College admission essay is your introduction consisting of personal stories and experiences showing your values, aspirations, personality, and character. Knowing how to write college admissions application can make you stand out in the eyes of admissions officers and increase your chances of getting accepted.
I will discuss how to write a college admissions essay and get accepted by the admissions officer in this article. Some of the tips include being genuine and authentic, creative, and structured.
Start writing early
Start writing your essay early, during the summer before the senior year. Create a list of topics and discuss them with family or friends to identify the most potential topic.
Choose a narrow topic.
Choose a narrow topic that covers a minor, personal incident that shaped your personality and had a lasting impact. The essay doesn’t have to cover a massive incident. A broad topic can make the essay more vague and miss the actual message that needs to be conveyed. For example, a topic like “my high school journey” is too broad and will include a lot of incidents that impacted you.
Read the essay guidelines.
Read the essay guidelines and understand the requirements. You must follow the guidelines; otherwise, it can be interpreted that you might not follow the college rules. Collect and organize your thoughts to convey the main message about yourself.
Be genuine and authentic.
Be genuine and authentic while writing the essay. Being fake may be reflected by fancy words or phrases not used in everyday conversation. Use your own writing style sense of humor, and do not try too hard to impress. Be honest and sincere while discussing your flaws to connect better with the reader.
Grab the attention in the introduction.
Write a compelling introduction that grabs the admission officer’s attention. You can start the intro with a meaningful quote, a question, a short and meaningful story, etc. It must draw the reader’s attention and compel him to read further.
Focus on deeper meanings.
Focus on deeper meanings of incidents and show how they influenced and impacted your personality. Do not just mention your victories, challenges, strengths, or weaknesses. Discuss how those incidents shaped you into a better person. Talk about the lessons you learned and the changes you made in your life. For instance, if you mention winning a football tournament, talk about how that victory changed your perspective on competition, persistence, and hard work. Discuss how this new perspective influenced you as a friend, teammate, and family member.
Be creative.
Be creative and discuss the story in a way that brings visuals to the reader’s mind. While describing a scene, describe what you see, feel, touch, hear, etc., to interest the reader into visualizing the scene and becoming part of the story.
Discuss learnings from challenges.
Discuss learnings from challenges and failures, and do not just write about victories and happy moments. Writing solely about victories may sound like bragging. Be honest and discuss your flaws and your learnings. Discuss how you implemented those learnings and worked on the flaws.
Proofread and check the grammar.
Proofread your essay and check for grammatical, spelling, and formatting errors. Ask others like family, friends, or classmates to review it and suggest any improvements.
Final words
A college admissions essay can get you accepted or rejected by the admission officer. Writing a compelling and impressive college essay is crucial for getting accepted. Also add a resume if you have any experience. An impressive essay is exciting, grabs the reader’s attention, and reveals your true character and personality. It should describe the story so that the reader visualizes the scene and becomes a part of it. You must be genuine and authentic to convey the main message.
