Crafting An Unforgettable College Essay

Crafting An Unforgettable College Essay (And keep you from writing a panicked, 20-page dissertation about your relationship with your dog). The essay is an integral and important part of the application process. This is your time to share your “voice.” The key is to be yourself, and to choose a topic that says something about what’s important to you. The committee wants to gain insight into you, they are also going to learn about you from the thoughtfulness and the quality of your writing. While the essay may feel like an unnecessary evil, it is really quite useful when done well. The essay is a chance to put a face on your application. Grammar and punctuation count, as this is not a text message! It is also important to note that your essay should be kept within the guidelines, with many between words. With an array of essay topics to choose from, pick one that makes sense to you. Perhaps you want to talk about the moment you helped your athletic team to win an important game. Maybe you want to shed some light on a mission trip that you took to China. Whatever topic you choose, remember to be creative! Also, we know that the 25th-75th percentiles scores at the most competitive colleges are 8-10, so your essay score should not be a concern. Son is sophomore who will be taking the September ACT. He is not a great writer, does not like writing, and does not want to take the writing portion. He likely will score in the range and apply to a variety of schools (a couple top [sub-10% acceptance rate] privates and top publics, as well as some less competitive universities and colleges). If you are honest and choose a topic close to your heart, you will be able to talk about it easilyâ€"so it will be easy to write! And if it is honest and easy to write, and you have had someone check for errors, it will convey who you areâ€"often in a way that is better than any transcript can convey. While rated below GPA, Course Load, and Test scores for most universities, the essay still remains an important factor in admissions. The essay allows the candidate to express something that cannot be determined based on data alone. For some students, it can make the difference between getting in or being deferred, or even of being rejected. A good essay conveys not only who you are but how you express who you are! As such, the essay needs to be focused and well written. Do you think lacking the writing score â€" which likely would be average â€" will hurt him? Put another way, would doing the writing help him at schools where it is “optional” assuming his score is not great but not terrible? Your encouragement, ideas and overall support can go a long way in helping your students write their essays. Emphasize to students the importance of writing an informed essay. Make sure you spend plenty of time on this part of the application and that it represents the best you have to offer. THIS IS YOUR MOMENT TO BRING YOURSELF TO LIFE… The essay is a critical piece in the application process! This may be the only opportunity you get to show exactly who you are, what you stand for and where your passions lie. Keep in mind that Admission Representatives get tons of applications to read, so you want to make yourself stand out, while engaging them in a short period of time. The essay is a critical piece in the application process! As part of the admissions decision, the essay is your chance to show the admissions committee who you are. Your tone will give the committee an idea of your personality. For example, they should not write about a fantasy meeting with a famous artist and get the titles of the artist’s paintings wrong. If you really can't find any length guidelines anywhere on the admissions website and you're at a loss, I advise calling the admissions office. They may not be able to give you an exact number (in fact, they probably won't), but they will probably at least be able to tell you how long most of the essays they see are.