HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#25 OF 25)
The final of my twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done could just as well have been the first. That’s because it can not only improve the quality of your essay, it can elevate the experience of writing it. #25. Use the writing of your essays as […]
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#24 OF 25)
In truth, there are probably a hundred ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done. And perhaps next year I’ll add another seventy five. But for now, here’s the next to last one for 2015. #24. Avoid being too general, or too complicated. The too general essay speaks in broad […]
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 (#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 (#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 (#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 […]
How to Make Your College Application Essay the Best Writing You’ve Ever Done (#8 of 25)
Have you ever noticed that today’s popular movies almost always begin with a compelling event, whether it’s based on action or a highly emotional moment? This is a calculated technique by filmmakers to instantly engage viewers and get them to start wondering, “What’s going to happen next?” It’s a highly effective tool, just like the […]
How to Make Your College Application Essay the Best Writing You’ve Ever Done (#6 of 25)
Building on #5 of the twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done, here’s #6. #6: Follow the Basic Rules of Good Writing BUT… As long as it’s purposeful and you do it with flair, you can break some of the traditional rules of good writing in your […]
THE THREE “RE’S” OF WRITING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY
At the risk of oversimplifying, here are three “re’s” students need to keep in mind when writing their college application essays. Re-flect Unless a student was raised by wolves or comes from Pluto, it is rare that an outstanding essay topic instantly reveals itself. On the contrary, it takes time and serious self reflection to […]
WRITING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY – REMOVING THE CLUTTER
There was an article in The New Yorker magazine this week about beloved non-fiction writing teacher, Bill Zinsser, author of the classic writing instruction book, On Writing Well. The author of the article, William Singer, was a student of Zinsser’s and states: “Our first imperative was to eliminate “clutter,” which Bill regarded as “the disease […]