sample college admission essays

A successfully written paragraph should always contain the main idea along with the topic sentences. These should be complemented by the supporting details such as facts, quotations, statistics or numbers, and even examples. Make sure that your essay contains a clear and focused topic sentence, along with the other details supporting the paragraph. Your topic sentence should focus on the main idea and outline what you want to talk about in your essay.

Your essay’s supporting statements as important parts

Writing an essay entails always having a certain idea or concept. There are details of information that back it up, and these are called the supporting statements. Supporting statements are very important since they give the supplemental details to the main theme or topic. Without them, the main topic would be left alone with no details to back it up. It always follows a pattern of, first, an introductory paragraph, the body or the main support, and the conclusion, which is the summary of all the statements.

Tips in coming up with supporting paragraphs for your essay

The very first step in coming up with the needed supporting paragraphs for your essay is brainstorming. Here, you pour out all you know and everything you need to share about the most important part of your essay, which is the topic. You must identify your goals, strengths, and other vital character traits.

Other tips in proofreading your essay

One very good tip in proofreading your essay is by proofreading backwards. Doing so would eliminate the possibility of having biases on the underlying meaning of the essay. If you read forward, reading one sentence at a time, it will make you focus on the essay?s true meaning and content rather than just the sentences.

Another good tip would be to use a ruler when doing your proofreading. This will allow your eyes to proofread only a certain number of texts to read. Or, you may proofread one kind of error at one time and proofread again for another kind of error.

Related links:

Effective college essays – About effective college admission essays
Admission essay tips – About writing a winning college admission essay
Admission essay tips – About the use of passive and active voice in your essay
College admissions counselors – Tips from college admissions counselors
College application essay – About writing college application essays

When writing your college application essay, it is very important for you to be on the lookout for possible problems in your writing techniques. Find out how you can correct them. Learn the art of evaluating your own writing style, not having to wait for another person to be a critic of your work.

Check if your written essay appears too wordy or passive. There are times when your sentences would appear longer but ineffective, or shorter but effective, or stronger than necessary. Sometimes, you think your writing is perfect already, not knowing that your reader cannot actually understand your point. Writing an essay is not purely having to write with correct grammar and punctuations. It actually has to do with putting together a sentence or group of sentences to make one coherent thought.

Determining your own writing style

Determining your own writing style is very much a requirement when writing your personal statement. Why? Simply because readers have different ways of looking at one’s writing style. Establish a reputation that you are the type of writer who will only say what you mean. Remember, what the admission officers are looking for is not how intelligent or academically proficient you are, but how you intelligently convey your message.

Evaluating your writing style

If you know how to evaluate your own writing style, then you will gain better control of your writing. You should always check for wordiness, when you tend to use more words than necessary and write so many things when there is no need to say something anymore.

Tips in improving your writing style

There are so many things that you can do as a writer to improve your writing style. The best way to start is by writing things in a very appropriate tone. Another is avoid word stuffing, or the common practice of ineffective writers where they use filler words, thereby, making the reader confused as to the real message of the essay.

If you are guilty of wordiness in your essay, check for any uncertainty in your topic. Your essay might be lacking in argument, or perhaps lacking in evidence to support your essay?s main theme. If this happens, take time out to redeem yourself and know which topic you are writing about, why you are going for it, and whether you have evidences to support your belief or not.

Related links:

Connecting to readers – About how to connect to your readers
Personal statements – All about writing personal statements
Effective college essays – About effective college admission essays
Admission essay tips – About writing a winning college admission essay
Common writing mistakes – Common mistakes to avoid when writing your personal statement

If you are writing a personal statement for college admission, one of your objectives is to outshine other applicants who are lining up for the same, limited slot. Your college admission essay can break or make your application, so never use the same essay for more than a few applications. Doing so may save you time, but you won’t be able to tailor-fit your achievements and capabilities with the profile of the school.

