College Essays: Dos and Don'ts
College essays present a vivid, personal,
and compelling view of a student applicant to a certain college’s admission
staff. This kind o essay is one of the most essential parts of an application. As
such pieces supplement the rest of the
application; it is therefore relevant to do a good job on it and to stand out
from the rest of the applicants. As a useful guide, check out these college
essays biggest dos and don’ts:
College Essays Biggest Dos:
· Keep Focus – be narrow and personal
Like any other paper, essays must prove a single point. The
critics must be able to understand the gist and be able to follow it from
beginning to end.
Essays that are too comprehensive might
end up sounding diluted. Keep in mind that it's not about telling the admission
staff what you've done, it's about showing them who you really are.
· Show Don’t Tell – simply prove it
Develop the main idea with vivid
and specific facts, examples, and reasons. Be very precise and don’t use vague expressions.
· Be Very Specific
Avoid using clichés, generic, and
predictable details. College papers need to outshine the rest.
College Essays
Don'ts:
· Don't Write What You Think They
Want to Hear
Admissions staff read plenty of
essays about several widely tackled issues and topics. It is crucial in crafting
an essay to offer something new to
the table, not just what you think they might want to hear.
· Don't Write a Resume
Don't include information that is already
included in the application, or else the essay will end up sounding like an
autobiography instead.
· Eliminate Unnecessary Words
Don’t try to elaborate the essay
too much. Many applicants tend to think that the longer the essay is the better
– absolutely false.
· Don't Ever Forget to Proofread
The secret to a flawless essay is proofreading and
revisions – no more, no less. Technical errors in the composition can be spotted
if proofread well.
As college essays take a major part in the evaluation of applicants, mastering by heart the biggest essay writing dos and don’ts gives that competitive edge.