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Oct 17, 2023 · 37 "Why This College" Essay Examples. 1. "Why Northwestern" Essay Example. Prompt:"Why Northwestern" Statement: While other parts of your application give us a sense of who you are, we are also excited to hear more about how you see yourself engaging with the larger Northwestern community.
Jul 16, 2020 · This college essay tip is by Abigail McFee, Admissions Counselor for Tufts University and Tufts ‘17 graduate. 2. Write like a journalist. "Don't bury the lede!" The first few sentences must capture the reader's attention, provide a gist of the story, and give a sense of where the essay is heading.
- Prompt #1, Example #1
- Prompt #1, Example #2
- Prompt #1, Example #4
- Prompt #2, Example #3
- Prompt #3, Example #2
- Prompt #7, Example #2
- Prompt #7, Example #3
- Prompt #7, Example #4
- Prompt #7, Example #5
Analysis: This student draws readers in with a strong introduction. The essay starts ambiguous—“I led with a spade”—then intrigues readers by gradually revealing more information and details. This makes the reader want to keep reading (which is super important!) As the writer continues, there is a rather abrupt tone shift from suspenseful to explan...
Analysis: The primary strength of this essay is the honesty and authenticity of the student’s writing. It is purposefully reflective. Intentional language creates a clear character arc that begins with an eager young ballerina and ends with the student reflecting on their past. Readers are easily able to picture the passion and intensity of the you...
Analysis: This essay is distinct from others due to its melodic, lyrical form. This is primarily achieved because the student’s form follows the movements of the paintbrush that they use to scaffold their essay. As readers, we simply flow through the essay, occasionally picking up bits of information about its creator. Without even realizing it, by...
Analysis: This essay truly feels like a story—almost making you forget you are reading a college essay. The student’s voice is strong throughout the entire essay and they are able to give us insight into their thoughts, feelings, and motivations at every step of the story. Letting the reader into personal challenges like financial struggles can be ...
Analysis: Right off the bat, this essay starts extremely strong. The description of attendance in a class with ample quotes, awkward pauses, and the student’s internal dialogue immediately puts us in the middle of the action and establishes a lot of sympathy for this student before we’ve learned anything else. The strength of this essay continues i...
Analysis: This essay is outstanding because the student seems likable and authentic. With the first image of the student’s little sister vigorously nodding and holding up “five stubby fingers,” we find ourselves intrigued by the student’s daily life. They additionally show the importance of family, culture, and creativity in their life—these are gr...
Analysis: A major strength of this essay comes in its narrative organization. When reading this first paragraph, we feel for the young skaters and understand their fear—skating sounds scary! Then, because the writer sets us up to feel this empathy, the transition to the second paragraph where the student describes their empathy for the young skater...
Analysis: The structuring of this essay makes it easy and enjoyable to read. The student effectively organizes their various life experiences around their tower of journals, which centers the reader and makes the different stories easy to follow. Additionally, the student engages quotes from their journals—and unique formatting of the quotes—to sig...
Analysis: This essay is an Overcoming Challengesstory that centers around a single anecdote. The structure works nicely as the student describes what they were like before their road trip, what happened on the road trip, and what they were like after. The most major improvement that this essay needs is better-communicated authenticity. At the begin...
- "Why Bioinformatics?" Georgetown Essay Example. Prompt: Please relate your interest in studying at Georgetown University to your goals. How do these thoughts relate to your chosen course of study?
- "Why Linguistics?" Brown University Essay Example. Prompt: Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits.
- "Why Medicine and Surgery?" Pomona College Essay Example. Prompt: Most Pomona students enter the College undecided about a major, or they change their minds about their prospective major by the time they graduate.
- "Why Education/Teaching?" University of Michigan Essay Example. Prompt: Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan.
Oct 12, 2020 · An ode to the greatness of your sister, or the influence that one of your grandparents had on you is 1) extremely overdone and 2) entirely misses the point. You are applying to college, your family members are not. Well, they might be. But in that case, they should be writing their own college essay. There are, however, two positives about ...
College Essay Example #3: Football Manager. This Common App personal statement was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania. Common App Prompt #1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it.
Sep 18, 2024 · Example #1: My Shape. This essay example comes from the Essay Academy, our digital college essay course. It has a really unique structure and uses shapes as a metaphor. It's also written in response to Common App Prompt #2. It may seem counterintuitive, but college essays aren’t about showing only showing successes.
