college admission essay format

college admission essay format

College Admission Essay Format

1. Introduction

Keep in mind that this is a targeted persuasive essay. This doesn’t imply spinning fantasies or fabrications, it means that a large portion of the essay should focus on “selling” the reader on the applicant’s character, personality, and qualifications. With that said, you cannot bore or depress the reader. It’s natural to mention failures, but an essay consisting of a list of failures will only condemn the essay to the maybe pile. Always end on a positive note, even if the conclusion is somewhat ambiguous or requires a little more thinking. A happy ending is also a great way to round off the essay and let your readers know that you aren’t the average or depressed applicant. Remember that there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. A too confident ending mirrors the tone of a person getting the last word in an argument, but leaving after the echo of his voice has died. It’s a factual victory with no one around to acknowledge that fact. A smidge of humility is verbally flirting with the readers, daring them to find the arrogance in your tales of success. Remember, a reader somewhere will look at the above paragraph and be turned off by the very idea of that essay. And that is not to say simply saying “I am humble” will solve this problem. You have to let your accomplishments do the talking and keep the tone confident but not overbearing. This is the kind of balance that’s tough to achieve, but it’s the best method for securing a reader’s lasting impression.

The most important part of the introduction is the clear and concise thesis statement, which should appear in paragraphs one, three, or four. Be confident. Avoid using the words “I hope to show” and “I believe I have proven.” The thesis should be self-evident. A few sentences in the first paragraph should provide the reader with a sense of why the writer is passionate about the topic. For example, you might describe your deep affection for the university’s science classes, the sense of accomplishment you feel every time you finish a lab, or how being part of the accepted students’ link group has taught you the value of teamwork, time management, and leadership. This part of the introduction can include much less concrete information that can serve as a hook. Like the first item, this isn’t something that can take up much space in an essay, but it can greatly contribute to the fluidity and overall cohesiveness of the paper. Imagine the introduction as a mental funnel that has yet to be constructed. The body comes later and has to be poured into the preexisting Introduction container, which can only occur if the Introduction has been constructed properly.

2. Choosing a Topic

Once you have generated some ideas about it, it is time to start thinking about how you are going to write your essay. Your essay should be structured simply – point form is okay – and check each idea. Start with a topic sentence and follow it with an explanation and evidence. If you are writing about a personal experience, you may start with a vivid description of the experience, event, or situation you will be talking about and end your introduction by telling “what happened next.” You may also think about starting an argument or making a point to greatly impact the admission officers. With every essay you write, add something that guarantees the admission officer remembers you. Whether it is something that grabbed your attention, something that will really enforce that you’re the right one for the faculty, or something that will give a good laugh. Remember, they read hundreds to thousands of essays, so it is essential to differentiate yourself. Now’s a good time to figure out who your audience will be. If you are writing for an English course, this may be the teacher. If you were writing for a conference, it would be the conference’s attendees. If you are writing to get into a college or write a scholarship, the audience will be the person or group who assigned the essay, and the audience will be whoever is deciding whether you get in or get the scholarship. Figure out who will be reading your essay and try to cook up something that will capture their attention. Make sure the essay is appropriate for the audience – just because you have a great idea does not mean that it is a good idea for an essay for a Science student if it is off-topic.

