tips for writing your college admissions essay by gregory lloyd you 146 re about to write one of the most important essays of your life. You 146 re an interesting person and it 146 s time you show those college admissions officers just how interesting and unique you are. They want to know something about you that 146 s not indicated by your resume, your sat score, your grade point average, academic awards, or any other document you include elsewhere in your application package.

They want a focused, well organized essay that helps them get to know a bit about your character and personality, what drives you, and what excites you. Of course, you have only a limited amount of words to do all this, which is good and bad. Good because you need to write only a few hundred words bad because you 146 ve got to get your point across in just those few words. To make an impression, your essay must stand out from the crowd and elicit an emotional response from the reader. Here are some tips that will help you prepare a memorable essay that will get read. The purpose of the essay is to show the admissions committee the real you, why you think and act the way you do, and what motivates you.

So don 146 t write as if you are someone else, use stilted language, or gloss over how you really feel. For example, instead of showing yourself as a victim, focus on how you overcame the situation. You 146 re not running for miss america, so avoid presenting your solutions to world peace and hunger. As you 146 re writing and revising, continually ask yourself if you would be interested in reading your essay. show genuine enthusiasm. nothing draws a reader more than writing that 146 s invigorating. create some mystery. you’ve taken the tests, requested the recommendations, completed the common app, and now it’s finally time to refocus on what you’ve been putting off: the essay.

While most students spend days, sometimes weeks, perfecting their personal statements, admissions officers only spend about three to five minutes actually reading them, according to jim rawlins, director of admissions at the university of oregon. High school seniors are faced with the challenge of summarizing the last 17 years into 600 words, all while showcasing their unique personality against thousands of other candidates. It’s hard to find a balance between sounding professional and smart without using all of those long words, says lily klass, a senior at milford high school in milford, mass. I’m having trouble reflect myself without sounding arrogant or rude or anything like that. The following tips will help applicants make the leap from ‘average’ to ‘accepted’: 1. Open with an anecdote. since the admissions officers only spend a brief amount of time reviewing stories, it’s pivotal that you engage them from the very beginning.

Instead of trying to come up with gimmicky, catchy first lines, start by sharing a moment, says janine robinson, writing coach and founder of essay hell. These mini stories naturally grab the reader … it’s the best way to really involve them in the story. Put yourself in the school’s position. at the end of the day, colleges want to accept someone who is going to graduate, be successful in the world and have the university associated with that success.

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In your essay, it is vital that you present yourself as someone who loves to learn, can think critically and has a passion for things anything. Colleges always say to show your intellectual vitality and curiosity, robinson says. They want kids who are going to hit the ground running zoom to class and straight out into the world. Stop trying so hard. one of the biggest mistakes students make is trying too hard to impress, robinson says. Trust that it is those every day, specific subjects that are much more interesting to read about.

Colleges are tired of reading about that time you had a come from behind win in the state championship game or the time you built houses in ecuador, according to robinson. Get creative! furthermore, you’re writing doesn’t have to sound like shakespeare. These essays should read like smart, interesting 17 year olds wrote them, says lacy crawford, former independent college application counselor and author of early decision. a sense of perspective and self awareness is what’s interesting. Swap sophistication for self awareness there is a designated portion of the application section designated to show off your repertoire of words. Using sat words in your personal statement sounds unnatural and distances the reader from you.

I think most students are torn between a pathway dividing a diary entry and a press release. Write about what matters to you, not what matters to them crawford recommends students begin by answering the question, if you had 10 minutes to talk to them in person, what would you say? the admissions teams are looking for authenticity and quality of thinking. Theoretically, i think anything could be ‘the perfect topic, as long as you demonstrate how well you think, your logic and ability to hold readers’ attention, crawford says.

Read the success stories. the best advice is to read essays that have worked, robinson says. You’ll be surprised to see that they’re not winning pulitzers they are pieces of someone. Rawlins recommends showing the essay to a family member or friend and ask if it sounds like the student. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. while colleges tend to nod to disadvantaged students, roughing up your background won’t help your cause. It’s less about the topic and more about how you frame it and what you have to say about it, robinson says.

The better essay is has the most interesting thing to say, regardless of a topic that involves a crisis or the mundane. The essays serve as a glimpse into how your mind works, how you view the world and provides perspective. If you have never had some earth shattering experience that rocked your world, don’t pretend you did. Follow the instructions. while the directions on the applications may sound generic, and even repetitive after applying to a variety of schools, rawlins points out that every rhyme has a reason.