own either way, make sure your focus is both narrow and personal. Pick one story or event in your life to focus on don't try to cover everything and don't ramble. Don rsquo t write a resume or list your accomplishments this information can be found elsewhere in your application. Your college admissions essay should tell a clear and engaging story, perhaps one about overcoming a difficult time in your life, getting your first pet, or where your love of gardening comes from. Try and view the college admissions essay portion of your application as an opportunity to highlight who you are as an individual.

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The application gives the admissions officer facts about you, but the college admissions essay tells him or her who you really are. Other qualities he or she will be looking for include empathy, confidence, creativity, persistence, and organization. Consider starting it off with a relevant quote, anecdote, question, or brief story. Grab the reader's attention and make him or her want to read your college admissions essay, not put it at the bottom of the pile! don't be afraid to add a little humor to your essay mdash but just a touch! you don't want the admissions officer thinking you aren't taking the task seriously. However, a well placed witticism can lighten an especially deep or personal essay.

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Watch out for vague or meaningless sentences and be especially aware of unintended meanings. Nothing can ruin a great piece of writing like a clich it sounds lazy and it can seem as though you're trying to make up for poor content. You want the person reading your college admissions essay to think you are smart, fresh, and creative you don't want the reader rolling his or her eyes at an overused simile. Don't just say your mission to guatemala opened your eyes and leave it at that describe how working with orphaned children really changed your perspective on western life and why. You can't just write one draft of your college admissions essay and think it will be ready to send. After you've completed your rough draft, take some time away from it and start again with fresh eyes. Don't look at particulars like spelling and grammar rather, look at the college admissions essay as a whole.

Once satisfied with your revised college admissions essay, it's time to edit for clarity, spelling, and grammar. Writers are often unable to see mistakes in their own work, so having someone else check your essay will double your chances of catching any stray errors. Our admissions essay editors will examine your college admissions essay and ensure it is not only free of errors, but that it also makes sense. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to write your college admissions essay don't expect to write it the night before you need to submit your application. Allow yourself plenty of time to brainstorm ideas, write the initial draft, revise, and edit your application.

All you need to do is relax and enjoy telling your story! just last week, i urged college bound seniors to relax a little. I'm still sticking to that, but it seems there is one part of the application that could benefit from a little more, shall we say, focus. Most students complete a college application in the order it's written: giving their name and address, listing their awards and test scores, embracing the large essay that outlines their life or wrestling with that essay, which is a special kind of embrace and completely overlooking that dinky little essay that comes near the end. With many colleges, that dinky little essay asks a question like, what specific programs or qualities attract you to our college, and lead you to believe your college goals will be attained if you are admitted? 150 words in other words, it's great you want to go to college.