Your college essay as a tool to market yourself

The personal statement you write for the admissions officers is a good opportunity for you to sell or market yourself. But first, make sure that you know your prospective school?s academic programs to align your credentials and personal strengths with them. That way, you can gauge if you have good chances of being chosen by the school.

Tips on how to shine through your college essay

Here are some tips on how you can make your essay stand out among the rest. First, identify what audience you have so you will know what *approach you will use on tackling your essay. Then, come up with eye-catching and attention-grabbing opening statement to hold the interest of the admissions officers. Focus the essay on yourself and discuss things that are very significant to how you have developed as an individual. The key here is to be concise but coherent all through out the essay.

What to keep in mind when selling yourself through your essay

Remember to carefully and effectively sell your self through the chosen words you use in your essay. Wrap up your essay with the uniqueness of your personality by sharing some meaningful experiences in your life and how you have successfully overcome some challenges despite the circumstances. Highlight them as something that had great impact on your life, which have dramatically helped you develop as a person. You may also list down your extra-curricular activities and your academic accomplishments by writing them creatively, enabling your word prowess. Surely, these will make reading your essay light and fun for your audience.

Related links:

College prestige – About the impact of college prestige on your future
Admission essay tips – About the use of passive and active voice in your essay
Sample admission essays – About using sample admission essays when writing your own
College admissions counselors – Tips from college admissions counselors
Effective personal statements – How to make your personal statements shine

There are various styles of writing. If you are a student writing a personal statement for school admission, you might be thinking of extreme topics to write about. Outrageous admission essays can pique the interest of the admissions panel. They can give writers extra points for creativity and diversity. However, writing an outrageous and unique personal statement is not in itself a guarantee of school acceptance or admission. It still depends on how you will make a connection to your readers.

Examples of outrageous admission essays

One of the most popular examples of outrageous personal statements was that of Hugh Gallagher. It is a classic example of a satirical essay that made it through the admissions panel. This essay ought to remind students that the admissions officers do not want to go through a list of academic achievements alone. They also want to have fun while doing their work, reading your essays.

Pros and cons of taking risks when writing your essays

Before you start writing your essay, make sure that you stick to the instructions. However, it also pays to take calculated risks when writing your personal statements. There are pros and cons in doing it. But if you think the pros outweigh the disadvantages, perhaps it’s worth the risk. Look at Gallagher?s outrageous essay, although he did not actually use it as an essay for school application, he managed to use it to his advantage.

Choosing a style that works best for you

As we know, application essays have very critical effects on your acceptance to your chosen school or university. Therefore, you should exert more time and effort on it. A very good writing style to use could be one where you have to highlight your professional goals and ambitions, at the same time balancing it with why you think their program is ideal for you. Also, always start way ahead the deadline. Otherwise, it may just be one of those deadline tasks that ineffective writers make. Write a draft, read, and rewrite it. Ask someone to read it for you, and make the necessary revisions until the essay has finally become clear, concise, and very coherent.

Related links:

Writing about disabilities – Tips on discussing disabilities in admission essays
College prestige – About the impact of college prestige on your future
Admission essay topics – Writing about rising from adversities in your college essay
College application essay – About writing college application essays
Writing college essays – Tips on writing a winning application essay

Central Michigan Life blog is the blog section of Central Michigan Life, the student newspaper of Central Michigan University. It caters primarily to the students of Central Michigan University although the university staff and instructors, university alumni, and online readers are welcome to check the site too. Although the blog does not have enough content yet, it does show a lot of promise, with its clean layout and interesting topics.

What this site offers

What I noticed about the Central Michigan Life blog is that the content they provide centers more on sports and campus encounters. In one campus encounter blog post for example, readers are presented with a unique view on CMU university life, where a few of the students are fond of climbing of trees to connect with another and feel a “sense of freedom.”