3. Structuring Your Essay

College essays are generally divided into two basic categories: the personal statement and the supplemental or “why this college?” essay. Personal statements are generally no more than two pages. The first page can be the first substantive page of the essay where you discuss your interpretation of the question and what you plan to accomplish in your essay. Often it is best to put that page to use as much information as possible about the schools and travel, so on and so forth, before moving on to more personal thoughts and experiences. The directive says: “for a person who you would like to have dinner with,” but that gives little guidance. You may take the question literally and talk about your favorite meal with a friend or family member. You may “share a meal” with someone who is influential in the philosophical and moral realm or political setting. How do you share a meal with one who is long dead, have you experienced a “supernatural” event, vivid enough to allow yourself to believe he/she was there. However, for the moment, I have chosen to treat the question as an opportunity to share a personalized “dream” dinner with a historical figure, whether it be realistic or purely idealistic. I have chosen C.S. Lewis because I find it interesting and essential that one does not have to agree with his Christian apologetics to enjoy and appreciate his literary works, including but not exclusive to The Chronicles of Narnia. Dinner is always inclusive of discussion, and conversation with Lewis would certainly be fascinating. What better way to learn the philosophies and inner messages of the Narnia series or Lewis’ thoughts than from the man himself. Step through the wardrobe and into Narnia with a slightly heated debate about the perfect nature of the universe or critique an adventure by mud and marsh that leads to uncovering a secret about the human condition. How such a meal can be known as a figment of my imagination or actually be done is beyond this brief explanation, but it is an example of the thought and diversity I would like to bring into each answer of dialogue that this prompt gives. Subsequent essays will detail more personal experiences and philosophies on myself and the world and various flow, eventually leading into an expanded purpose of living and self-understanding in the Ultimate Life. This dinner chat is an inconspicuous preliminary step.

4. Showcasing Your Achievements

Now that you have a list of possible accomplishments, give some thought to which will make the best stories. In general, you want to try to showcase two values: determination and growth. In this case, those values can be represented by the idea of shifting between band and orchestra despite the teachers telling you that you weren’t good enough, and being tasked with a daunting assignment only to succeed in report writing. Each of the stories you want to use can illuminate one of these values. Start by making a list of about five values or perhaps even ‘pet peeves’. These are all things that the stories will make the reader think. For example, time management or inability to complete anything, perhaps even complacency on a job well done. Remember, the stories should enhance what is elsewhere in the application, usually there is no need to highlight the same things twice. Now that you have your list of values and possible stories, trawl through your achievements (academic, extra-curricular, or work) and identify times when you have exemplified these values. Any time you have said ‘I’m proud I persevered and did it’ or ‘This was a turning point for me’ you have found something that you might share with a college. Remember the achievements do not have to be huge, just things that matter to you. Now put each of these into a chart placing the value as the heading and possible stories underneath. Ready to write? Now think about how to best illustrate what you have with the achievement showcase you have just created. Key Ideas and Themes: The essay is about the process and self-analysis of preparation and receipt of the college resume. This section focuses on making connections between achievements and values to showcase determination and growth.

5. Conclusion

This becomes the concluding paragraph because it simultaneously provides closure on the discussion of professionalism and moves the reader to the next section, which is a description of the work. By acting as an introduction to the next section, it provides a smooth transition. In essence, the author discusses how he is a “complicated person” who thrives in “the thrill of competition”. While starting off by saying that he does not present himself as professional because he is not, this does not take away from his argument and actually provides some humor and a little self-deprecation. He then states that he has understood that being professional does not mean changing who you are but “integrating that knowledge into what you do”. He then concludes by restating his thesis that he has indeed discovered what professionalism is and how it affects his life. Lastly, he proposes that this is a question that many fellow students share and has a look into the future, saying that in discussing these changes in himself with others he “may be instrumental in bringing about changes in others”. Overall, it is a thoughtful conclusion that is an effective end to his take on professionalism. All in all, there are three major themes in this essay. The first is a self-analysis by the author to determine if this is, in fact, a professional person. The second is the exploration of what professionalism is and how this affects the author’s decision-making and actions. The third, while not stated in a direct fashion, is an analysis of how professionalism can be taught and how the student of this day and age learns about this important behavior. All of these ideas are wrapped around the main thesis that questions if this is a professional person, and the discussion is all directed in a way that attempts to answer this question. In looking back at the introduction, it needs to be said that the goal to “show not tell” if this is a professional person was certainly achieved. In fact, the author has demonstrated that this is a person who has learned a lot about what it means to be professional, and this is conveyed through the many examples and thought analysis throughout the essay. An example of this is the discussion of the Australian cricket team. Through the use of their own success as a metaphor for the events that the author is describing in his own life, it is clear that he is equating these said events as being successful in terms of being professional.