How to Write an Admission Essay
When writing a college admission essay, your primary goal is to share something about yourself that helps to set you apart from the other applicants. Since there are likely to be thousands of people applying for acceptance to the school and only a limited number of spots available, you need to do everything possible to differentiate yourself from the competition.
In addition to simply following the general rules of good essay writing, which requires that you have a strong and interesting introduction, a logically flowing body, and a conclusion that leaves an impression upon the reader, you also need to avoid making some common mistakes that are found in admission essays.
One of the biggest mistakes that college hopefuls make when writing their admission essay is trying to philosophize in their admission essays. Remember, you are not trying to make a profound statement with your admission essay and you are not attempting to take a stance on a particular issue. Rather, you are trying to share something about yourself with the admissions committee. Therefore, you should focus more on a person or event that has an impact on you and describe its effects rather than making a profound statement about society in general.
Another common mistake that is made when writing admission essays is overuse of the thesaurus. While it is good to use the thesaurus in order to make your writing more descriptive and interesting, you shouldn't use one in order to use "big" words that you normally wouldn't use. Overusing the thesaurus results in an application article that does not reflect the real you and may even lead to clunky writing that is difficult to understand.
As you plan your admission essay, you should also focus on just one event or topic to write about. Remember, your admission essay is not a resume. As such, you should not attempt to cram every great thing you have ever done into one report. Resist the urge to impress the admissions committee with a look at all of your awards or experiences. Rather, impress them with your ability to tell a good story about just one event or experience.
As with all good writing, you should also avoid the use of clichés or the use of other terms and themes that are formulaic in nature. Some themes that are overused in admission essays include: winning one for the team, discovering that money is the root of all evil, espousing religious beliefs, and taking in the weak and the poor. Try coming up with a different idea that provides a unique perspective that will show the admissions committee who you really are.
Of course, it doesn't matter how great your ideas are if you have grammar errors, punctuation errors, or flaws in your logic or the flow. Therefore, you should set the report aside for a few days and then re-read it before sending it in. Make sure the paragraphs transition nicely into each other and that the sentences flow well and you will be certain to have a winning article.
Related Articles:
Premium Papers Involving "How to Write an Admission Essay"
Tutorial Videos on Academic Writing
