What Makes A Great College Essay?

What Makes A Great College Essay? If you want to write about how you saved the word, you shouldn’t do it. The three supplemental essays that you submit for your application may be short, but they are in no way less important as a result of their brevity. We learn a great deal about you from each essay you write, and we hope that you enjoy this unique opportunity to reflect and introduce yourself in your application. Your essays must be well-written, and it is always good to have someone that you trust proofread them (carelessness is easily preventable!). The info session was intimate â€" more so than any other I have attended â€" with a relatively select group of students offered full campus access. Bob Davis ’12, my tour leader, was extraordinarily patient, walking me through U.Chicago’s outstanding array of clubs and societies, including the MSAC Committee. U.Chicago is one of the only schools I am considering that even offers a student-led Diversity Committee, much less one that advises faculty and university management on key outreach issues.Outstanding. Do not allow your essays to descend into an impenetrable bulk of buzzwords and banality. This is best described in How to Write a Great Statement of Purpose, by Vince Gotera of the University of Northern Iowa, which was my guide to writing my essays when I applied to graduate school. Cited a few real-world examples of college essays that actually worked. The college essay provides a good opportunity to leave a long-lasting impression on the reader, apart from the interview and an efficient way to let the people in the admission know you closely. A person they like and remember through the college essay is most likely to be selected. There are any number of formulas out there for writing personal statements for college applications. Some encourage you to stick to the traditionalopening-body-conclusionformula, while others insist you should take a risk to spice up the admission officer’s reading experience. None of them are wrong, but it doesn’t mean they’re right for you. As the name implies, writing apersonal statementis apersonalexperience, making it just a little bit different for everyone. Not just the process, but the actual statement itself, too. In addition to making sure that all of these things are included, you should also be aware of HOW you write your essay. If you begin taking these steps well ahead of your deadline, you should have plenty of time to read through your own work, make revisions, share your essay with others, and incorporate feedback into future drafts. So what’s the takeaway from this array of unexpected, possibly even bizarre essay questions? Well, first of all, you can presume that some admissions officers are just bored of essays about challenges you’ve overcome or experiences that have changed you. They want to see how you function when removed from the safe confines of formula and expectation. Your ideas can be profound and can show deep insight into your character, even if they are told in simple, unadorned phrases. That said, you should absolutely get someone to edit for typos and grammar. Don’t just farm it out â€" learn from those writing lessons and use the essay to become more confident in your own voice. If you procrastinate on writing your essays and wait until the last minute, you may miss out on a valuable opportunity to have them read by a fresh pair of eyes. It is also abundantly clear when you have rushed through your essays just to check a box. This does not mean that you can only write an interesting essay if you have had an experience that no one else has ever had. When my best friend John Smith ‘20 told me about U.Chicago’s diverse campus environment , I was excited, but skeptical â€" diversity can mean different things to different people. So I went to see for myself, visiting on September 9th, 2017. Putting your ideas into the right words may take time. Don’t procrastinate on this part of your application. Once you zero in on your topic, it’s time to organize your ideas. You might want to use an outline, laying out your main points, developing supporting ideas, and sequencing your thoughts logically. This should help you to organize a clear rough draft. On the subject of essay prompts, Meredith points out that the 7 variations offered by the Common App are designed to give all applicants the opportunty to share something meaningful about themselves. Many selective colleges and universities have their own essay prompts. Other colleges may simply offer you free writing space to provide a personal statement. However, the Common Application is perhaps the best starting point for anticipating likely college essay prompts. You can fix the writing and your thoughts will still be there. The other thing I caution about is the service trip. Admissions committees want essays to be concise â€" you want to make your point in about 700 words or less. You should also make sure that your essay is coherent â€" that your ideas flow and your arguments make sense.