College Admissions Guide

College Admissions Guide If one of the purposes of a college essay is to make yourself come to life off the page, then this essay hits the mark. Far from seeming unfinished or unedited, the somewhat stream-of-consciousness style establishes a humorous and self-deprecating tone that makes the reader instantly like the applicant. More than anything else, it is this writing style that elevates what could have been a fairly superficial statement of personal growth into a truly informative story that showcases the author’s personality. With the right information, realistic time management and good proofing and editing, it should be easy to write the best college essay you can. However, I felt like I spent too much on background information, and my essay lacked an overarching concrete experience for readers to grasp onto. They were composed of billowing clouds of “my global perspective” and “future potential as a leader” and “desire to leverage my education” to bllllllaurhfhasklafsafdghfalkasf. On its admissions page, Hamilton lists multiple college essay examples written by students admitted to the school. Though Inzer declined to single out one essay, she says that the examples offer a diverse mix of student voices and backgrounds. The essay excerpted below, with the permission of Hamilton College, shows the student’s personality through a love of fly-fishing. But finding their voice can be a challenge for many students, Inzer notes, because they may have limited life experience. Also, she adds, they have been writing to the instructions of high school teachers up until this point, rather than for themselves. Finding their voice means students must get to know themselves and write authoritatively, sharing a sense of their lives with admissions officers. It can take some convincing for many kids and parents to believe that when it comes to writing the essays, in particular, college admissions officers care about who students are. Tell the reader something about yourself that isn’t evident in the rest of your application. Think about your best personal trait, your interests, values and goals. Focus on one of these qualities and make it the theme of your essay. For example, your best trait might be determination, creativity, or compassion. The essays should reveal their personalities, passions, dreams, weird talents, favorite foods, sickest playlists, inexplicable loves and undeniable quirks. This writer’s style clearly shows off her sense of humor. Most students choose to write their college essay about a singular experience, which is what I ended up doing as well. Of course, this is not to say that this is the only way to write your essay, but it’s what I felt best grounded mine. For this post, we asked Shania the most frequently asked questions we see from students about how to write college essays. Shania graciously shared her experiences and insights as well as her drafts and the final version of her Common App college essay. Last year I was traveling with a colleague from Yale. As he told me, the essays his students â€" who had lived vastly different lives than most mainstream applicants â€" were writing were indistinguishable from those written by applicants in southeastern Connecticut. In addition, free lesson plans are available at 826 Digital for teachers or school counselors nationwide who want to demystify the college essay process and support their students. If it’s jarring to see a friend misspell a word on their Instagram post, imagine what it’s like for admissions counselors to see a typo in a college admissions essay. As Thimba says, the essay is designed to highlight the strength of an applicant’s writing and their ability to communicate clearly. So while you don’t have to be the best writer or speller, you should give your essays the time, care and attention they deserve. When writing your college essay, avoid creating a list of your activities and accomplishments. Like everyone else impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, high school juniors are quarantined with a lot of time on their hands. Many have decided to use the extra time to get a head start on college essays â€" after all, applications are due this fall, when they're hoping to be back in high school. Students can work one-on-one with a volunteer on the essay topics of their choice, or get help on the seven Common App prompts. Whether they’re starting with a blank page or a close-to-final draft, the project provides free volunteer support at any phase of the writing process. Tell a story that makes that trait clear to the reader. Provide evidence by citing specific instances from your life. This is no time to write in generalities or in a broad sweeping style. Instead, use descriptions and adjectives galore.