3 Steps To Writing A Winning College Essay » The College Solutionthe College Solution

3 Steps To Writing A Winning College Essay » The College Solutionthe College Solution College essay writing fills most students with apprehension and dread. English teachers have the best intentions when helping students with college essays, but they don’t always understand that a great English essay does not always make a great college essay. Your essays are your only true voice in the application process. The style and tone of a college essay are very different from most essays and research papers you write in school. So, often students aren’t sure exactly what to aim for when writing their essays. A quick and easy remedy is to read example essays written by successful applicants. Everyone â€" my parents, peers, counselors, teachers â€" always emphasized the importance of the Common Application college essay. Reading other successful admissions essays is the best way to learn how to write a college application essay. GradeSaver provides the best sample college application essays in this premium content section. Many were written by students of Ivy League colleges. I always suggest that students not worry too much about this limitation to begin with â€" just get your ideas written down . After that, some strategic editing can be done to trim the fat off and get the essay down to the required size. Although this task may seem daunting when you think about it, it inevitably results in a more concise, streamlined presentation of your concept. It felt so daunting, to summarize the last 18 years of my life into 650 words, all while showcasing my “unique” personality against thousands of other students. Before the whole process even began, I already felt pressured to craft this beautifully written ssay that screamed, “This is who I am! While I was aware that I would be writing countless essays over the next couple months , the Common App college essay felt the most daunting. I felt intimidated, to say the least, especially since I knew that I had to knock it out of the park with my essays if I even dreamed of being admitted to the selective schools on my list. I was terrified of clichés and blending in with thousands of other applicants, and I struggled to look away from “successful” essays, wondering if I could do what they did. Descriptive writing is a factual account of a topic or event, simply telling what happened. Analytical writing will pose or answer questions, make comparisons, or present and defend viewpoints. Rather than just state what happened, an analytical approach will explain and interpret events. How do/did you feel about the topic about which you are writing? In most cases, you will be required to limit the essay to a certain number of characters or words. We have been mentioned in the Washington Post, the Economist, and other papers around the world for our exceptional college essays. So many students think that they “know” what colleges want from an applicant, and this can have a big influence over their essays. Students will abuse the thesaurus and write about strange topics in an effort to impress and stand out. Instead of writing what you think the admissions office wants to read, write about what you want them to know. Students should start the essay process early by searching for resources and writing first drafts of their essays. College application essays differ significantly from school papers or reports, so it is all the more important for students to start the drafting process well in advance of application deadlines. As students write their essays, it might help to keep in mind why colleges ask them for these writing samples in the first place. College application essays are important to winning over the admissions officers. Finally, make sure that the essay does not have glaring errors in spelling, sentence structure, and paragraph formulation. Besides appearing very careless, these kinds of errors can actually interfere with the ability of the reader to understand your point. The admissions essay has always been a key component of a college application and the pandemic has not altered its importance. It is fine to break out of the 5 paragraph mold for a college essay, and it needs to tell about the applicant. The college essay often frightens students because they think it has to be about some extraordinary event and they may not have something momentous to write aboutâ€"that is OK. Actually, the best college essays I have read have been about mundane, everyday life. What made them great is that the students showed who they were through their writing. Tips for writing an effective college admissions essay are essentially the same for all students. Remember that admissions officers will be reading large numbers of essays, and you will want to create an essay that will stand out in the interesting way it is formulated, as well as in its unique subject matter. You definitely don’t want to put the readers to sleep! You have surely had certain life experiences which will provide interesting material for your essay â€" even things which you yourself take for granted. Consider how the story you have to tell would be perceived by someone else who has never before heard that story. Write analytically, rather than merely descriptively.