HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (23 of 25)
Number Twenty Three of the twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done might seem merely technical, but it can contribute mightily to your chances for acceptance. #23. Respect the word count. As it relates to the Common Application essay, this one is easy, as the application will […]
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#22 of 25)
There is an old show business adage (attributed at times to both P.T. Barnum and Walt Disney), “Always leave them wanting more.” As it relates to your college application essay, however, I would suggest a slight adjustment: “Always leave them wanting you.” Easier said than done, of course (what isn’t?), but Step Twenty Two of […]
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#20 OF 25)
Number twenty of the twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done is often a tough one for students to accept. Simply put it’s… #20. Don’t sell yourself (at least obviously) Everyone, including the Admissions Committee member who will be reading your essay, is fully aware that you […]
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE #19 of 25
There is no way to avoid the fact that writing the college application essay is a stressful process. Yet students occasionally make it even harder on themselves by getting caught up in unproductive emotional states. That’s why they need to take heed of number nineteen of the twenty five ways to make your college application […]
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#16 of 25)
Number sixteen of my twenty five ways to make your college admissions essay the best writing you’ve ever done is good advice for life, as well as your application. #16. Be honest. Several years ago I worked with a student who told me he and his high school basketball team helped a family rebuild their […]
How to Make Your College Application Essay the Best Writing You’ve Ever Done (#15 of 25)
“Reading begets writing.” Quasi-biblical tone aside, this means that, at every level and in every format, the more a student reads, the better his or her writing will become. Advanced writers of fiction are invariably voracious novel readers. Journalism students devour newspapers; poets consume Frost. Increased exposure to any type of writing will develop a […]
How to Make Your College Application Essay the Best Writing You’ve Ever Done (#14 of 25)
As both teacher and college application essay tutor, I have found that while nearly all students are familiar with the writing axiom “show, don’t tell,” many of them still don’t employ it. I thought it would be worthwhile, therefore, to include this concept in my twenty five ways to make your college application essay the […]
How to Make Your College Application Essay the Best Writing You’ve Ever Done (#13 of 25)
Editing is a specific, hard to master skill that students are rarely taught, but are still expected to know. Self-editing can be even harder, as writers of every level can struggle with objectivity. Add the built-in stress of trying to get accepted to your first choice college, and editing your college application essays can be nothing […]
How to Make Your College Application Essay the Best Writing You’ve Ever Done (#12 0f 25)
Here’s another of my twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done. #12. Include Personal Details and Specifics Of course, this is a basic of good writing but it does bear repeating here. When writing your application essays, don’t speak in generalities. Make your descriptions – whether they […]
How to Make Your College Application Essay the Best Writing You’ve Ever Done (#10 of 25)
Here is another purely technical approach to making your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done. #10. Vary Your Sentence Structure and Word Choice This is basic “good writing,” but as students stew in the cauldron of stress surrounding their college application essays, it can be easily overlooked. To make sure your essay […]