How Not To Start Your College Essay

How Not To Start Your College Essay Don’t be vague and make sure you answer the prompt. When you try to impress an admissions officer, it can often appear that way and seem inconsistent with who you are. Use this space to show the school something special, be proud of who you are and let it shine through your written response. If you can make the reader laugh, say “I get that” or “me too”, you are on your way to a strong application. If it’s possible that the reader will read anything similar from another applicant, you need to start another essay. Look on theUndergraduate Admissions website and locate the possible college essay topics. DON’T try to write an important or scholarly essay. A well-researched essay that shows off your knowledge of a particular academic subject tells the reader nothing about you. The reader will only suspect that your essay is a recycled term paper. These are three things you don't want your admissions reader thinking about you. Likewise, avoid clichés and overuse of contractions. Be thoughtful in both your topic choice and the tone of your writing. Colleges look for students who have dealt with adversity, have overcome challenges and continue to grow from their experience. Admitting shortcomings is a sign of maturity and intelligence, so there is no need to portray yourself as a superhero; they will see through it. You may see one or two questions that seem easier for you to answer than others. Admissions officers can have a sense of humor too, and, when used appropriately, humor can make you stand out. However, don't make being funny one of your top goals in your college essay. Generally speaking, slang words conjure the feeling of someone being unpolished, uncaring or not that serious. It can be especially helpful to use a story or anecdote (just not, “I’ve had a Yale sweatshirt since I was 10”). works as a high school English teacher at a school for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. She graduated from The George Washington University with a Master’s Degree in Secondary Special Education and Transition Services in 2013. Use the details to ground the bigger-picture aspects of your story. For instance, if you’re applying to Cornell’s School of Hotel Management, you might describe how you’ve been collecting hotel brochures since you were a child in the hope of one day opening your own. DO write about what you know and have observed or experienced, not things beyond your personal development as a teenager. Book knowledge or secondhand information does not convey to the reader any sense of who you are. DO write an essay that only you could honestly write. In addition, you are sharing something about yourself that is not anywhere else in your application. Finding a cure for cancer, saving the whales singlehandedly, or traveling abroad to build homes for orphans does not automatically make a great essay. It’s all about the delivery, the reflection, the conversational tone, showing not telling that will make for a winning essay. Combining your larger reasons with the specific details paints a clear picture of why this is the right college for you. That, combined with your desire to be on a large, rural campus with deep ties to the surrounding town â€" and work every job possible in a student run hotel â€" made you know Cornell was the school for you. This essay is about your relationship with the school, not solely the school itself. In fact, it’s really more about you than the college â€" how and why you will thrive there. To that end, use the space to explore why you’re a mutual fit. Allow yourself plenty of time to write the essay. I know this sounds absurdly simple, but it really does make a difference to be as relaxed as possible when you sit down to write. The essay is one of the few things that you’ve got complete control over in the application process, especially by the time you’re in your senior year. Be specific and highlight traits that speak to your talents and interests.