By EssayEdge.com:
the Net's Admissions Essay Resource
It may be only 500 words, but the admissions essay portion
of a college application can mean the difference between acceptance
and rejection. How you write your personal essay shows the admissions
committee why you are different from everybody else. It provides
information about you that test scores, grades, and extracurricular
pursuits just cannot. You can use the essay to describe a favorite
activity, to tell a story about yourself, or even a story about
your dog, but make sure to really use it -- in a way
that captures the readers attention and shows that you are exceptional.
Step One: Brainstorming
You should expect to devote about one to two weeks simply thinking
up possible essay subjects. From this process of brainstorming,
you may find a topic you had not thought of at first. Here are
some questions to consider:
What Are You Like?
- What is your strongest personality trait? Does any attribute,
quality, or skill distinguish you from everyone else? How
did you develop this attribute?
- How would your friends characterize you? What would they
write about if they were writing your admissions essay for
you?
- Consider your favorite books, movies, works of art, etc.
Have these influenced your life in a meaningful way? Why are
they your favorites?
- Have you experienced a moment of epiphany, as if your eyes
were opened to something to which you were previously blind?
What Have You Done?
- What are your major accomplishments, and why do you consider
them accomplishments?
- What have you done outside of the classroom that demonstrates
qualities sought after by universities? Of these, which means
the most to you?
- Have you ever struggled mightily for something and succeeded? What made you
successful? Have you ever struggled mightily for something
and failed? How did you respond?
- What was the most difficult time in your life, and why? How did your perspective
on life change as a result of the difficulty?
Where Do You Want to Go?
- Of everything inthe world, what would you most like to be
doing right now? Where would you most like to be? Who, of
everyone living and dead, would you most like to be with?
- What are your dreams of the future? When you look back on
your life in thirty years, what would it take for you to consider
your life successful?
- How does this particular university fit into your plans for the future? Why
do you want to spend two to six years of your life at a particular
school?
Step Two: Selecting an Essay Topic
As these thoughts start to solidify into an essay topic, think
about execution. What sounded like a good idea might prove impossible
in the writing. Most importantly, think of how you can make
the subject matter original. Even seemingly boring essay topics
can sound interesting if creatively approached. With an essay
question in mind, think over the following questions:
- Will your topic only repeat information listed elsewhere
on your application? If so, pick a new topic. Dont mention
GPAs or standardized test scores in your essay.
- Can you offer vivid supporting paragraphs to your essay
topic? If you cannot easily think of supporting paragraphs
with concrete examples, you should probably choose a different
essay topic.
- Will an admissions officer remember your topic after a day
of reading hundreds of essays? What will the officer remember
about your topic? What will the officer remember about you?
What will your lasting impression be?
Choose a Story
The best essays tell a story about the applicant. The essay
does not have to be the story of your whole life, but rather
a small glimpse of it, one that is rich with meaning and alive
with imagery. It often helps to think about the impact that
past events have had on you. In one admissions essay written
by a student who was accepted to Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth,
and Stanford, an ordinary story is told in a unique and captivating
way. In this narrative about hiking up a mountain, the student
also conveys a deep appreciation for science, as well as a dedication
to the hard work required to fully understand the universe:
Although the first few miles of the hike up Mt. Madison did
not offer fantastic views, the vistas became spectacular once
I climbed above tree line. Immediately, I sensed that understanding
the natural world parallels climbing a mountain. Much like every
step while hiking leads the hiker nearer the mountain peak,
all knowledge leads the scientist nearer total understanding.
Entitled "Hiking to Understanding," this essay tells
the story of one hike, but at the same time, gives a complete
idea of the authors values, interests, and philosophy. Thus,
the essay presents run-of-the-mill subject matter in an out-of-the-ordinary
way.
Step Three: Writing the Essay
You must bear in mind your two goals: to persuade the admissions
officer that you are extremely worthy of admission and to make
the admissions officer aware that you are more than a GPA and
a standardized score, that you are a real-life, intriguing personality.
But before you can convince an admissions officer of this, you
must first grab his or her attention.
The Introduction
Most admissions officers spend at most 2 minutes reading your
essay. With this reality in mind, spend the most time on your
introduction. One technique is to create mystery or intrigue
in this first paragraph. At the very least, you should not give
away the whole story right at the beginning. Give the admissions
officer a reason to keep reading. As an example, the first sentence
of the "Hiking" essay reads as follows:
Surrounded by thousands of stars, complete silence, and spectacular
mountains, I stood atop New Hampshire's Presidential Range awestruck
by nature's beauty.
This first sentence sets the mood for the essay, it draws the
reader into the scene, but it does not state the authors argument
or even the plot of the story to follow. The reader has to continue
reading in order to learn what happens next.
The Body
After the first paragraph has been perfected, you must ensure
that the body paragraphs relate to the introduction. It helps
to have a theme or phrase that runs throughout the entire essay.
In "Hiking to Understanding," the author uses the
mountain as a unifying image:
Some people during their lives climb many small hills. However,
to have the most accurate view of the world, I must be dedicated
to climbing the biggest mountains I can find. Too often people
simply hike across a flat valley without ascending because they
content themselves with the scenery. The mountain showed me
that I cannot content myself with the scenery.
Also notice that the author uses simple language. Many students
think that big words make good essays, but powerful ideas are
often best expressed in simple and elegant prose.
Another way to impress an admissions officer is by using specific
examples and evocative touches of imagery that stay clear of
cliche. The application essay lends itself to imagery, since
the entire essay requires your experiences as supporting details.
Successful essays stick to the mantra, "show, dont tell."
Heres one example from the "Hiking" essay:
When night fell upon the summit, I stared at the slowly appearing
stars until they completely filled the night sky. Despite the
windy conditions and below freezing temperatures, I could not
tear myself away.
This passage shows how description of the stars and cold can
make us both imagine the scenery and understand the authors
point of view. It tells us what the author feels and thinks,
more so than if the author had spelled it out for us.
Finishing Up
The conclusion is your last chance to persuade the reader or
impress upon them your qualifications. Expand upon the broader
implications of your discussion. The "Hiking" essay
does this successfully, both expanding on the description of
the scene as well as on the scenes meaning for the author:
When observing Saturn's rising, the Milky Way Cloud, and the
Perseid meteor shower, I simultaneously felt a great sense of
insignificance and purpose. Obviously, earthly concerns are
insignificant to the rest of the universe. However, I experienced
the overriding need to understand the origins and causes of
these phenomena.
Dont be surprised if the writing process takes many days. Few
writers can dash out a quality essay in just a few sittings.
It takes awhile to find the perfect structure, wording, and
imagery. If you have the time, spend a week away from your draft;
when you return to it, you will read it with fresh eyes. Ask
friends and family for help. Other readers will find small mistakes
that your brain has ceased to recognize, and they will answer
the essential question, "what makes this essay memorable?"
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