You will have a maximum number of words, so the secret is not to try to cover everything in your essay. Create a plan before you actually start writing, organize your essay in three parts (introduction, body and conclusion), and decide on the main ideas you want to express.
Admissions officers go through thousands of applications a year, so it’s only logical that they will notice those that bring a unique personality to life. Let them discover that!
The application essay is your opportunity to impress an admissions officer with your determination and existing knowledge of your chosen subject. Make sure it reflects all of your skills and ambitions, and show how your chosen program will help you achieve future goals.
A college application essay is basically a glimpse into how your mind works and how you view the world. If you want your essay to be credible, you need to make sure everything you write supports that viewpoint. Spend some time figuring out how the essay question relates to your personal qualities and then write from a specific angle.
6. Stick to a clear essay plan
You’ve completed all the application forms, taken all the tests, and now it’s finally time to impress your university’s admission officers with a great college application essay.
A college application essay is usually around 500 words, and those words can mean the difference between acceptance and rejection. You will spend many days researching and crafting your essay, but admissions officers will only have a few minutes to actually read it, so you need to get their attention.
If you ask a teacher or parent to proofread your essay, they will be able not only to catch mistakes, but also to check if the writing sounds like you. After reading so many examples and following all those instructions, it’s hard to tell if what you just wrote is a statement of who you really are or not. Enlist the help of others to make sure that your essay is immaculate.
Great writing is hard to achieve, but it’s possible if you’re smart about it. Anyone who works in journalism will tell you that you can catch any reader’s attention as long as you deliver a great introduction.
- Your outline should have a logical order that flows from:
- Introduction that ends with a thesis or idea
- Explanation that supports and proves your thesis
- Conclusion that reiterates your argument and thesis
- Properly format your article by following instructions, or (as a general rule) write using:
- 12 point font
- Times New Roman, Arial, Courier, Helvetica, or Georgia font (whatever is standard on your preferred writing system, nothing too stylized)
- Double spaced
- 1 inch to 1 ½ inch margins
- If there is no required word or page count, as a general rule, aim for ¾ to 1 full page in length.
- Be sure to include your name and the name of the scholarship you are applying for near the top of the page (either as a header or simply above the optional title).
As important as FAFSA is for most students, there are other options available to help students pay for their college education: mainly scholarships and grants. The best thing about these options? They don’t require repayment plans.
The prompts can be anywhere from basic — “What was a challenging experience you faced in high school and how did you overcome it?” — to more complex or specific — “How has coffee helped you study for your SAT or ACT test?”
Once you’ve found a scholarship that you qualify for or that interests you, it’s important to read over the instructions thoroughly to understand what is expected of you. Then, follow these steps to write the perfect application essay for the scholarship of your choosing:
Rewrite
When you originally brainstormed your essay topic, you should have been able to narrow down your topic to just a few key points that you could communicate and cover in detail. As you fully flesh out your essay, you should ensure that you stay focused on these core ideas. Try not to ramble or get side tracked. Every sentence in your essay should be related in some way to one of your core ideas. If it’s not, delete it or rewrite the sentence so that it does relate.
Paying for college is a top concern for many students in America today. Even just a generation ago, a student’s primary concern was more about getting into the college they preferred, instead of about being able to afford college at all. Now, young students are trying their best to budget and save up in order to afford a college education, and are planning ahead for how they will pay off their student loans.
Through your writing you should also be revealing some of your motivations pertaining to why you’re going to school and why you’re seeking out this scholarship. Discuss how you will become an effective student in the coming years, and how you’ll make good use of the money you may be awarded. You may have more freedom to write about yourself in detail for some scholarship prompts, and less of the same freedom for others. Use your discretion.
The prompt should help you start to formulate ideas on how you want to construct your essay. Be sure to fully understand what is expected of you by reading the instructions, and do your best to not stray from the topic being covered. Some essays may have a word or page count, while others may only request you answer the prompt.
3. Plan your essay structure before you begin writing it. Start with general information about yourself, mentioning only the most relevant and preferably recent experiences that relate to your major. Then write two or three paragraphs about your motivation and rationale for studying at this particular institution. End by mentioning the extracurricular activities and hobbies you are interested in, and how these activities correlate to the institution you are applying for.
An admission essay is an essay that a student writes when applying for a university or college program. It is normally not more than two pages long (around 300-500 words), so you have to be concise in your thoughts and choose your words carefully. There are various types of admission essays: statement of purpose, personal statement, letter of intent, etc. There is no single guide to success when it comes to admission essays. Every admission essay has to be unique and demonstrate your specialties, your attitude, and your personal traits that will help you successfully enroll in the institution of your choice.
