Writing The College Essay

Writing The College Essay The goal of your essay is to make an impression on an admissions officer, but you don’t have much time to do it. Look for a strong opening line that really grabs the reader’s attention. The college essay is often the most difficult part of preparing your application. To help you get off to a good start, we’ve put together the following tips and hints. For example, your best trait might be determination, creativity, or compassion. Tell a story that makes that trait clear to the reader. Provide evidence by citing specific instances from your life. Our veteran admissions counselors are frequently asked to share expert advice about writing compelling college essays. We asked our admissions counselors to share their perspectives on why the college essay matters and what matters most. We trust you’ll find this information useful as you prepare your college applications. Feel free to contact our admissions staff with additional questions. George did more than 30 drafts, spending a summer writing whenever he wasn’t working at his job or hiking outdoors. Quite simply, a great college essay helps illuminate who you are. The worst things you can do is write an essay that is generic, one where if your name was replaced by another, the reader could not tell the difference. The people in the admissions office are trying to learn about you and the essay is often the last chance you have to shape their impression and understanding of you. A great college essay gives the college an opportunity to see who you really are. Pick a meaningful experience and take the reader through your process of self-discovery. Year after year they get into their top choice colleges, including the Ivies, prestigious liberal arts schools, and the best state universities. Especially tormented are the perfectionists, you dutiful students who view the college essay as just one more roadblock to be overcome with sheer will. Few things are as eternal as the search for the great college essay. But given the range of factors that go into the decision making process, it is hard to know if the “successful” essays ones really tipped the balance. That being said, the essay is something you can control so you want to make it good. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, and it made him miserable. With any luck, he’ll avoid following in his dad’s footsteps (I’m a writer) and go on to earn an honest living. Maybe he’ll advise students on their college essays, grow rich, and support me in my dotage. Our students write great application essays and become stronger writers, better prepared for college and beyond. I assisted a student who wrote about her father. A man that she adored but discovered that he was a cocaine addict. She took the reader through the stages of loving, hating, being disappointed, ashamed and finally acceptance, understanding and again loving while “Dad” was going through treatment. These are comments from our admissions staff who actually read your essays and evaluate them in the admission process. We can’t guarantee results, but this advice might help you get started. We allow students to find their voices and give them the confidence to use them, and we ultimately provide guidance on structure and editing. At Writopia Lab, we witness the power of authentic young voices every day. Students will not only have completed a college essay but will have discovered a new confidence in their own writing.