Essay Topic
From my knowledge and previous
experience, a topic or general prompt will be usually provided. It is
much more difficult for college admissions staff to compare and judge
completely dissimilar essays than it is similar essays. Therefore,
prompts are given to make the lives of college admissions staff easier!
If
a prompt is not specific, write about something you feel comfortable
and knowledgeable about. Also, think of what admissions personnel is
looking for. This often includes leadership demonstration, work or
volunteer experience, and/or an activity relating to your field of
study. I would
not recommend writing on the subject of academia, as your GPA, class rank, and test scores fill that area.
Where Do I Start?
Anywhere!
The most difficult portions of essays is often the introduction and
conclusion. Once you have your ideas on paper (or your screen), it is
much easier to manipulate your existing ideas to form a solid, logical
paper.
I often have 10 to 20 "mini" paragraphs, which I then form into larger portions and, finally, a cohesive essay.
Writing Tips
Don't Be Boring!
1.The college admissions staff reads thousands of papers per day. Your admissions essay is
not
the place to be mundane and typical. Especially if you are on the
border (GPA, class rank, and test score wise), your essay must be
extremely effective and exciting.
2. If you can write about an
emotional experience, may it be saddening, frightening, or
action-packed, please do so! It will capture the readers attention and
give your paper longer than the average minuet or two.
3. Convey
your feelings to the reader! If you were crying tears of joy, your goal
should be to have the admissions reader excited and jumping out of their
chair!
Style
1. As stated in my previous post, have
your own style. You have been writing for about 10 years now, and you
should have a definitive, catchy style to your writing. Vary sentence
structure and word choice.
2. On the note of word choice: Your essay should
not be
the annual gathering of large words! Don't hear me wrong, whenever I am
writing an essay, I always have thesaurus up. They are great to find
the word on the tip of your tongue or just to add some variety.
*On a side note, my favorite are MSN Thesaurus and Thesaurus.com. They both offer a different variety of word choices.
3. More is not always better. Be concise and to the point. Wordiness can cause boredom and lose attention of your reader.
Follow The Prompt
1.
Answer the darn question! Don't ramble on and write an autobiography if
the question is "How will ___ College help fulfill your dreams?"
Get Assistance
1.
It is highly encouraged that you ask for a read over from, at minimum,
your parents and siblings. Having a teacher or other mentor give their
input can also be quite helpful.
2. Although I have not personally
used an essay service, many applicants are using them to receive (what
some argue) is an unfair advantage. Personally, I had three high school
teachers and my mother read my essays. I was accepted to the University
of Illinois, so I must have done something right...
*If you insist
on having a professional opinion, or want that extra advantage. I have
heard EssayEdge does a bang-up job. The founder, Geoffrey Cook, also
wrote Yahoo's article on admissions essays.
3. You can never have
too many opinions! If you don't agree with what someone suggests, even
after an explanation, just smile, nod, and ditch their suggestion!
Don't Panic
1.
Take your time, and get ideas on paper. Like I stated earlier, it does
not matter what order or way the information is lied out. Just get it on
paper, and your life will become much easier!
2. Walk away from your essay and come back in a couple hours or a couple days, depending on your time constraint.
3. Don't wait till the last minute! Get a jump start and work on your essays longer than your competition (other applicants!).
Be an AppliCAN, Not an AppliCAN'T!
*As
cheesy as this sounds, I know many peers of mine didn't apply
themselves, get good grades, apply to top schools, and write solid
essays. All because they where not confidant and saw themselves as
appliCAN'Ts! You are reading this blog, and by doing so, you are
becoming an appliCAN!
My name is Parker Jendrycki and my goal is to provide prospective
students with knowledge they will use in the time leading up to, and
throughout their college experience. I am currently a freshman attending
the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign studying under the
Division of General Studies.