Jeremy Kaplan
Do you know the common mistakes students make when writing an admission essay? What is the main problem in their essays that doesn’t allow them to get accepted to the university or college?
Today we’re going to talk about the strongest and the weakest sides of your admission essay. This information will be useful if you don’t want to apply to the custom writers, but want to write a pretty good application essay yourself to get accepted to the college you’ve always dreamt about.
How to Write and How Not to Write an Admission Essay
First of all, let’s talk about the main mistakes a lot of students make when working on their college essays.
How Not to Write Your Admission Essay
These mistakes should be definitely avoided if you want your writing to stand out as the most compelling and interesting one, as the admission committee has already read thousands of similar essays before. So, if you want your writing not to be something they read on a daily basis, again and again, avoid the following mistakes:
- The only topic you consider good enough is volunteering. If volunteering is something you’re not interested in, don’t write about it. If you’re a fan of baseball or basketball, or you’re a member of a football team, write about it. Describe your passion and how it influences your life. Tell how your hobby makes you a better person and helps you to grow. It doesn’t have to be volunteering only because it sounds great. Express your own hobby, your own interest;
- Choosing the wrong topic. A personal essay that tells your own story, but not someone else’s, has a bigger impact than an essay that is written about something, which doesn’t include your personality. Be unique. Don’t be afraid to show your personality through the words. Personal essays make the readers want to read more. Let the committee know more about you and why you fit the university or college you’re applying to. Be passionate about your topic;
- And the third huge mistake is using cliche phrases and words. Avoid a situation when a student starts his or her essay with a quote by a famous person. An admission essay is not a typical essay we used to write in the high school. It doesn’t require any moralizing in the end or including a famous quote by a poet or philosopher. Your story should reveal personal characteristics about yourself. It is not an argumentative essay or a dissertation, where you have to do a groundbreaking research and compare different arguments, finding the solution to the question of a topic.
How to Write Your Admission Essay
The main question of any admission essay is «Why?». Why do you want to go to this or that university or college? Answering this question in a proper way gives you high chances to get accepted to that place. This essay gives an admission committee a better idea of your fitting or not into a college or university community. What is so special about your previous experiences or future goals, that makes you perfect for that institution? What do you want to study and why do you want to study it?
So, how to answer all of these questions in one essay only, making it complete and compelling at the same time? Let’s figure everything out step-by-step.
- First of all, make sure you have a deep knowledge of what this or that university offers. Do you know the exact programs and the things you’re going to learn there in case you’re accepted? Write down why you feel it is something suitable for your own learning style and goals. This understanding will help you to present a picture of your perfect fit to the admission committee;
- Describe your unique qualities. Write down those unique qualities that attract you to this specific place. Why does this university support your interest? In which way?
- Read the question of your admission essay for a couple of times. Some universities require more specific topics, while others have more general questions. For example, a college can ask you to focus not only on your personality in your admission essay but also on your academic results. Always follow the requirements the university or college provides.
So, these are the main points of writing a compelling admission essay to make it stand out from the crowd, helping you to get accepted to the place you want to study at. Familiarize yourself with the requirements your own university has, and start preparing your admission essay without leaving it for the last night before the deadline.