2. Make a short list of points you wish to emphasize in your admission essay. Include answers to questions such as: “Why do I want to study in this particular institution?”
1. Carefully read through the website of the university or college to which you are applying. Be sure you fully understand the mission and the direction of development and values the university or college proclaims. Furthermore, each educational institution may also have some specific requirements to narrow down and simplify your essay.
Key Points to Consider
5. Lay your writing aside for some time and then do thorough proofreading. Consider revising those parts that are too general or do not have a clear meaning. Make sure every sentence is not just a general statement about how much you want to become a student of this particular institution, but also presents your personality, motivation, and abilities that relate to the selected discipline of your future major.
4. Conclude your admission essay with a sentence addressing the committee or board of your college directly. In a formal manner, let the person reading your admission essay know how much enrolling in this institution means to you and that you will be looking forward to the decision of the board.
Now that you have acquainted yourself with the basic admission essay writing tips and rules, you can check out our admission essay samples to link theory with practice.
Although this example does show some interest in the school and college admissions process, it could be applied to any school. In this particular example, you should focus on what the kids could have said to convince you that the school was the best school in the U.S., or whatever reason else attracts you to SMU. It’s important here to use strong, descriptive language.
However, it is better to further elaborate on the essay by including specific personal information about yourself that places you in the best light possible. Show, rather than tell, the admissions officers specific things about yourself that highlight traits that would make you a good fit for the college. Be careful when you write that you actually deepen your points. A deceptively weak example of this could be: “The kids I have babysat convinced me that SMU is the best school in the U.S. — I’ve spent many late nights talking about SMU and UT football and hearing about their parents’ experience with the school as well.”
This example describes specifically what experiences SMU would provide — Boulevarding with your roommates on game day — as well as demonstrate that you are excited to attend the university specifically by mentioning the economics professor, Santanu Roy. Regardless of the school you apply to, you need to add information specific to that school, and in this example, talking about a certain football tradition or economics professor indicates that you are thoroughly interested in the university.
Students benefit from small classes and opportunities for research, leadership development, and exceptional learning experiences on campus and around the world. Apart from boasting strong academic programs and southern hospitality, SMU is an excellent value for its price, as roughly 3 out of 4 students receive aid through either need-based financial aid or merit scholarships.
Required Prompt #1
Southern Methodist University, located in Dallas, Texas, is recognized as a university of increasing national prominence and impact. Offering undergraduates over 106 bachelor’s degrees in 92 fields across its 7 schools, SMU provides a wide range of academic programs for everyone.
An example like this demonstrates genuine interest and shows why you would be a good fit for the school, while also showing your enthusiasm to attend.
To apply, you can use SMU’s online application, The Common App, ApplyTexas, or the Coalition Application. For each of these, you will need to write two supplemental essays. This post will help guide you through the essay prompts in the Southern Methodist University required writing supplement.
Here is a stronger example that uses a similar concept:
- Option A: UGA’s 2017 Commencement speaker Ernie Johnson (Class of ’79) told a story from his youth about what he refers to as blackberry moments. He has described these as “the sweet moments that are right there to be had but we’re just too focused on what we’re doing …, and we see things that are right there within our reach and we neglect them. Blackberry moments can be anything that makes somebody else’s day, that makes your day, that are just sweet moments that you always remember.” Tell us about one of your “blackberry moments” from the past five years.
If you go down this route, the most important thing to do would be to detail your thought processes, explaining the impact this new information had on you, so long as it circles back to a point of interest or amusement. Perhaps this new insight urged you to see life in a different way, or maybe it sparked a period of change and self-discovery. Be careful to not make it an essay of fully self-reflection, however! Your essay should still be narrative and read like a story with a classic beginning, middle, and end.
After reading this essay, you might have thought, “What? That is a college admissions essay? As stories go, this may be entertaining, but does it really fit the genre of the college admissions essay?”
It may seem a little strange, so let’s start by explaining why UGA’s admissions officers might have thought it was a good essay.
University of Georgia Supplemental Essay Prompts
Take the prompt at its word when it tries to sympathize with how stressful the admissions process can be. The prompt is trying to get you to do something other than talk about the activities and test scores that the admissions officers can already see in other parts of your application.
Perhaps, in your readings, you came across Oscar Wilde’s quip, “Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” You could write about how, on one level, you disagree with this quote: Stretching your paycheck to make ends meet might require some very imaginative budgetary thinking.
For example, you may write upon the time you came across new and interesting information which changed your life somehow, perhaps via a quote you came across or advice you were given by a coach or teacher.