How to Write a Good College Application Essay

The thought of going to college is overwhelming. Just imagine student discounts on electronics, entertainment (movie tickets the most), restaurants, gym membership (which is included in your tuition fee), cafeteria food, parties and many more. Other than meeting new friends, surviving a day with a deadly professor and probably daydreaming about either being a spy, the next president, the next Bill Gates, the boss, owner of a new social networking site, an agent in CIA and the list goes on and on. However, getting into college could be a head-scratching challenge. It is indeed a great challenge to get a good score on your SATs and a great transcript since it requires a lot of hard work. Other than that the ability to stand out among the rest of the applicants takes a lot of work too. But how can you stand out? How can you be the one admitted among many?

Writing a Good College Application Essay

Below, we will provide you with tips on how to create a compelling personal statement or college essay that will surely give your reader a glimpse of what you are and what difference you could make or achieve once admitted. Then, how do you write a good college application essay? The idea behind writing a college application essay is to make sure that you would be able to present yourself in your most convenient way - express your personality, your dedication to the people in the admissions office, etc. Doing it right is the key.

When your professor requires you to submit a ten-page report, he/she is not expecting to read a fifteen-page paper. When he/she advises you to use a black ink in writing a report, you cannot submit a paper with its content written in blue. The point is, for a successful college essay following the instruction is best for starters. Editing and cutting unnecessary details on your essay would be a skill that is required - a college essay should not be less than 250 words but not more than 650 words. After all, this is not a documentation of your life since day one.  

Here are what you have to consider in writing your essay. 

  • Have a catchy title. Who does not get interested in interesting titles? A catchy title makes a reading material compelling. It allows your reader to show some interest to get through the page(s). The challenge is to make sure that the content should be equally promising as the title.  
  • Make your essay fun to read. Who doesn't enjoy a good paper? Dab a bit of sense of humor. Along your existence there is always one or two experiences that is funny and at the same time, brings out the best in you.   
  • Be different. Being different is not bad at all. Being able to flaunt what your capabilities are, acknowledging your weaknesses and your willingness to overcome it paves a way for you to show your potential as an individual. If you need help, interview a few people who know you and ask how they see you as a person. 

Being yourself is very important. The essay you are writing is about you after all. Nobody knows you better than yourself. So, if you are applying for college, think wisely to see which experiences would suit your essay; think with courage to determine what needs to be admitted, remember you are not perfect but always make sure you want to work it out; and think with spirit, you are writing a college application essay about yourself so nothing can go wrong.  

Categories: Writing Tips   Tags: how to write a good college application essay, writing a good college application essay