How To Write The Best College Admissions Essay

How To Write The Best College Admissions Essay DON’T rehash information that is already in your application. The goal of your essay should not be something like “to show I’m co-captain of the soccer team.” They already know that; you need to tell them something new. This may be your only chance to address an admissions officer directly. 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. Our mind is created to recall things in stories. You want to be memorable to the counselors who read your app. A natural understanding of narrative structure â€" not the prefabricated “academic paper” structure â€" and a great story to tell. Don’t worry so much that other people may have “better” stories than you. Everyone’s life is full of story, narrative, and it’s up to you to tell these stories in compelling ways. Students don’t need to stick to the 5-paragraph model that they’ve used so often in school. You can have a good essay that has 2 or 10 paragraphs, or includes a good amount of dialogue. For more information on specific application requirements, please consult the website for each institution to which you are applying, as requirements often vary. That's easy â€" it's the best way to study for AP classes and AP exams! StudyNotes offers fast, free study tools for AP students. She highlights issues with their work and helps students learn to express themselves in a more engaging and organic manner. She also pushes them to be more intellectually rigorous, when necessary. Evidently, there is a fear that students who hire coaches won’t be presenting original work, which would be cheating. Admissions officials have seen plenty of overused topics, such as a venerated parent, a game-winning goal or volunteer work in the soup kitchen. These essays can’t work without a personal connection or engaging observations. They’re going to turn down lots of highly qualified applicants, so your essay could be critical if the choice comes down to you and another, similarly qualified applicant. That said, your essay probably won’t actually hurt you as long as it’s reasonably literate . Although they're phrased differently from college to college, certain essay question types appear routinely. Be specific and highlight traits that speak to your talents and interests. Don’t be vague and make sure you answer the prompt. Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it. While there is no perfect length for an essay, we recommend that you aim for 500 to 550 words. Our AP study guides, practice tests, and notes are the best on the web because they're contributed by students and teachers like yourself. Jager-Hyman uses Mad Libs to help students find their own language to express their thoughts. I got my MFA at UT Austin as a Michener Fellow, a program for young writers that accepts less than one percent of applicants. Prompt connects students with a team of professional playwrights, authors, journalists, and educators who are only available through our network. Students applying to highly competitive universities (Ivy and Ivy-equivalent) face tough competition. There has always been speculation as to the value colleges place on the essay. The essay itself won’t propel an average student into Harvard, but may indeed make a difference. Since 2016, I have worked as a high school English tutor, theatre educator, and freelance journalist. I graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University's theatre and creative writing programs. I'm a playwright, editor, and writing teacher with a focus on arts education.