Start in the middle of the action. Don't spend a lot of time at the beginning of your essay outlining background info—it doesn't tend to draw the reader in and you usually need less of it than you think you do. Instead start right where your story starts to get interesting. (I'll go into how to craft an intriguing opener in more depth below.)
Let's dissect one of the University of Washington prompts as an example:
- Share about a time when you questioned something that you believed to be true.
- If you could go back in time, what advice would you offer yourself at the beginning of secondary/high school?
- Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.
Colored paper clips: functional and fun! (At least if you love organization.)
Decide What You Want to Show About Yourself
One way to find possible topics is to think deeply about the college's essay prompt. What are they asking you for? Break them down and analyze every angle.
Neither asks about your interest in a specific school or program.
Solution: Eva decides to try to stick more closely to her own perspective: "I'd heard rumors that Atlas Theater was going to be replaced with an AMC multiplex, and I was worried." She also puts a paragraph break before this sentence to emphasize that she's now moving on to the background info rather than describing her call.
If, on the other hand, you have more than one idea you really like, consider whether any of them can be used for other essays you need to write.
Basically, you attach a Common App essay to your college application. It is the only way commission officers can find out about who you really are. If they would be debating whether to admit your application, this type of essay is your savior.
The most important trick is to always go back to the theme of your personality. You don’t want to sound fake. If global warming bothers you deeply, go for it. But try to avoid anything you are indifferent about. Many students make this mistake.
The most impressive are the ones related to some tragedy. However, the rest of them are deeply inspiring. Students describe their path towards self-realization and self-exploration. The most important detail is that their stories are full of hope.
You would need to analyze why it engages you so much as well. It is also a chance for you to unveil your learning skills by describing how you dig deeper into the topic. Note that it is recommended that you write about something academic.
Common App Essay: Option #2
Some of the college essay ideas published by Hamilton reveal the secrets of a successful essay. The students wrote about their life experiences mainly. One of them was about the loss, others about heartbreaking family issues.
You already know what good topics for a college essay are, but to be fully prepared, you should understand what you need to avoid.
Your personal growth is the time when you learn something and, as a result, mature. It doesn’t come with one event, but rather after a series of successes and failures. You might want to pick something that made a clear change, though.
There is no reason why academics should take away your social life. Outsource essay writing services and get time for the things that matter most.
Need to book an appointment with the professor? Do it right away. Do not wait for some time in the future when conditions will be perfect.
A perfectionist student does things right the first time they are doing it. The attitude of a perfectionist is also transferred when writing exams.
Dark chocolate and nuts also increase the ability of the brain to acquire and retain information.
2. Successful Students Always Outsource Some Tasks
A working student should become a master of execution because that is the only way that success can be guaranteed at work and in academics.
Establishing healthy relationships is one of the essentials that can improve the success of a student.
Some of the habits of highly effective students include being a master of execution, outsourcing some services, doing things right the first time, eating healthy, having a positive attitude and cultivating healthy relationships.
Also, keep in mind that many people, even teachers, may not be familiar with what colleges look for in an essay. Your mom, for example, may have never written a personal statement, and even if she did, it was most likely decades ago. Give your readers a sense of what you'd like them to read for, or print out the questions I listed above and include them at the end of your essay.
But don't confuse important to you with important to the world: a college essay is not a persuasive argument. The point is to give the reader a sense of who you are, not to make a political or intellectual point. The essay needs to be personal.
Whatever your approach, there are a few tips everyone can benefit from.
Since the papers you write for school are mostly analytical, you probably aren't used to writing about your own feelings. As such, it can be easy to neglect the reflection part of the personal statement in favor of just telling a story. Yet explaining what the event or idea you discuss meant to you is the most important essay—knowing how you want to tie your experiences back to your personal growth from the beginning will help you make sure to include it.
Step 6: Edit Aggressively
Now that you know how to write a college essay, we have a lot more specific resources for you to excel.
Once you've fixed the problems you found on the first pass and have a second (or third) draft you're basically happy with, ask some other people to read it. Check with people whose judgment you trust: parents, teachers, and friends can all be great resources, but how helpful someone will be depends on the individual and how willing you are to take criticism from her.
Remember back in step one, when we talked about making a chart to keep track of all the different essays you need to write? Well, now you need to go back to that list and determine which essays you still need to write. Keep in mind your deadlines and don't forget that some schools may require more than one essay or ask for short paragraphs in addition to the main personal statement.
Looking at the Common App prompts, Eva wasn't immediately drawn to any of them, but after a bit of consideration she thought it might be nice to write about her love of literature for the first one, which asks about something "so meaningful your application would be incomplete without it." Alternatively, she liked the specificity of the failure prompt and thought she might write about a bad job interview she had had.
In general, there are two main approaches you might take to write your essay. It might primarily take a narrative format, or it might take a thematic format.
This does not mean you should get really avant-garde with your essay formatting. Don’t send in a piece of art instead of an essay, or make a video, or write a poem instead of an essay, unless those things are explicitly allowed.
In a narrative format, you’ll be relating a particular anecdote or experience and what it means to you. In a thematic format, you’ll present a particular theme—say, your love of parakeets or your secret talent for balancing books on your head—and expound on that theme in a descriptive way to reveal more about you and your personality.
How many essays you’ll need to write, and how long those essays need to be.
#5: Write an Outline
You may think that once you’ve gotten a draft done that you’re good to go. Not so! Editing is one of the most important parts of writing the best college essay possible, and here are two essential college essay tips for editing.
Your finished essay is like this duck: many pieces arranged into an amazing whole.
How do you avoid the platitude problem? Try to keep what you’re saying specific to you. So instead of saying “And that’s how I learned that hard work pays off,” try, “This experience helped me to realize that when I put concentrated effort into something that’s important to me, I can accomplish it even when there are roadblocks.” Keep the focus on what you can and will do in your own life.