Your college essay should
reflect your opinions and experiences and display clear and critical thinking
. It's more than a list of facts or a highlight reel of successes; it helps college admissions officers understand your character. … Colleges may provide writing prompts or leave the topic up to you.
Does a college essay have to be a story?
You can write about pretty
much anything
– an experience, an inanimate object, a movie, a place, a person – as long as your essay reveals how that experience, thing, movie, place, or person made an impact on you.
What is a college essay usually about?
Your college essay should
reflect your opinions and experiences and display clear and critical thinking
. It's more than a list of facts or a highlight reel of successes; it helps college admissions officers understand your character. … Colleges may provide writing prompts or leave the topic up to you.
How do I start my college essay?
- Review the essay prompt(s) Take 15 or 20 minutes to simply look at the essay prompts. …
- Start brainstorming. …
- Test drive a few topics. …
- Write a (terrible) first draft or two. …
- Get feedback from a teacher, counselor, or other people you trust. …
- Write as many drafts as you need to.
What should you not do in a college essay?
- Never rehash your academic and extracurricular accomplishments.
- Never write about a “topic”
- Never start with a preamble.
- Never end with a “happily ever after” conclusion.
- Never pontificate.
- Never retreat into your thoughts.
- Never hold back.
- Never give TMI.
What do colleges look for in personal essays?
Admissions officers look for students
whose essays reveal their character and perspective through their real experiences
, not contrived situations. Admissions officers say most essays they read are safe, generic and do nothing to make them remember or want to advocate for the students who wrote them.
What should your college essay say about you?
The best way to tell your story is to
write a personal, thoughtful essay about something that has meaning for you
. Be honest and genuine, and your unique qualities will shine through. … Others write about a subject that they don't care about, but that they think will impress admissions officers.
Can you use you in college essays?
Don't Use “You”
As we said, feel free to use “I” or “we” in your college essays. This is your story, so tell it. But it would be very rare for you to have a reason to address the admissions officer directly, unless you are somehow writing a note to a specific person.
Can you use names in college essays?
No
. God knows why a student would wish to present as well-rounded but it will not guarantee that student's rejection. It will only significantly increase the likelihood of rejection. Name dropping in college essays is one of the items on our checklist of things that will make rejection exceedingly likely.
Can I use someone else's college essay?
Paying someone else to write your essay is
a form of plagiarism and cheating
. Plagiarism or copying someone's work without crediting them is considered as a serious kind of crime. Colleges and universities have strict rules against it.
When should I finish my college essay?
Like mentioned above, you should fully complete your essay idea before getting feedback. Decide on schools to apply to for early admissions. …
The summer
is the best time to get essay drafts done, and most students have this entire month off from school.
How long is a college essay?
The primary essay for your college application, often called a personal statement, is typically
around 400-600 words
. The Common App personal statement — which is used as the primary application essay by more than 800 colleges — must be 250-650 words.
What are the college essay topics?
- Prompt #1: Share your story.
- Prompt #2: Learning from obstacles.
- Prompt #3: Challenging a belief.
- Prompt #4: Solving a problem.
- Prompt #5: Personal growth.
- Prompt #6: What captivates you?
- Prompt #7: Topic of your choice.
- Describe a person you admire.
Do colleges look at your essays?
Usually one to two admissions officers read an essay.
Some colleges do not look at essays
. Some colleges will choose only to look at your GPA, Course Rigor and SAT/ACT scores. If you GPA and Test Scores are high enough, they may not feel that and essay is necessary.
Can you swear in college essays?
As expressed in an article of “The Daily Beast,”
don't use profanities in your college essays
. It's a major mistake. … Many of the anecdotes revolve around silly or even comical things students do during the course of the college admissions process.
Should parents help with college essays?
It is okay for a parent to review a child's essay
; it is not okay for a parent to take over a child's essay, tell her what words to use, what story to write, what message to send. College admissions officers tell us time and again that too many essays come to them sanitized.
