And, as I write these things down, I notice a theme of youth/old age emerging. Games have changed for me as I’ve gotten older. Note that I couldn’t come up with something for the last one, “knowledge,” which is fine.
The narrow alleys of Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan where I spent the first 7 years of my life were infiltrated with the stench of blood and helplessness. I grew up with Geo news channel, with graphic images of amputated limbs and the lifeless corpses of uncles, neighbors, and friends. I grew up with hurried visits to the bazaar, my grandmother in her veil and five-year-old me, outrunning spontaneous bomb blasts. On the open rooftop of our home, where the hustle and bustle of the city were loudest, I grew up listening to calls to prayer, funeral announcements, gunshots. I grew up in the aftermath of 9/11, confused. Like the faint scent of mustard oil in my hair, the war followed me to the United States. Here, I was the villain, responsible for causing pain. In the streets, in school, and in Baba’s taxi cab, my family and I were equated with the same Taliban who had pillaged our neighborhood and preyed on our loved ones. War followed me to freshman year of high school when I wanted more than anything to start new and check off to-dos in my bullet journal. Every time news of a terror attack spread, I could hear the whispers, visualize the stares. Instead of mourning victims of horrible crimes, I felt personally responsible, only capable of focusing on my guilt. The war had manifested itself in my racing thoughts and bitten nails when I decided that I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, let it win. A mission to uncover parts of me that I’d buried in the war gave birth to a persona: Sher Khan, the tiger king, my radio name. As media head at my high school, I spend most mornings mastering the art of speaking and writing lighthearted puns into serious announcements. Laughter, I’ve learned, is one of the oldest forms of healing, a survival tactic necessary in war, and peace too. During sophomore year, I found myself in International Human Rights, a summer course at Cornell University that I attended through a local scholarship. I went into class eager to learn about laws that protect freedom and came out knowledgeable about ratified conventions, The International Court of Justice, and the repercussions of the Srebrenica massacre. To apply our newfound insight, three of my classmates and I founded our own organization dedicated to youth activism and spreading awareness about human rights violations: Fight for Human Rights. Today, we have seven state chapters led by students across the U.S and a chapter in Turkey too. Although I take pride in being Editor of the Golden State’s chapter, I enjoy having written articles about topics that aren’t limited to violations within California. Addressing and acknowledging social issues everywhere is the first step to preventing war. Earlier this year, through KQED, a Bay Area broadcasting network, I was involved in a youth takeover program, and I co-hosted a Friday news segment about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, the travel ban, and the vaping epidemic. Within a few weeks, my panel and interview were accessible worldwide, watched by my peers in school, and family thousands of miles away in Pakistan. Although the idea of being so vulnerable initially made me nervous, I soon realized that this vulnerability was essential to my growth. I never fully escaped war
All of these threads stemmed from the brainstorming exercises in this post.
And there are many [other stickers], including the horizontal, yellow stripes of the Human Rights CampaignThe “Home” essay: A quick case study
The personal statement is likely to be 500-650 words long (so about a page) and many of the colleges you’re applying to will require it.
How do you figure out what to say? By making uncommon connections.
A: Yes. Sometimes it can be too difficult to discuss them. Or you may be actively dealing with a challenge. If this is the case, reach out to your counselor, a trusted mentor, or, if possible, a therapist.
Outside of school, I care for two rescue dogs, a showy and energetic American Cocker Spaniel and a shy but regal English Cocker Spaniel. They haven’t let their traumtic pasts affect their moods, and neither will I.To stay brief, remember that it’s unnecessary to tell a story from beginning to end.
From the desk of a student who fell in love with a school after discovering an alumnus:
This brief anecdote describes the sights and sounds of the town, while also conveying the freedom neighborhood kids had to run around and play.
More Examples of College Essay Anecdotes
Anecdotes should not be used thoughtlessly to build word count. Rather, be purposeful in the stories that you tell.
By using anecdotes in your college essay writing, you have the ability to create a powerful bond between you and your audience.
A powerful and convincing strategy would be to instead tell the story of how after failing your first AP Psychology exam, you started recording class lectures, taking chapter notes, and created a study group.
Rather than describe its geographical location and basic demographics, they use anecdotal and descriptive sensory writing to evoke an emotional response from their readers.
