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- Working down to the wire can undoubtedly be stressful. Instead of beating yourself up for not starting sooner or worrying that you won’t be able to finish everything on time, focus on what you can control. Put all of your energy toward your application essays and devote as much time to writing and editing as possible.
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These college application essay dos and don'ts will help you put together great essays that will help you stand out when applying to college.
- Don’T Restate The Essay Prompt
- Don’T Try to Be Funny in Your College Admissions Essay
- Don’T Swear
- Don’T Just Tell The Reader What You Think
- Don’T Try to Appear Perfect
- Don’T Brag
- Don’T Emphasize Status
- Don’T Lie
- Don’T Reveal Too Much
- Don’T Write About Illegal Activities
Start your essay with a hook. Start with dialogue. Start by setting the scene. Don’t start by restating the essay topic! The reader knows the essay prompts, so just start telling your story. A great story will immediately grab the attention of the admission officers and make them want to keep reading!
There’s a good chance that what you think is funny may not be funny to the admissions officer. And even if your admissions officer thinks it’s funny, the dean of admissions may not agree. Clever writing that naturally tells a funny story will get you further than trying too hard to make everyone laugh.
You might not mind vulgar language, but many people do. It will come off as tasteless and crass. Simply put, curse words should not be part of your college admissions essay.
Tell the reader what you did, how you felt, how you changed—not just what you think. Admissions officers don’t want to read about what you think in the abstract. They want to know what has happened to you in life, how that’s affected you, and what you did as a result. Write an engaging, interesting story that shows the reader how you’ve grown and w...
It’s okay that your life is messy and you don’t have it all together. It’s okay that you’re not super organized and you don’t know what you want to be when you grow up. Your college essay doesn’t need to be about how awesome you are (really, it shouldn’t be!). It just needs to be about the real you. Remember, your personal essay for college should ...
Your achievements are all listed on your resume. Writing about how great you are, how you saved the day, or how you’re a hero to others is not going to make a positive impression on the reader. Leave the bragging to the people who wrote your letters of reference.
Avoid topics that emphasize your financial privilege. Voluntourism trips to aid people living in poverty in far-flung areas of the world is a key example of this. Don’t write about going on a mission trip to a third world country to volunteer to help the less fortunate and how you learned how privileged you are. Just don’t.
Don’t inflate your accomplishments. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. If you write something dishonest in your essay, it won’t match the other parts of your application. If you were found to have been dishonest when writing your essay, you will not be offered admission at that college.
If you have faced personal challenges, like addiction, mental health struggles, or learning disabilities, those struggles are part of you. You should feel proud of overcoming them. But your college admissions essay is not the place to share your most deeply personal experiences. Some college admissions officers may read about your challenges and wa...
It’s a safe bet that most colleges do not want to admit students who have a history of participating in illegal activities. Even if you plan to talk about drug use, alcohol use, jail time, or committing crimes as a way to show growth and discuss lessons learned, illegal activities show a lack of maturity and questionable judgement. Writing about cr...
- #1 No need to show off your Academic Superhero Cape! (aka – avoid repeating information) Your grades and awards already speak volumes. Let’s focus on the real YOU!
- # 2 Don’t Be a Topic Troublemaker: (aka – avoid controversial topics)Stay away from controversial subjects that’ll make the admissions officer do a double take!
- #3 Say No to Essay Monotony: (aka – avoid a general topic)It’s not a robotic analysis; it’s a character-revealing adventure! Share specific moments that highlight your amazing self in action!
- #4 Famous Quotes, Really? (aka – avoid opening with a famous quotation)Unless it’s your life motto, let’s save the inspirational stuff for Pinterest boards.
Writing your college essay can be a huge hurdle to jump over in completing your college applications. It can also create a ton of stress because you want to put your best foot forward to the admissions officers who will read it. Before you sit down to start writing, keep the following tips in mind.
- Matt Musico
Writing essays for college admission can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. A well-crafted essay could be the deciding factor─in your favor. Keep these tips in mind, and you'll have no problem creating memorable pieces for every application.
Jun 13, 2024 · This section provides insights and examples for each of the 7 Common App essay prompts for the 2024-2025 cycle. Each of these prompts lends itself to distinct topics and strategies, so selecting the prompt that best aligns with your idea is essential to writing an effective Common App essay.
Jul 24, 2024 · Section 1—How to draft your montage college application essay; Section 2—How to draft your narrative college application essay; 7 Tips for writing your college application essay; Final thoughts and key takeaways for your college application essay
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related to: Should you worry more about your college application essay?Your ideas are on the money. Make sure they come across clearly in your application essay. Our writing assistant supports clean writing with suggestions that go beyond grammar.
