Dos And Donts Of Writing A College Admission Essay

Do's And Don'ts Of Writing A College Admission Essay Applications that have several short-answer essays require even more detail. Get straight to the point in every case, and address what they’ve asked you to address. What details or anecdotes would help your reader understand you? Is there something about your family, your education, your work/life experience, or your values that has shaped you and brought you to this career field? Why is this the program you want to be admitted to? What is special about the faculty, the courses offered, the placement record, the facilities you might be using? If you can’t think of anything particular, read the brochures they offer, go to events, or meet with a faculty member or student in the program. You don’t want to be completely straightforward in these cases and appear superficial, but skirting around them or lying can look even worse. For example, you may want to go to a program in a particular location because it is a place that you know very well and have ties to, or because there is a need in your field there. Again, doing research on the program may reveal ways to legitimate even your most superficial and selfish reasons for applying. This handout will help you write and revise the personal statement required by many graduate programs, internships, and special academic programs. Writing your application essay in a quiet place will let you focusâ€"and good ambiance just might inspire you to craft a brilliant story about yourself. While we are on the subject of life lessons, let’s spend a little more time focusing on the “learning” partâ€"the growth, development, life lessons, and changes in attitude and potential actions in the future. Writing about how great you were at chess growing up and recounting your consistent tournament successes might show that you are really good at chess. Most of us has situation that had taught us important things. It was a time you expected so much from your life. Include that information in your essay, and be straightforward about it. Your audience will be more impressed with your having learned from setbacks or having a unique approach than your failure to address those issues. Do you have special skills, like leadership, management, research, or communication? Why would the members of the program want to choose you over other applicants? Be honest with yourself and write down your ideas. If you are having trouble, ask a friend or relative to make a list of your strengths or unique qualities that you plan to read on your own . Ask them to give you examples to back up their impressions (For example, if they say you are “caring,” ask them to describe an incident they remember in which they perceived you as caring). Don’t waste space with information you have provided in the rest of the application. Every sentence should be effective and directly related to the rest of the essay. Editing and rewriting should be done in sections, and after you are satisfied that each of it is in order, move on to the next section. After you are done editing, read through it a second time. Rinse and repeat until you are sure that the final copy is as close to perfect as it can get. We ask applicants to answer several short questions , and to write a short essay on each of the three topics below. Don’t ramble or use fifteen words to express something you could say in eight. Do address any information about yourself and your application that needs to be explained . When you write a line like “His hands threw up,” the reader might get a visual image of hands barfing. When you think it is totally finished, you are ready to proofread and format the essay. But real dedication is proven through failure and perseverance. Unless otherwise specified, use 1.5 or double spacing for your essay, format it with a one-inch margin all around and clearly delineate your paragraphs using a single space tab.