Why Having Too Much Style Is Bad for Your College Application Essay

Nobody wants a truly boring essay, one that reads like a phone directory or a trigonometric table book. However, going to the other extreme is just as bad. An essay that is too rich with theatrics may put off typical admissions officers. Here are the things you need to be aware of:

Unrealistic admission essays are a big no-no

There’s nothing wrong with ambitious applicants. In many cases, the admissions committee might be impressed with an applicant who seems to know where he or she is headed. However, you should keep your goals realistic. Realistic goals show that you are fully aware of the challenges of the real world and that you’re not just any dreamer who can’t put things into action. Your goals should be achievable; otherwise, you may only open yourself up to failure. College education should be able to harness your full potential, but this will only be possible if you have a good sense of success, failure, and challenges. Don’t turn in an admission essay that simply enumerates your achievements, but focus on your need for college education.

Tips to avoid too much drama in your application essays conclusion

By all means, you should create a very interesting intro and a conclusion that persuades your readers further. However, don’t resort to overly dramatic writing styles fit for a poet or fiction writer. Be honest and sincere with your tone. Put a curb on your creativity to make sure that it won’t get in the way of persuasive writing based on solid arguments and reasons. An essay that has too much style in it may be deemed inappropriate by your readers. Avoid the use of too much imagery or figures of speech that can easily create confusion and make you miss the whole point of submitting an application essay.

Look for interesting angles to discuss a topic in your essay. Make sure that you keep your intros concise but still very catchy. Best of all, make sure that your conclusion is not just a rehash of what you’ve discussed in the body of your essay, but make it memorable for your readers.

Related questions:

1. What is wrong with unrealistic claims on the admissions essay?
2. Is an ambitious tone acceptable to admissions reviewers?
3. What kind of conclusion should you write for the application essay?

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