mla format for college admission essay

mla format for college admission essay

The Importance of MLA Format in College Admission Essays

1. Introduction

It is widely accepted that the bane of a college application essay is the English language in all of its intricacies. It is even harder for an ESL student. This is why it is very important to use the most proper and clear language throughout your essay with an emphasis on the English language. This can be a hard task for any student with English as their second language but with the proper guidance and a lot of practice, this can be proven doable. It is important that you choose a writing style that best represents the field that you are entering. For example, if you are going into a career in research or academia, it is best to use formal language. A student entering a field involving people, such as teaching or social work, should write with a compassionate and personal tone. This shows that it is not only important to use proper MLA format, but also a writing style that is fitting for the essay and intended career. A good way to ascertain if you are using proper language is to have friends, teachers, and family read your essay to see if they understand your intentions and if it is a good representation of your goals.

The college admission essay could mean a make or break situation for a student. If you don’t present an essay that is organized and eloquent, it’s possible that it may get lost in the shuffle even if you have great grades and test scores. It is vital that you write an essay that is well learned and articulate. An essay that flows well and is structured in the proper format is bound to be taken more seriously. This means that your essay should be no more than a page and a half long; a 500-word essay in 12-point font, double-spaced is ideal.

2. Understanding MLA Format

How to create a section that meets the criteria. a. Prohibitively weighty literature will only serve to confuse the student by creating a fog of words that do little to enlighten the contemplation of the topic. A well-tempered mix of instruction and real-world examples should fit the bill nicely. A good approach is to use an easy-to-understand step-by-step format paired with a piece-by-piece breakdown of instructions. b. Paying special attention to the terminology used and how it is presented, connecting with the student in the way that they comprehend is key. MLA format is a foreign concept to nearly every high school student, so simplification is a must. This can manifest in explanations pertaining to the “online baby steps” with a computer, including clicking on a link and double-clicking an icon. If writing in such simplistic terminology is beneath the author, place yourself in the student’s shoes and consider the confusion of a poorly explained concept. By no means is the goal to infantilize the student, but clarification will facilitate the absorption of knowledge. c. The final point to consider is the layout and sequence. A writer crafting a guide of this nature should stay grounded in the familiar territory of the step-by-step process. Leaving out minutiae about the end result and instead utilizing an example to show a specific step will prevent tangents into unrelated subjects. No direct relationship to the task at hand equals confusion for the student.

3. Benefits of Using MLA Format in College Admission Essays

First and foremost, MLA is a universal formatting structure that clearly states the writer’s decisions and their understanding of the writing. By using the format, the writer is able to obtain credibility from their audience because they are showing accountability to their sources, which in turn strengthens the writer’s credibility on the subject the essay is written about. When information is presented to an audience with confidence and credibility, the writer easily relays his message which creates an altogether more meaningful understanding on the topic at hand. With a greater understanding of what the writer is conveying, there is more direct validation to the purpose and goals of the paper; thus the end result being a higher quality essay with a profound message. It also helps the writer organize their sources by providing a blueprint for the citation page. The citation is created at a time during the writing process when the writer has the most knowledge of the subject. Time and effort are invested in using MLA format because it is known that the end product will be a reflection of the dedication shown in creating the message. This is the goal of anyone writing a college admission essay in hopes of gaining acceptance into their school of choice.

4. Tips for Implementing MLA Format in Your Essay

First, decide if it is essential to have a title page. Some teachers actually do not want a title page, so this would be a waste of time if he or she did not. Always follow teacher guidelines. If no instructions are given, a safe bet is to include a set of information about the assignment on the first page of your paper. Confirm what your teacher wants in this set of information. Next to each number, there should be the appropriate last name and page number. This comes at the top right of each page (header). The alignment needs to be to the right. Keep in mind, you need one line space in the entire MLA format paper. Now move to the first paragraph and make sure it is indented. The easiest way to do this is hit the space bar for 5 lines in the first paragraph. Then proceed to the line spacing setting and double space the first paragraph only. This will assure the 5 lines are double spaced. The following paragraphs of the paper will also be double spaced. This is perhaps the most common mistake.

5. Conclusion

MLA is based on the idea of using a common set of guidelines and rules to create easy to understand and read paper. MLA guidelines contain rules regarding paper format and language use. Those rules are used to make the paper look neat, presentable and easy to read. MLA style is established by the Modern Languages Association and is also constantly improved and altered. With these guidelines, college admission essays are more presentable and easy to read. An essay written in a disorderly site with coverage it may not be able to impress the reader and may be tagged as an uninterested read. This would not be good for the writer as it will not make a good impression to the reader. An unclear essay can be and will be misinterpreted. The writer can directly communicate to the reader but an essay is like a monologue without someone listening and it is hard to show clear intentions on an essay. So it is in the best interests to write a clear and presentable college admission essay.

The college admission essay, no matter how well written, may feel incomplete if the proper format is not used. The MLA format is an old writing style that is still used today to make papers look presentable and easy to read. An important step before someone wants to take up college is to have an essay on why they should take up college. A college admission essay can be the single most important document; a make or break essay that is the key into getting into one’s favorite college. The whole purpose of the essay is to make a good first impression and show the reader the reason why you deserve to be in that college, thus the essay needs to be written with the right amount of thought and with a clear coherent answer as to why.