College Essays are a CRUCIAL part of your college application. This is the opportunity for college admissions counselors to really see who you are not as a student but as a person too. So in order to make sure that you have the best college essay, follow these tips:
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Stick to the word count! Though this may seem trivial, it is very important. College Admissions counselors have thousands, yes THOUSANDS, of college essays to read before their decision deadline. If your essay is too long, they will mostly stop reading it before the end. Make it clear, concise, and precise!
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Tell a story. Make sure that your story is clearly evident through your writing and there is a SO WHAT? What about you makes you special and why should colleges invite you to their campus? What do you have to offer?
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Be genuine. Remember that these college admissions counselors have read thousands of these essays and can easily tell when one is not being authentic. You want to stay true to yourself.
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Address Hardships. College Essays are a good place to address any obstacles you have had to overcome in your life. This can include parent divorce, loss of a loved one, challenges in school, and how you overcame them or personal challenges such as mental health or other obstacles in your life. Although, you must remember to drive the story forward and not make it a complete sob story.
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State your why! This may sound self-explanatory but many students miss this crucial part of the essay. You must also state your why on why you want to attend college and what college can offer you (i.e what doors can it open for you)
In addition to your college essay that will be sent to all colleges, each individual college will have secondary essays that are unique to them. This is where you will answer questions specifically pertaining to why you want to go to their school, what major you are thinking about pursuing, things you like to do for fun, and other activities you have done through high school.
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Some possible prompts may include:
- Describe a person you admire.
- Why do you want to attend this school?
- What is a book you love?
- What is an extracurricular activity that has been meaningful to you?
For more information, please visit: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/application-essay-topics