Writing Remarkable College Admissions Essays

College application essays should be given a lot of thought and careful consideration. An outstanding essay can take you to the next phase of the application process, the interview. Here are some tips from Info Please on how to make your personal statement for college noteworthy:

Tips on writing your college application essay

Don’t let the college admissions essay intimidate you. Remember, it’s the part of your application that is fully under your control. Make it work to your advantage!

Writing your personal statement can be a daunting task. You have to submit a high quality essay that can earn you the slot in your chosen course and school. But this shouldn’t intimidate you at all. Rather, you should take this as a challenge. Be positive and confident because this will reflect on the way you write your essay, Just be yourself.

Here’s another tip:

Choose a topic that is meaningful to you. Write in your own words. Write what you feel, not what you think the admissions committee wants to hear.

Focus on what you want to say and not what your readers would want to hear from you. This way, your writing would appear more sincere, authentic, and personal. Use your own personal experience to show your readers what kind of an individual you are and what makes you a good member of the student body.

Use your creativity on your admission essay

Try to come up with something different. Remember that the people reviewing your essay have read hundreds – if not thousands – of essays. Don’t give them one more “The Teacher Who Influenced Me Most” or “Drinking and Driving is Bad” essay to wade through.

By creative, it doesn’t mean that you have to be overly dramatic. You have to give your readers something new. Fresh perspectives on common things may count as a creative theme for your essay. You can present a simple story in an extraordinary way.

Captivate your audience. Your essay needs to be engaging and memorable. Try to draw the reader in with a quick, enticing introduction. You want to catch their interest and give them a reason to finish your essay.

Hook your readers right from the start. Since they don’t have much time to go over your essay, make sure that your introduction will urge them to read further. Hold their attention till the end.

Revise, revise, revise your essay

Revise, rewrite, reword. Revision is the key to all good writing – college admission essays included. Hammer your draft into shape through various rewrites. Read each draft aloud. Your ears can pick up problems that your eyes may miss.

Aside form this, you can also ask someone else to read your essay. Let a friend, family member, or teacher critique your essay. Consider their opinions and ideas to improve your essay, from technical details to organization of thoughts and content.

Here are some thoughts about revisions from another article:

Wait awhile after you’ve finished a draft before looking at it again. The Roman poet Horace thought one should wait nine years, but that’s a bit much. A day – a few hours even – will work. When you do return to the draft, be honest with yourself, and don’t be lazy. Ask yourself what you really think about the paper.

You have to put your essay down for a while and then do the revisions after several days. This way, you can edit your essay with a fresh pair of eyes and catch even small but significant errors. To give you ample time for revisions, you have to start writing your essay as early you can.

Writing your college application essay doesn’t have to be too daunting or complicated. With these simple tips, you can make your essay unique and remarkable enough to be noticed by the admissions panel. Again, have confidence, be creative, and revise your essay several times.

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