The college application process is something I think we can all agree is quite stressful to even think about. While there are many parts that make up an application I will be focusing on the less straightforward part.
Most of the typical applications will include questions with undebatable answers, factual ones you don’t need to think too hard about: your personal, financial, and academic information. That being said, most universities would also ask you to provide a personal essay or may even ask you to answer specific essay prompts. Throughout my college and scholarship application journey, I have probably written around twenty to thirty essays, and that’s not even including the drafts for each one.
While that may sound excessive, not all of these essay questions required long answers. In fact, most essays you would be writing besides your personal college essay usually have a word limit of 200-300 words. This is to say that a college or scholarship essay won’t usually be excessively long. This is not necessarily a good or a bad thing; it simply means you need to be more concise and be able to convey yourself and your strengths within a certain amount of words while answering a prompt.
This isn’t always exactly the easiest thing to pull off, so here are my personal tips from what I’ve experienced as a senior awaiting the rest of her application results.
My first tip would be to always write your essay after you fill out your entire application, including extracurricular activities and awards or honours. I cannot stress how important this simple tip is Why? .. In your essay, it is advisable to speak on personal and academic experience and how they have shaped you. Don’t be shy to mention a specific title or award in connection to a life shaping experience. It would come off as more strange if it seems none of your academic achievements or skills impacted you personally. An alternative to this would be focusing more on your personal journey, and life-shaping events that made you want to either improve or work towards a certain goal. Again, the writing should be left last to ensure this essay r fits well with your overall application.
My second tip is to not be afraid to get your essay peer-reviewed or checked by an adult or person you trust. While reading through your own essay will help you spot errors during editing, it simply isn’t enough sometimes. Getting an essay reviewed by multiple people can really help you gain all kinds of perspectives. Whether that person is a relative, friend, teacher, or a professional, a third-party editor will definitely have suggestions and be able to point out some things you may have not originally considered. This is not to say you absolutely have to take their advice, but you will definitely find yourself gaining insight from doing this.
My third and final tip that I believe everyone should be keeping in mind while writing their essays is how your content connects to your chosen major. Your essay’s focus and your activities should always lead back to your major and why you decided on it. It is always better to be more specific than not when it comes to essay answers. The more specific your essay is to you and your chosen major, the more likely you will be accepted with the major you truly want. Not only that but general answers give the person reading less insight into who you are and what you have to offer as an individual.
Even with all that in mind, college essays will always be tricky to write. You have to convey exactly what you want to in a certain amount of words. Coupled with the intense pressure of sounding intelligent can make it almost impossible to motivate yourself to start writing. Nevertheless, you have to click submit at some point. Worry less about frivolous language and focus on what you personally want to say. At the end of the day, the answers are about you and you alone.
From one applicant to the other, I wish you all the best on your college application journeys.
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