What makes this site unique is that it offers a range of news on university life, student life, sports, and campus life. It offers the latest and the most important happenings in the campus, providing updates and verified information to the students of CMU. The blog posts are short and straight to the point, making them an easy read for many busy students or web users. The navigation is easy as well, and the site includes recommended links, Twitter feeds, and even a Facebook fan page section, for a more interactive experience.

Some suggestions for improvement

There is nothing I want to change about the site, but I think it will look more authoritative if the blog title adopted a more conspicuous layout or style. A more organized layout is attainable too, if the banner ads were distributed evenly throughout the site, rather than placed too closely against one another. Still, this blog offers a wide range of content, from news to views and university life information, making it one of the finest blog sites for university students around.

When writing a personal statement for college admission, it is important to gather a lot of examples as well as details that will support the main theme of your essay. Gathering supporting evidence is necessary to convince the admissions panel that you are what they are looking for. You may write in detail how you achieved or finished a difficult task despite the unfavorable circumstances. Manage to elaborate how you dealt with it and how it has affected you as a person later on in your life.

Your admission essay as a tool to persuade your readers

You may be required to write an essay of about 500 words, but bear in mind that these 500 words can lead to your admission or rejection. When writing your personal statement, make sure that you lead the admissions officers into thinking that you definitely stand out among the other candidates, and that you are deserving of the limited slot. Aside from your scholastic achievements and extra-curricular activities, never fail to emphasize how your strengths including your persistence, motivation, and determination play significant parts in your life. These can help persuade the readers. Talk to them about your ambitions, goals, and personal views in life. Let them know how much you value college education and how this can fulfill your dreams.

Other persuasive college essay writing tips

If you are writing your college personal statement, there is only one thing to remember at all times. Always use a friendly, conversational tone. Make your essay engaging enough to pique the interest of your readers. Coherence is also one element of an essay that should never be forgotten. If there is coherence in your essay, you will be able to bargain more for persuasion. Your readers won’t get lost with transitions and will find it easy to finish reading the whole essay without feeling the strain.

Related links:

Admission essay tips – About the use of passive and active voice in your essay
Sample admission essays – About using sample admission essays when writing your own
Writing about experiences – Using personal experiences as one of the essay themes
Winning college essays – Discussions about writing a winning college essay
Best application essays – Discussions about the best application essays

You have been eyeing a certain college or university since you were young, or since the day you have figured out what course you wanted to take up after high school. You have written your college admission essay, keeping in mind the essay tips you have learned from university websites and other reputable blogs. You have submitted your essay, along with the other requirements for your college application. Now, you are merely waiting for the results. It is very likely that you will feel stress and anxiety during this stage.

Receiving an acceptance letter from your dream school

Receiving an admission acceptance letter from your dream school would surely end the agony. However, it does not end here. Depending on the university you applied for, the letter sent to you could be more than just a yes or no to your application. There may be other information and conditions regarding the entire admission process, so once you?ve got the college admission letter, you better read on until the last part.

Basic parts of a college admission letter

In general, admission letters should contain all pertinent information about the school, the status of your application, and other relevant details such as your academic profile. It is possible that you will be waitlisted, under conditional acceptance, or deferred acceptance. In case of such instances, this should be discussed in the letter.

Other things you can encounter in your letter is the name of the admission officer who reviewed your application, the name of your advisor ? someone who will assist you and answer your queries, details about deposits, enrollment, and registration, and the deadline for certain requirements such as for housing and financial aid purposes. Other college admission letters may also require a confirmation of your receipt of the admission letter and attendance.

Determining if your acceptance letter is a legit one

If the admission letter you received contains the details mentioned above, you can be assured that it is a legit letter. If you still have doubts, you can always verify by calling the university to confirm. Universities should be very careful and accurate when sending letters, because there are noted events wherein erroneous college admission letters bring threats of lawsuits. In case of rejection, you can consider filing for an appeal.

