How to Write Killer College Essays
Now that you’ve decided which colleges (or online universities) that you want to attend, it’s time to get serious about crafting an effective essay for the admissions department. This is where you should really set yourself apart from the other students who are clamoring for your spot on the freshman roster. More than just another resume, the college application essay is the perfect opportunity for you to show how focused you are on created a successful life for yourself. Here’s how to get started:
1. Focus on yourself more than your accomplishments. Although you do want to communicate your various activities and memberships during your school years, it’s important to remember to give an idea of who you are as a person. For example, why did you opt to participate in band rather than sports?
2. Give specific details about your goals. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to major in, it’s important to let the administration board know what you hope to get from your college experience. Everyone wants to learn and have more time to grow, but do you want to have the opportunity to live away from home and meet a diverse new group of people in the process? If so, this is your chance to explain why.
3. Don’t let your essay turn into a resume. Your transcripts and high school accomplishments will appear elsewhere in the application, so do your best to focus on other areas about yourself in your essay. You can reference your resume and comment that all it entails has helped you evolve into the young adult that you have become and helped to prepare you to meet challenges in your future, but don’t simply list your resume details. The fact that you played volleyball, for instance, taught you about teamwork and how to come back from the loser’s bracket to win a championship.
4. Once you’ve completed your first draft if you still feel that your essay isn’t representative enough of who you are intellectually, consider adding a paragraph or two that sheds some light. There are many ways to do so, such as telling about how a piece of art or a style of music has inspired you in your life. Or maybe you could discuss a book that you recently read and how it impacted your understanding of yourself or the world you live in. Again, this will likely be your only chance to let your chosen university see who you are.
No matter how you decide to go about writing your essay, enjoy this time of discovery as you introduce yourself to your potential college or university.
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