How To Write an Essay For College Application Without Mistakes
When you are writing a college admissions essay it is important to follow the rules below. Doing so will prevent you from making mistakes that could cost you admissions. It will give you the best chance possible to make a solid argument and show why you are the best investment for the academic institution. It all begins with the following:
- Be specific
- Create a thesis
- Use Your Accomplishments
One of the most common mistakes made with essay writing is to rely on general statements rather than specific ones. You have precious few words to spare in a college admissions essay so don’t fill the space with clichés like “education remains the key to success”. Give the readers a slice of your life. Show them how education has already made an impact on your life through a single realization or experience you had. If, for example, you are writing about how you want to be an astronaut, you can explain that as a five year old, your father bought you a model rocket for Christmas, which sparked this desire. Focusing on a single example from your life will allow the reader to relate to your experience and will make sure that your essay is a memorable one (and as a bonus, an original one they have never heard before).
This may seem remedial, but your college admissions essay needs to have a clear purpose and point to it the same as any other paper. Many students forget about this and they forget to communicate a central idea. This leaves their paper an odd array of thoughts and stories that never quite tie together. You need to make sure there is a central thesis to your essay, even if you are telling good stories. Ask yourself to sum up the essay in one sentence. This one sentence that results from the exercise is the central theme of your paper. If you find yourself unable to condense the point of your essay into one sentence then you might need to revise until your main point becomes clear, or until you have a thesis at all.
Chances are you wrote about all the activities in which you participated in your admissions application. So now your job is to take one and focus on it. Share more details about it and why it was important.