college essay tips and examples

college essay tips and examples

Crafting a Winning College Essay: Tips and Examples

1. Introduction

Parents, while the student fills out these applications, may freely clip the following information. These clippings can even be attached with traditional rubber cement to the windowless beige walls of the student’s chosen institution of higher learning when they are accepted, settled, moved in, and the family walks away into the sunset, leaving the student behind. The students can also organize a college planning system in which they can follow step by step instructions as they complete their applications. This way, the stress is shared and the process becomes more organized and structured. When filling out college or job applications, most well-qualified high school graduates don’t have much trouble simply filling out the generic forms. However, as evidenced by pre-application fears and the incredible procrastination often seen by high school students during the college application process, many students find the personal essays that are usually mandatory a bit overwhelming.

As the summer season winds down and school comes back into session, people begin to flock to cooler climates and find themselves packing for school. But for some students, school is the beginning of that nerve-racking but exciting time when they fill out those sudden forms known as college applications. Then, after the decision to go to college, and at the same time the harder decision of choosing which ones to attend, comes the time to write those petrifying essays known as college essays. Here are some general tips, examples, and ideas to help take the stress out of writing those personal college essays.

2. Understanding the Purpose of the College Essay

Simply put, the college essay provides you with an opportunity to be more than just another list of qualifications on a college application and it can help you stand out from other candidate pools. Mentors and teachers might believe that listing your accomplishments and extracurricular activities on your application clearly demonstrates why you are a good applicant, but this is often not the truth. They do not see your unique qualities or a bigger picture view of your academic performance or how others view you. Only writing and crafting a college essay can establish these personal connections and showcase this broader view. These essays are particularly important because they are part of a combo that will ultimately help students get into their dream college. In most cases, their performance and the personal understanding they convey are taken into account by admission committees to be as influential as the SAT or ACT score and the overall GPA.

Unlike academic essays, college essays are more emotionally charged and often much more personal. They leave a lot of space for creativity and self-expression to showcase to the salespersons of a particular college or university why the applicant is a perfect fit. Their purpose is to give a college admission committee an insight into the student that cannot be obtained through their high school transcripts or recommendation letters. By examining a student’s ideas, values, or dreams, colleges learn what makes the applicant unique and what will bring them to the campus community. Furthermore, college essays illustrate a student’s ability to think, write, and express themselves, making them comprehensive of the curriculum’s goals and durable value.

3. Key Elements of a Strong College Essay

While writing your essay, don’t forget the laws of good writing. One important decision is picking the right topic. What should you avoid at all costs? The most important reason is that you don’t want to give the admissions committee any reason to doubt your application. If your paper is driven by a fictional story, the reader may end up doubting your credibility – even if everything else in the application is perfect. Evidence of insincerity can hurt your candidacy. The college is looking at how you will enrich the experience of their other students. Your resume can and should share pertinent information, but the essay is usually your best opportunity to share your unique, qualitative aspects. This information is very useful when composing a college essay.

What is an indispensable part of the college application process? The college essay. What does the college essay do for you? It provides an opportunity to explain to a college your individuality, describe your goals, achievements, and anything else simply not feasible from other parts of the application. An essay is a part of the process – an important part of the process. The essay also provides you with an opportunity to say what hasn’t been said in other parts of your application. When a college looks at your essay, they can tell the quality of the students they are admitting. Remember that an admission essay is a personal essay. It is what you write that will make a difference. You need to create an emotional experience for the admission officials. Their admissions committee has to live through your experiences when they read what you have written.

4. Tips for Writing an Impactful College Essay

4. Grab their attention: The best essays tell a story. If the story gives the reader what sets you apart from other applicants, then you can grab their attention. It is this personal piece that sets your story apart. Often the best essays are the ones that have the most impact on your reader. As important as it is to grab the reader’s attention, it is important to do so in a positive light. Using humor to make the decisions you need to create a kicker of an essay. Using the right verbs and adjectives can give your essay a unique voice. Be creative with the questions you use and use attention-getting techniques. Your little habits reveal to a college guy that you are not careless, blind, cynical, or deeply invested. So your never private, deep thought is awesome. If they are already familiar with it, they can point out during the interview which essay realizations are not from your mind. Again, be honest and genuine in your responses.

3. Tell your story—brilliantly: College essays are not academic. You aren’t required to analyze complex global issues, conduct research, or develop a thesis. You aren’t told to prove your intellectual prowess. After all, you are writing a personal essay. The structure and style vary to ensure you are not consciously writing to your reader. Spark’s value lies in helping students identify, develop, and express their best written self. College admission officers are using your essay less as a gauge of your intellect and more as a window into your diverse inner perspectives.

2. Take chances: We’ve helped thousands of students write amazing college essays and successfully apply to college. Not one of them has ever said, “I can’t believe you advised me to write about that.” They may be great in person, but on paper they’re average at best. Personal statements don’t have to be a chore. The students who have written the best essays display a willingness to share the story of their lives, mistakes, and ultimately growth.

1. Keep it personal: The college essay is your chance to share your personality, goals, influences, challenges, triumphs, life experiences, or lessons learned. Not to mention why you’re a good fit for the college or university—and why it’s a good fit for you. These are the stories behind the list of activities and leadership roles on your application. The applicant who writes an essay that reflects the maturity born of experience is one who stands out. And, most importantly, have the courage to share your life.

5. Examples of Successful College Essays

This is a very personal essay, as was mine. I would only recommend that the ending be a bit. The college essay should represent a student’s true feelings. Today’s media doesn’t know because they would characterize me as this perfect student. That essay was a leap of faith, and thanks to a good decision, it worked! However, creativity is key. The response is broken down into specific parts-the introduction, a creative first paragraph, and an adjective-filled conclusion. This can be a good model. The danger is that the essay can be blasted as pretentious by the admissions committee. The letter contains a key sentence that distinguishes this high school senior from the run-of-the-mill variety. If you can reveal your exotic imagination, have an interesting treatise, or exhibit impassioned writing, you are a shoe-in.

When I wrote my essay, I knew it would be remembered because it was very personal. But I didn’t realize that the essay might need to breathe on its own. Denise and I talked about it and I decided to send it in on its own. That was a gamble which paid off because Harvard is interested in personal qualities, as well as your actual qualifications. The essay is the most important part of a college application, so that meant I had to get in. Now I didn’t have any publishing credits or anything, so I was very personal in my essay. It was a leap of faith. The reason the college essay is so important is that it is the only opportunity the students have to speak to the admissions committee.