Writing A Strong College Admissions Essay

Writing A Strong College Admissions Essay Your school may ask you “why us” but may not ask specifically about your goals. Use one or two sentences to tell them about your goals for college. Because if you don’t, how are you going to show that you are a good fit on campus? If you’re writing about your response to the book or how it influenced your life, the right writing ratio is a lot less about the book and way more about your lifeâ€"in this case, it really is all about you. You did your homework and know that Reed College offers a rigorous environment for intellectually serious, self-directed students. Instead of letter grades, students receive qualitative evaluations from their professors. They say the best books tell you what you already know, resonating with your own thoughts and emotions. As I read, it is as if the tempest of my thoughts is spelled out on paper. By better defining your growth areas, you can focus more precisely on what the school has to offer you. The same thing applies to every discipline you wish to develop â€" precise thinking and precise language will set you apart. Despite the high speed of the bullet train, my mind is perfectly still â€" trapped between the narrative of the book and the narrative of my own life. The essay is the place to make a great first impression on the reader. They’ll be looking at that before the test scores. You don’t want to address your weaknesses, unless it’s a challenge you’ve overcome that reveals something powerful about your character. Every early draft of a why school essay shares the same pernicious flaw â€" blanket statements made without evidence or context . Watch the following bland comment transform into a great point â€" through action. Patrick O’Connor’s new college guide, College is Yours 2.0, offers a better way to apply to college. It’s available now through Amazon.com, and discounts are available for school group purchases. The overflowing sense of hyper-reality in Tim O’Brien’s words of warfare spills into my world. His words somehow become my words, his memories become my memories. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, you want to master leadership in college. What aspect of leadership are you looking to develop? People with dreams need help making their dreams come true. Your goal and your past experience dictate what you need from the school. And you might fool your parents, or even a peer reviewer or two. But you won’t fool the experts, who have to read literally THOUSANDS of these things. They know their own programs, and if you think you can generalize your way around campus â€" sorry, no. I became a person who refused to surprise people. Unsettled, I turn to my ever-present book for comfort. Today it is The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, already worn and slightly crumpled. The diversity of Washington’s schools and its communities is profoundly interesting â€" but use it as a backdrop to write about you. How to create a college application list that doesn't suck. But be as specific as you can when it comes to your needs.