When you write an application essay, you must leave a good impression. Regardless of what you are applying for, the chances are good that you will be facing a great deal of competition. At major universities such as Stanford, the admissions officers generally read 16,000 or more application essays per year. Therefore, it is particularly important that you find a way to make yourself more appealing than the other applicants.

When writing application essays, it is important to remember that you are trying to share a little piece of yourself with the reader. Therefore, you need to take steps to avoid being artificial or gimmicky. Rather, try your best to let the “real you” shine through with your application essay.

First of all, don’t try to be overly creative with the format of your essay. Although it may seem like a good idea to fold your application essay into origami in order to get yourself noticed, these shenanigans will only serve to annoy the admissions officer. Simply write the essay on a plain piece of paper and pretend that your audience is someone that you know well, such as a favorite aunt or uncle, rather than someone who holds the power to determine your future.

Since you are trying to help the admissions officer understand who you are, be honest as you write your application essay. At the same time, exercise caution when attempting to interject humor into your application essay, as the person reading your application may not share your sense of humor. Simply tell a story about something that happened in your life, such as a personal failure or triumph or something that happened to you while volunteering or on the job. The best application essays are personal but not sentimental.

One common mistake made when writing application essays is the tendency to brag or be boastful. Although it may seem like a good idea to describe all of your accomplishments, this makes for an ineffective application essay and ends up sounding more like a resume than a good story.

You should also avoid having someone else write your essay, as this will be easy for the admissions officer to spot. The “voice” of your essay should sound like it is being written by someone of your age group. Similarly, avoid using online samples of application essays as a framework for your essay. Although these can be used to help inspire you, writing one that is formulaic will fail to catch the essence of who you really are.

When you do tell your story, try to be as descriptive as possible. You can use the thesaurus to help you come up with descriptive words, but avoid using one to help you come up with big words that sound impressive. Rather than trying to sound like a genius, you should work at painting a vivid image in the mind of the reader. In this way, you will leave a lasting impression that will help you get your foot in the door.

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