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.