College Essay Examples

College Essay Examples If you start the day before the application is due, all I can say is good luck. Even if you’re only applying to a couple schools that you know you can get into, it will still serve you well to write a compelling admissions essay. Standing out from everyone else could put you in the running for additional scholarships and will also simply make a good impression, which never hurts. Ah, college application essays â€" the necessary evil of college-bound high school seniors everywhere. If you’ve just finished your junior year of high school, then these may very well be in your near future. Well, first of all, you can presume that some admissions officers are just bored of essays about challenges you’ve overcome or experiences that have changed you. They want to see how you function when removed from the safe confines of formula and expectation. On the subject of essay prompts, Meredith points out that the 7 variations offered by the Common App are designed to give all applicants the opportunty to share something meaningful about themselves. Many selective colleges and universities have their own essay prompts. Other colleges may simply offer you free writing space to provide a personal statement. Through the project, students from underserved communities can access free, individualized essay coaching and feedback through dedicated workshops at 826’s nine chapters and four other cities nationwide. Hiring an essay coach to help craft college essays is common in many well-off communities â€" it’s not unusual for a coach to charge $1,000 or more for their services. But every student, regardless of their zip code or the amount of cash in their parent/guardian’s bank account, should have access to a trusted adult who can provide essay help. It’s okay if you haven’t won the Nobel Peace Prize. Or built a school brick by brick, with your bare hands. Let’s give her the way-too-peppy name of Rachel Resilient. Visit our Writing Lab for more writing tips, pertaining both to your college essay, and to the array of other writing challenges you’ll face in college or graduate school. This advice applies to most creative writing situations. We assume some well-meaning English teacher shared this advice with you in high school. Admissions officers aren’t interested in a timeline of events or a bullet-list of accomplishments. What they’re really seeking is a story, a personal narrative, a reflection that carries subtext. That story shows your hard work, dedication, and generosity without ever referring explicitly to these fantastic qualities. So what’s the takeaway from this array of unexpected, possibly even bizarre essay questions? Finally, Rachel has a detailed list to work from. For similar categories of essays, Rachel plans to write one rough essay, then tweak it for different colleges. Now Rachel goes through her colleges’ essay prompts and groups similar essays together to come up with a list of what she has to write. However, the Common Application is perhaps the best starting point for anticipating likely college essay prompts. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. Look, we all procrastinate. But please, please, please do not not procrastinate on your admissions essay. Everything I’ve covered in this article matters only if you give yourself enough time. When I say they are “not very good”, I mean they are either boring, impenetrable, melodramatic, or all of the above. The Great College Essay Project combines the existing free college writing support that’s been provided by 826 National’s chapters since 2002 with Reach Higher’s expertise in creating a college-going movement. We read essays about the most mundane things - solving a crossword puzzle, taking a walk with a sibling, collecting zany socks - but the way the applicant writes the piece makes it effective. When we begin evaluating your application, everything can seem pretty standard - grades, test scores, activities, lists of AP classes. Yes, your letters of recommendation tell us about you, but they’re written from someone else’s perspective. Thus, the college essay is an invaluable component of your application because you're able to speak to us directly. You have the space tell us what you’re thinking about and how you’re thinking about it. Rachel takes a few days to relax after completing 11th grade before creating a spreadsheet listing her colleges. She then uses both the Common App and individual colleges’ websites to find guidelines, deadlines and essay prompts. If Rachel has established a relationship with a college admissions representative, she will ask if supplemental essay prompts for next season will change. If she hasn’t been in touch with a rep, she will use this year’s prompts as a guide. Right now, halfway around the globe, an American high school junior is gearing up for the U.S. college admissions process. One rep said the general rule of thumb was no essays on the Four Dsâ€"Drugs, dating, death, and divorceâ€"but you get the idea. If you want to write about a personal challenge, emphasize what you learned and how you grewâ€"if you dwell on the details, the essay will not achieve its purpose. But the same is true for college essays, as Orwell doubtlessly would have realized if he were reanimated and handed him a sheaf of Common Applications. The sad truth is that most college application essays are not very good.