The college essay is a very important part of the admission requirement of American colleges and every High School student who has plans of getting into college should be prepared to write one sooner or later. Just like every other college application requirement, college essays have some unwritten rules that must be followed if the student is going to impress the admission committee enough to be seriously considered being given a placement in the college in question. The admission committee requires different things for each essay category and only a student who has learned the tips on how to write college essays can truly give the members of the committee what they are looking for. According to Charles Ross, an academic writing expert from a cheap essay service Affordablepapers.com, college essays are at best, the most interesting part of the college application process but only to students who will keep in mind the following tips while writing their college essays:
1. Plan to Start Writing Early
Planning any activity on time is the first key to succeeding at that activity and college essays are no exception to this rule. Oftentimes, High School students can be tempted to put off writing their essays until the dying minute. By then, they may not have enough time to carefully think about what they want to write and edit their essay. Postponing your essay writing till it’s close to the submission deadline is a daunting precedent for frustration as you wouldn’t have enough time to think, write, rewrite and correct before hitting the submit button. To avoid the unpleasant situation of having to write your essay under extreme pressure and subsequently churning out terrible essays that are boring to read; it is advised that you start planning your essay early enough. Think of what the admission committee is looking out for and strategically plan how you’re going to give them just that. While starting out on your essay, put the following points into consideration; what your essay goals are, how you intend to distinguish yourself from other applicants, and what you intend to contribute to the university should you be given admission.
2. Write About Yourself
It’s your application essay, and it’s only natural for you to make it about yourself. Focus on the important details that the committee should know about you. Let them know your motivation, why you chose this particular college, what contribution your admission into the college will help you make to the college and world at large, your past achievement in relation to your goals, etc. Remember not to go overboard with it though and try not to include irrelevant details as such details will only make your essay super boring and trust me, no one reads boring essays these days.
3. Avoid Plagiarism
When it comes to essays, plagiarism is a no-no. With the array of plagiarism checkers available, detecting plagiarized content is as easy as saying, Jack Robinson. Besides the use of plagiarism checkers in detecting plagiarized essays; an admission committee member who has read hundreds of essays in the past can always easily detect an essay that isn’t original. The solution? Be honest. Write only original essays that give relevant details about you. Avoid the temptation to copy an essay online and paste or hire someone to write your essay for you. Write it yourself and do well to put your soul into it while writing it.
4. Be Specific
There is this temptation to ramble around while writing your essay, probably to hit the minimum word count as soon as possible. This is very wrong as an admission committee member can always spot at a glance, an essay that lacks depth and direction. The solution? Be specific about your essay. Don’t write about too many things. If you’re going to write about three things that you consider very important to the essay topic, then focus on those three things. Trying to write about too many areas will only make the writing process boring and the ultimate result would be an essay that lacks depth which is exactly what you don’t want right now.
5. Write from your Heart
An essay that’s written from the heart can infiltrate the inner recesses of a reader’s soul, making the reader fall in love with you (the applicant) even without knowing you personally. An essay that’s written from the heart always stands out and that’s exactly what you need in the fierce competition to secure admission into your choice college.
6. Avoid Controversial Issues
While writing your essay, you’re free to share your opinion but avoid topics that breed lots of controversies or that could make you appear impious. Do well to focus on topics that people love rather than those that are extremely controversial.
7. Keep Writing and Rewriting until you Hit the Point
The first draft of your essay is not always going to be the best. Sometimes, you need to keep writing as the ideas flow into your mind and later rewrite them, cutting out the irrelevant parts and making some additions where necessary.
8. Show Your Essay to Someone that Knows Better
You can always bet that your essay is perfect until you get a second opinion about it from an expert or someone that’s more knowledgeable in that area. One way of ensuring that you churn out a great essay is by showing it to someone that knows better. Read it out to the person and listen to the criticisms and suggestions that he has to offer.
9. Painstakingly Proofread and Edit the Final Draft
The worst thing you can do to yourself is to submit an essay that you haven’t proofread or edited. The first draft is always error-laden, so it is necessary for you to take out time to proofread and edit the essay before submitting it.
10. Relax and Try not to Expect too Much
The essay is only one of the criteria for admission; so don’t stress out yourself trying to write the perfect essay. After you have followed the above tips, it’s time to relax your mind as you set out to submit your essay.
College essays can be fun to write and more fun when written with the above tips in mind. So, in writing your essay, take out time to plan your essay, write it properly and painstakingly proofread and edit it before sending it out. Good luck on your essay writing journey.
