How To Write The Best College Application Essay: A Fail-Safe Method

If you are looking for help with your college admission essay, you are in the right place. No one can teach you how to write an essay that will surely get you in because there are too many factors to consider in each particular case, but the tips below can help you avoid the most common pitfalls.

• Be yourself.

If the choice of topic is assigned to you, look for your true passion or an event that has made the strongest impact on your life. Do not write about anything you think other people would like to read. Write about what really matters to you.

• Start early.

Allow yourself at least several weeks to think your admission essay out, and at least a couple of days to write it. Rushing can ruin even the best essay.

• Try to stand out.

Think of experiences any other person is unlikely to have had. These experiences usually lie beyond your school activities, sports performance, and hobbies – they are in the ways you think, feel, and react. Think of a situation that has changed the way you see yourself, other people, or the world. Such essays are always interesting to read.

• Do not cheat.

With all those essays your college admission officers have seen, they are always able to tell when an essay was actually written by an adult. They are also good at detecting even the “subtlest” kinds of plagiarism, such as modifying a touching Internet story to pass it off as your own. You will hardly be able to trick anyone this way. All you can achieve by cheating is ruining your chances.

• Have another person proofread your essay.

You may not be able to catch all the mistakes on your own. Ask your family member, teacher, or friend to proofread your essay. Do not rely entirely on the Word spell check – it can’t identify errors such as “form” instead of “from.”

• Don’t overstress yourself.

Admission officers never make their decisions on the basis of your essay alone. They will consider the whole package – your test scores, academic grades, extracurricular activities, and so on. If you have a good academic performance, a mediocre essay is unlikely to lead to rejection. Therefore, do not put too much pressure on yourself to produce a perfect piece of writing. Do as good a job as you can, but do not only rely on your essay to get you into college. However strong your writing is, it is simply not the sole factor deciding your admission.