1. Do not boast with achievements that you actually have not gained
Do you need to enter this program? Is it the right institution for you? What kind of career you would like to pursue from now on? Ask someone who has graduated from this college.
2. Do not go too far from your main focus: the particular topic. Do not tell stories about your family background, school life, favorite writers or actors, and so forth.
Unfortunately, you will not be given any chance to choose a topic by yourself. In this sense, you should follow the topic and scope of the essay very strictly, without going astray.
3. Focus your writing on the assigned topic
The following instructions will give you some useful hints on how to write an honors application essay. You should follow these principles, but not verbatim. Every essay has its own style, so be ready to show yourself.
An honors program is oftentimes associated with high achievements and academic standards. If you have decided to apply for such a program, then you have probably already checked the requirements, haven’t you? Amongst all other things, you must submit an application essay. As it is with many other application essays, this one has as its main goal to demonstrate your ambition, your view on your own career, your personal needs and interests, and more generally, show your uniqueness. Do not forget, however, that you are applying for an honors college, and not for a job, etc. Thus, you need to show excellent academic skills and competences, amongst which excellent grammar and style as well as logical and consistent structure of the essay.
- What are your needs and interests?
- Why have you chosen this program and particular college?
- How the honors program will help you develop yourself in professional and personal respect?
- How will you contribute to the academic environment in the particular college?
- Why should the committee approve your application?
Besides, you have to show some confidence as long as you really possess important academic and other skills and competences. The best way to keep this balance is to use long, well-elaborated sentences which will demonstrate that you know what to do with your life, and that you are a reflective person. And every researcher should be good at that.
1. Carefully read through the website of the university or college to which you are applying. Be sure you fully understand the mission and the direction of development and values the university or college proclaims. Furthermore, each educational institution may also have some specific requirements to narrow down and simplify your essay.
3. Plan your essay structure before you begin writing it. Start with general information about yourself, mentioning only the most relevant and preferably recent experiences that relate to your major. Then write two or three paragraphs about your motivation and rationale for studying at this particular institution. End by mentioning the extracurricular activities and hobbies you are interested in, and how these activities correlate to the institution you are applying for.
2. Make a short list of points you wish to emphasize in your admission essay. Include answers to questions such as: “Why do I want to study in this particular institution?”
5. Lay your writing aside for some time and then do thorough proofreading. Consider revising those parts that are too general or do not have a clear meaning. Make sure every sentence is not just a general statement about how much you want to become a student of this particular institution, but also presents your personality, motivation, and abilities that relate to the selected discipline of your future major.
Steps For Writing an Admission Essay
An admission essay is an essay that a student writes when applying for a university or college program. It is normally not more than two pages long (around 300-500 words), so you have to be concise in your thoughts and choose your words carefully. There are various types of admission essays: statement of purpose, personal statement, letter of intent, etc. There is no single guide to success when it comes to admission essays. Every admission essay has to be unique and demonstrate your specialties, your attitude, and your personal traits that will help you successfully enroll in the institution of your choice.
4. Conclude your admission essay with a sentence addressing the committee or board of your college directly. In a formal manner, let the person reading your admission essay know how much enrolling in this institution means to you and that you will be looking forward to the decision of the board.
Now that you have acquainted yourself with the basic admission essay writing tips and rules, you can check out our admission essay samples to link theory with practice.
Many students and parents wonder how big of a role essays play when it comes to college admissions decisions. While the importance of college essays—which are written over a period of a few weeks or, ideally, a few months—varies from school to school, most experts estimate that they make up for anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of admissions decisions!
Have you ever had an interaction with a stranger or someone whom you didn’t know well that left a profound impact on you?
Note: Some elite public universities, such as UC Berkeley and UCLA, have November application deadlines, so make sure that you write down your college list, with deadlines and requirements, by the end of September to ensure that you don’t miss anything.
Review the Common App prompts and identify which ones get your juices flowing. You can also use our expanded prompts, given in the bulletpoints below, to help you brainstorm and freewrite over the summer. We’re starting with Common App Essay Prompt 7, since it is the broad, general question. Then we’ll circle back and go through Prompts 1–6.
Part 1: Introduction
Essay writing timelines: how to write your Common App personal statement if you have six months, three months, one month, or even less
Why does the Common App Essay—and other college essays—matter?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
