College application essay is a critical component in the whole application package. This article will give you several suggestions that will make your essay competitive.
Of the 34,295 high school graduates to apply to be undergrads at Harvard University in 2014, a mere 2,023 will be a part of the class of 2018. This translates to 5.9% of applicants. Of that small percentage, roughly 10% are international students. Seems like one would have a better chance at winning the lottery or getting struck by lightning than getting into this elite university.
While it is necessary for applicants to show admissions officers they have the full package, one way of ensuring a spot in a competitive Ivy League university is writing an incredible, memorable personal essay. While of course grade point average, SAT score, extra curricular activities and letters of recommendation play a huge role, the essay is the only place for the student to skilfully use their own voice to tell their original and unique story.
A recent survey from the National Association for College Admission Counselling ranked the essay as the fifth most significant determinant in college acceptance, after grades in college prep classes, how challenging the student’s curriculum, SAT scores and grade point average. So how do you write a good application essay? Here are five tips to get you started.
- Do not let anyone write your essay for you! You should be telling YOUR story. Of course, have someone familiar with the application essay help you edit your work, but the bulk of the work should be you telling your own story. In 51UStudy, our application essay assistance service always starts from 1-on-1 brainstorming sessions, which lead us to know you as much as possible and draft the essay with your personality.
- Write about something you feel passionate about. Be sure to tell an interesting story with examples of experiences, which now define you and your outlook. This should be a fun, self-investigative process, which makes you feel proud to be who you have become.
- Edit, Edit, Edit! Writing is all about ‘killing your babies’, meaning you sometimes have to let go of brilliantly written sentences, or even paragraphs if they don’t go along with the narrative of your story.
- Use correct grammar and spelling. This is a must! If an admissions officer has a hard time reading your essay because of silly mistakes like these, it is going straight to the rejection pile.
- Don’t overuse SAT words in your essay. The application assessor will know if you are faking it. You are best off studying vocabulary words and using them in your daily life, so you can gradually become comfortable using them often. However, it can be hard to bulk up vocabulary in such a short period of time. Additionally, many people you converse with probably don’t use SAT words in their daily life. Along with studying words on your own, have an admissions consultant help you jazz up your draft with words they think will suit what you are trying to say in a genuine way.
Don’t forget, we are all extraordinary in some way. Your essay is a chance to sing your unique tune. Brainstorming is a fun and helpful technique to pick out your topic. Many applicants write several application essays before they write ‘the one’. Don’t give up!
