Free College Planning Tips for Writing a Killer College Essay!
Posted on Fri, Sep 09, 2011
You've succeeded in your high school career and must now lay your ambitions and goals clearly across paper as you seek another academic endeavor. Colleges ask for essays to help reveal who you are as a person, how far you’ve come intellectually and what your beliefs, values and personal choices are. A college essay is a mission statement and an entrance exam, an interview and a student profile. It is important because at no other time has your immediate future relied so heavily upon your ambitions, goals and education. It should provide a framework upon which all your education has built and reflect a sense of passion, a logical grasp of what you have and how you’ll progress, and an optimistic look at your future.
What to Expect When Writing a College Essay
The school wants to hear what you have to say, as your writing correlates to the future, your transcript and your personality. Your essay should best reflect you as a person and read convincingly, but not promotionally. Genuine interest and talent can be seen without intense promotion, so don’t try or worry too much about selling your worth. Let your rhetoric flow and break down any and all important details. In the world of free college planning, you might see some of these sample questions:
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 20 years?
- If a friend had to describe you, what would he or she say?
- If you had 10 million dollars to give away, where would it go and why?
- Recall a time when you were frustrated over a problem or dilemma.
- How was it solved and what steps did you take to get there?
The most common theme to extract from these samples is your decision making process. The reader wants some insight as to your values, ambitions and academic skills. Your writing should reveal your future and what they can expect from you and all others you affect. While some colleges suggest that there is no right or wrong answer in an essay, you certainly shouldn’t stray too far or manipulate the premise of the question.
Free College Planning Tips On Mechanics, Grammar & Style
In language arts or english class you may have learned the proper approach and techniques to certain writing, but let me recapitulate and expand upon what you may know.
- Stay within the first person tense of speech. This is “I, me, ours, we,” etc. Avoid 2nd person (ie. you, you all) altogether, unless in quotations. Use of the 3rd person should be sparing and only in the form of an anecdote.
- Have someone read what you’ve written and proofread for grammatical and mechanical errors.
- Review what others have written and practice. Almost anything you practice writing will assist you when you finally get your essay topic. It also doesn’t hurt to have some poignant things memorized.
- Do not get caught up in flowery, over-emotional rhetoric but pepper your writing with vocabulary and wit.
- If you don’t already have a copy, I recommend Strunk & White's, Elements of Style. It is invaluable to all writers and will assist with any questions you might have.
Be sure to take your time and write from the heart. You’ll see that your school of choice is on your side and wants you to be successful as well. If you need someone to review your essay, visit www.collegeplanningcenter.org and make a free college planning appointment with a college planning counselor.
featured photo, Writing, by jjpacres