Some colleges require essays as a portion of their applications to get a glimpse of the personality of the candidate they are reviewing in addition to the stats provided from you typical application (standardized test scores, GPA, etc.). Your application essay will allow reviewers to determine what sets you apart from other applicants that have the same scores as you. When writing a college application essay, it's important to not be boring- provide the reviewers with material that still answers the essay prompt but also gives a sufficient preview of the type of person that you are. How do you maintain a professional tone while still showing your personality in an essay? Keep reading.
1. Don't try to sound "smart", be yourself!
A lot of students lose themselves in trying to impress readers by using scholarly vocabulary. Scholarly vocabulary is fine- college essays are supposed to be professional, however, overkill becomes boring and makes reading your essay seem more like a chore. Going overboard in your essay may cause your readers to become uninterested and pass on your essay. One tip to help prevent this issue is to go back, read your essay, and ask, "does this sound like me?" or "do I use this type of language with my friends?". If you notice none of your essay sounds like you or fits the image you want to portray, go back and edit. Find some less complex words that you can switch out with others. If your essay mostly sounds like you and you don't see the need to change anything, don't. Another thing you could do is ask someone to read your essay and determine if it maintained their interest. If it didn't because of difficult language and overly complex sentence structure- you know what to change.
2. Write about something that's important to you.
Essay writing can already be difficult for some, but if you write about a topic that you are not passionate about it will become a chore! Sometimes finding the right experience to write about can be difficult. When you read your prompt, take a moment to jot down some experiences you can write about. When you finish, "ask yourself, which one could I go into most detail about?" or "which experience really meant the most to me?". Asking yourself these questions will help you pick the topic that is most important to you and will make your writing more enjoyable. For example, if I received an essay prompt that asked me to write about a time I overcame adversity, I would take a moment to sit back and recall times I've overcome adversity. One setback/period of difficulty that I would talk about would be when I was trying to complete my honors thesis and maintain good grades in nursing school at the same time. It was very difficult juggling extra honors work and my normal nursing curriculum and I came to a point where I had to decide which was more important. I chose nursing because that is my major but I was very sad that I would not be able to graduate with honors because I dropped a required portion of the honors curriculum. When most people hear adversity, they think of poverty but there can also be less severe examples. It always helps to look up a word and its synonyms if you aren't sure of the meaning and how it applies to you.
3. Reflect!
This tip can also make or break your essay. When writing about an experience, don't just list detail after detail. Reflect on that experience, how does it make you feel? How has it prepared you to achieve your goals in college or the workforce? Be sure to dig deeper than the surface when writing about past experiences and show your readers you are ready for the next step and can make a contribution to the college you are attending!
You've got this! Feel free to comment some of your pro essay tips!
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