Related links:

Letter of Recommendation – All about recommendation letters and college admission
Admission Essay Samples – Guides from some universities about admission
Sample Admission Essays – General info on admission process and experienceEssays for Support – All about sample admission essays
Money on Housing – About housing upon acceptance to university

College Admissions Letter – Tips upon receiving admission letterCollege and Facebook – All about college admissions and application
Saving for College – All about going to college
College Life – All about college life and admissions
College Rejection – Tips on what to do when rejected from college admission

The passive voice is often used in formal types of writing because it often sounds more objective.  It detaches from the doer of the action but gives emphasis on the subject.  For essay writing, web content, and copywriting, however, the active voice is often used and preferred.  They say that just by focusing on the doer of the action, the active voice makes the article seem more personal and engaging.  You also get to save on space and shorten the sentences, thereby, improving its readability.

A common misconception is that you should use the active voice all the time and that switching to the passive voice is tantamount to a grammatical error.  This is not always the case.  Using both voices are essential for sentence variety and smooth flow of ideas.  Here’s what you need to know about the passive and active voice.

Pros and cons of passive voice

Let’s start with the pros.

The passive voice is preferred when emphasis should be on the object rather than on the doer.  In cases when the doer of the action is irrelevant or unknown, you can just switch to the passive voice and save yourself the trouble.

Of course, you shouldn’t stick to elementary style of writing and use simple sentences all the time.  Compound and complex sentence structures will definitely improve clarity and coherence, as well as add variety.  The passive voice can be used to emphasize the more important elements of the paragraph or the theme.  You can use this style to break free from monotonous sentences.

Now for the cons.

The passive voice often makes the sentence long and wordy.  In some instances, it also compromises clarity and meaning.  With longer sentences, it may be more difficult for some to easily understand what you’re trying to convey.

Pros and cons of active voice

Basically, the active voice requires fewer words.  It is more direct and clear since the doer of the action is established.  This stylistic approach fits copywriting well.  Most essay writers use the active voice to easily connect to their audience and stress main points.

Although the active voice is preferred, you should also try to vary your sentences, as much as you shouldn’t stick to just one style of writing,

Why the active voice is more effective

Using the passive voice is not a grammatical error but a style issue.  The active voice is preferred because it’s clearer and, therefore, more effective when relaying messages to the reader or audience.  It’s reader-friendly.

To learn more about the proper use of the active and passive voice, use sample college admission essays as guide when writing your own personal statement.

How to Effectively Support Your Essay Thesis with the Help of Sample College Admission Essays

Writing is an inevitable part of life.  Writing usually becomes persuasive, convincing others that you have a valid, logical point of view on a particular subject.  Like in college, students are often asked to present an academic argument, or a persuasive case done in writing, with the objective of convincing your reader of your viewpoint.  After a short introduction of your topic, you state your points of view, also known as the “thesis statement,” which is usually in a single sentence.  It serves as the road map of the argument you’ll be making till the end of your paper.

How strong is your thesis statement?

When you are aked to write about something requiring your analysis, interpretation, demonstration of cause and effect, or merely to take a position on an issue, you are being asked for an essay thesis statement. The very first thing you should do is gather all evidence related to your topic, then start formulating a working thesis, based on the relevance and interrelationships of the evidence you gathered. Then, analyze how strong your thesis is, since you’re also the one who is going to argue for it later on in your paper.

Evaluating your thesis

Review your first set of drafts and answer the question as to whether you have taken a position that your reader might be antagonistic about, or whether you simply stated facts or gathered other people’s opinions, putting you in a safe place of no arguments.  Sometimes, you unconsciously forget to make an argument; you just merely provide a summary.

Supporting your thesis

Check if all your arguments are relevant to the thesis statement, because even if you plenty of arguments but they are not relevant to your thesis statement, they don’t make sense at all.  They are just a waste of time, not only for you, but for the reader as well.  Make sure you incorporate adequate strong evidence at all times, also providing sufficient main ideas to fully support the statement.  One tip to really make your essay thesis heavily supported is to be specific in explaining each main topic or argument. You can add on some specific examples and accurate explanations to effectively support your essay thesis.  Also, identify what needs further clarifications and support, so you can revise and bring more impact to them.

