college application writing

college application writing

The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Successful College Application

1. Introduction to College Applications

The college application process can be terrifying, at least at the start. All those application forms, along with the recommendation letters, essays, and, of course, the SAT and ACT score reports, make up one of the last steps in your high school years as you plan for the future. However, with the right attitude and a little bit of organizational spirit, you really can survive the college application process. This book was designed to make the process a whole lot easier. With the right ingredients, like commitment and hard work, you could even have some fun. Throughout the pages ahead, you will be guided through the entire process of applying to college, from start to finish. The very idea of getting started now—checking out the colleges, deciding which college you want to attend, and what you would like to study when you get there—is sure to cause you to wonder if you have really done all the things necessary while you were a high school student.

So, the time has finally arrived. Final exams are over and with them the school year. Summer vacation has just started, and you finally have the time to take a break and catch up with all your friends. This year not only marked the end of one year of your academic career but also the start of the most challenging and important periods of your student life. On the one hand, you are no longer a freshman, no longer a sophomore, no longer a junior. You have finally become a senior, and are now on a home stretch toward the end of your high school involvement. In the fall, you will be taking that big step called college.

2. Crafting a Compelling Personal Statement

2.2. What is the purpose of a personal statement? The personal statement should be a “personal declaration of who you’re representing as a student at an individual level,” not merely “a showcase of accomplishments.” Additionally, the personal statement is an opportunity for students to share their values, passions, and motivations. It allows them to demonstrate their creativity and originality in a style and voice that colleges cannot glean from other parts of the college application. With its great importance, the personal statement can play a big role in an admissions office’s decision. It is essential that a student puts their best foot forward.

2.1. What is a personal statement? A personal statement is your opportunity to separate yourself from the pack during the admission process. You may be asked to write in response to the personal insight questions or one of the prompts provided by the (non-Coalition) application service. This is also an important part of the College Board’s recent move to offer a “Personal Statement” service that focuses exclusively on college-related activities and achievements. College admissions officers understand that you are more than just college-related activities and achievements. Make sure to express yourself about who you are as an individual in the personal statement. The purpose, the audience, and the context of the personal statement. The personal statement as insight.

3. Showcasing Your Extracurricular Activities and Achievements

As you brainstorm by jotting down the ideas and concepts related to your extracurricular activities, achievements, and financial requests, you should make a list, write out full sentences, and then write an essay. Remember to include as much specific sensory information as possible to make your experience come alive and help the admissions committee understand why you have been successful on your path and how you have changed your life.

You should write about the community service, volunteer work, hobbies, travel, employment, internships, work experiences, mentors, role models, research positions, independent projects, national recognitions, awards, honors, and scholastic achievements. You should write about your leadership positions, the length of time that you committed to these activities, and any unique impacts that you made. You should also write about your goals and qualities to show how these extracurricular activities and achievements are related or contribute to your short-term and long-term plans and self-improvement.

When choosing your extracurricular activities and achievements, you should also take into consideration the values of the college you’re applying to. Research their mission statement, their activities and student organizations, and the degree programs they offer. By identifying these values, you can align your values with them and only write about the activities and achievements that you’re most proud of.

Choose your extracurricular activities and achievements wisely. They should reflect who you are as a person, especially in relation to your interests, motivation, and goals. Don’t start from scratch during the year before college applications are due. Get involved with the community, research its programs, and thoroughly understand it through active participation. This way you can use your free time to help the community and not just to brush up your college resume.

4. Navigating the Common Application and Supplemental Essays

First and foremost, it’s important to realize that your personal statement, while most widely used by universities, is only one part of your entire application process. The second most important piece of the application is the combination of supplemental essays that some schools require. Although the major portion of your application is filled out within The Common Application or Coalition Application, essays for these more traditional routes only scratch the surface of the college’s interest in getting to know potential students. For the remaining schools on your list, you will be asked to write a number of individually-tailored responses to the supplemental essays unique to each college. That’s why now, more than ever, while the relatively minimal flow of assignments still allows you to, is the time to write your heart out.

The next part of the college application process is writing the supplemental essays required by many colleges, either in addition to applying through the Common Application or in place of it. There are a few important things to know about supplemental essays for both first-time and transfer candidates. First and most importantly, supplemental essays are meant to be a second chance for students to tell admissions officers something about themselves that they didn’t get to share in their personal statement and the rest of their application. Additionally, each college’s questions are unique, so too should your answers be. The way you talk about your failed attempt at being on the varsity soccer team or about your “Aha!” moment for wanting to major in astrophysics is very different from the way another student might discuss their personal experiences. Finally, the first and best place to find all of the essay prompts for the colleges on your list is the individual websites for each of the schools.

5. Tips for Securing Strong Letters of Recommendation

It is important to plan ahead and ensure that the teachers you are thinking of asking in junior year will still be there and remember you in senior year. Make sure you invest time and energy in getting to know your junior year teachers so you are well-placed to ask for a strong recommendation near the end of junior year. It is ideal to ask for recommendations in May or June for college applications that occur in the fall. This allows you to provide your teachers with the documents and information needed ahead of time – before the end-of-the-year stress. By doing so, your letters will be written while your teachers still remember your year in their classes, ensuring a more detailed and compelling letter.

Some faculty members write one letter of recommendation for hundreds of students. They don’t recognize the power a strong letter of recommendation can have or why they should take the time to write a detailed letter for an applicant. To help your professors recognize why it is important to put thought into their letters, be proactive. Meet with your recommender either in person or via email and explain the purpose of your college application essays and how much weight letters of recommendation carry in the application process. In addition, offer to provide a list of your accomplishments during your time in class and other information you would like included or discussed in their letters.