Crafting An Unforgettable College Essay

Crafting An Unforgettable College Essay I have read thousands of essays on topics about winningâ€"or losingâ€"the big game, about bullying, about taking an interesting trip and many, many more. What does matter is how the student uses the essay to talk to me about who they really are and how this thing, this experience, has influenced them in some way. It’s important to draw your reader in from the very first sentence. Take a look at some of these opening lines from college entrance essays submitted to Stanford University. Even though the Common Application has a suggested minimum of 250 words and no upper limit, admission counselors are reading through stacks of essays. Be sure to tell the whole story; do not leave the reader with too many gaps to fill in. Writing concisely expresses to the admission counselor that you are able to organize your thoughts and that you respect their time. There all kinds of ways to write a college essay and there is no perfect form as long as your piece is engaging, logical, revealing … and answers the prompt. These FAQs about the college application essay should help you tell your story with an end goal of making a good impression on a college admissions officer. How to Write the Best College Admissions EssayThe college admissions essay is perhaps the most dreaded part of the college application process. This essay is an example of how to tell the story of moving to America in a unique way. Consider setting a time limit for this part of the process, or a limit for the number of sample essays you will read, and then set the examples aside and move on to creating your own masterpiece. You’ve finished writing your essay, and you want to immediately submit it and be done with it. It's a part of the application process that can prompt plenty of anxiety. Here, we debunk four myths and show how to nail that attention-grabbing college essay. This information will show them how your scores compare to their average requirements and with other students who are applying to their school or program. Surprisingly, some applicants never care to ask this question, and they write essays that don’t enhance their applications. In order to write a great college essay, you don't need a committee. Before you check that box, read over what you wrote, and read over it slowly. Notice any lines that might sound confusing to someone who doesn’t know you and rewrite them. Enlist a friend or family member to read over it, too. Besides, trying to get all the members on the same page is a lot like herding cats. The college essay is an important vehicle for telling the admissions committee about yourself, but the academic factors are far more important, even if the essay is worthy of a Pulitzer. Don’t worry about being someone else’s idea of a “good writer.” If you’re not funny, it’s not the time to be funny. To learn more about writing an attention-grabbing college essay, download a free electronic copy of Lifton’s book, How to Write an Effective College Application Essay, The Inside Scoop for Parents. The author of this post, Kim Lifton, is president of Wow Writing Workshop, based in Huntington Woods in Michigan. Her strategic communication and writing services company is a leading expert on the college application essay. There are no tricks or shortcuts to writing the perfect college application essay. It’s less stressful if your child allows it to emerge from a process of discovery that includes brainstorming, free writing, revision, review and editing. This student focused on a single question â€" where is home? â€" and showed the reader a lot about who he is as a person. The essay is a joy to read, sharing a detailed glimpse of the student’s personality without feeling like it’s trying to list positive personal qualities. As you know, each college has average requirements for admission. Admissions teams review your GPA, the difficulty of the courses you took, and your standardized test scores, which is data that can be graphed. It always helps to have someone else give you their feedback before your essay lands in the inboxes of admissions counselors. To get the ball rolling on writing your essay, start with something a bit easierâ€"make a list of what matters to you. I’m not the only one reading college essay, so I’ve asked a couple of the Hood admission counselors for their best tips.