If you feel that your main thesis has vague points and lacks backbone, then, support it with stronger and more relevant pieces of evidence.  You can do this by gathering some more relevant information about your thesis. Furthermore, before you wrap up on your essay thesis, put yourself in your readers’ shoes.  Ask, “If I were the one reading this, would I be convinced?  or at least raise relevant questions about the topics?”  Also, check if there is coherence between your thesis statement and your arguments.

Finally, check for overall unity.  Do all pertinent information relate to the thesis statement?  Make sure you presented an argument not mere facts.  If not, then that calls for you to change your working thesis, based on the evidence and pieces of information you’ve previously gathered.  Remember, a good writer always reevaluates and revises his or her writing as necessary.

Photo Credit : Jacob Botter

Using Sample College Admission Essays as Guides when Applying to Schools with Topnotch Environmental Programs

If you want to pursue a career related to the environment, you may want to check out the profiles of the following schools.  These institutions of higher learning have topnotch environmental programs.

Yale University

Yale University, with its Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, has for over 20 years, built the most credible reputation in producing brilliant conservation and environmental leaders.  They offer students with Yale Business & Environment Program, a topnotch environmental education under a three-year joint degree program, combining MBA and Environmental Master’s Degree.  Training is geared towards environmental sciences and conservation, teamed up with management development.  Yale University has also partnered with Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to select candidates with potential managerial capabilities of environmental and conservation organizations worldwide.  Through Yale University’s FES’ various programs, the candidates will be trained to emerge as effective managers posing  changes in the most critical eco-systems in the world.

There’s also the Industrial Environmental Management (IEM) Program, established in 1990, combining academic training and a comprehensive approach to intertwining environment with technology.  The program aims to train students in handling intricate, multifaceted environmental problems in the world.  Furthermore, there’s the Environmental Engineering Program which started in 1998, the most comprehensive program wherein undergraduates may choose from four degree programs: Environmental Engineering Technology, Environmental Engineering Science, Environmental Chemical and Biological Science, and Environmental Resource Management.

Washington State University

Washington State University is located in Pullman, Washington.  Though situated in the middle of vast wheat fields, the university has a lot to offer that’s why it is considered one of the best institutions in the nation.  In 2004, Washington State University was again recognized as one of the best national universities by the U.S. News and World Report.

There are many academic programs available at WSU, but one of its best education programs include Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences which offers a wide selection of specializations.  In environmental engineering, they offer general environmental engineering, air quality engineering, and hazardous waste engineering, for both undergraduate and graduate levels.  Washington State University also offers academic programs on Environmental Soil Science, which emphasizes on the basic principles of soils in relation to the quality of the environment, as well as tackling their role in agricultural and natural ecosystems.

University of Alberta, Augustana Program

Due to the rapid changing of our environment, many universities like the University of Alberta, in Camrose, Alberta,  see the need to educate students about environmental issues, such as the deterioration of our natural environment, climate change, natural resource depletion, and many others.  Thus, the University of Alberta, in Camrose, Alberta is now offering a wide selection of environmental programs.  These include the B.Sc. degree in Environmental Science and the B.A. degree in Environmental Studies at the Augustana Faculty. These are highly interdisciplinary courses which provide graduates adequate knowledge to deal with various environmental issues. The objective of their programs is to educate students about the earth’s natural processes, teach them techniques to critically analyze environmental issues, and to eventually, formulate solutions for implementation.

The experience of an Augustana outdoor education provides a rural perspective to the programs.  And their programs conform to the competency profile for universities and schools, as provided by the Environmental Careers Organization and by the Canadian Council of University Environmental Science Program Heads.

Photo Credit : JOE M500