Writing an Essay that Rocks!When it comes down to it, the essay is one of the few ways you can really show yourself to the admissions committee. Grades, test scores, and your transcript are a part of your history, but the essay is where you can show your personality. An admissions committee wants to learn about who you are and try to see how you will fit on their campus. So tell your parents, counselor, and English teacher to get out of the way and make sure you own this very important piece of your application.
The essay tells a story. Your Story.
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Videos on the Essay
Hear from some of the most highly selective schools on what they feel are essay mistakes applicants make.
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US News & World Report interviewed three people from different institutions for mixed perspectives on the essay process.
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An extended how-to guide on the essay process (watch for some of the parts that do not gel with what you have learned already or that fit better with UCAS personal statements).
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Advice from UPenn with good overview of what the college essay is for.
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More Tips on The Meaning of the Essay
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Get Feedback, Not HelpThe colleges want to hear from you and only you. Nothing turns them off more than an essay that reeks of input from parents or teachers. Some people have even been tempted to pay others to craft what they are convinced is a winning statement. But this could kill your application dead in its tracks. Admissions officers call it DDI (Daddy Did It). And they don't like it.
But like any good piece of work, it gets strengthened though feedback. So have people read it, because their impression of your message may be similar to an admissions officer, and you can consider all angles and interpretations. Also, they can catch potential grammatical errors, which you absolutely do not want in there. Article: Essays Can Be Too Good Additional Resource: The Essay Guy Tips from Admissions Officers |
TipsEssay tips from Bates College
Essay tips from Carelton College Guidelines from Purdue University Essay tips from Emory University 8 Tips for writing Successful Applications Essays - Pepperdine U.
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