Tips For Writing Your College Essay

Tips For Writing Your College Essay Students often show their essays to teachers, counselors, parents and friends. Each person has a different idea about what you “should” write, and before you know it, you’ve lost the heart of the essay. Students often come to our courses with a “topic” they think they should write about, as if they are writing an analytical essay in English class. Instead, you should explore specific moments that reveal your character in action. The college application process is stressful, and the essay can seem like an insurmountable hurdle. Whether writing is a strength of yours or a struggle, it is imperative that you start early on the process of writing your essay. Writing a good essay can take a long time and require several drafts. No one ever gets a piece of writing perfect on his or her first draft. You will need to be patient with yourself and give yourself plenty of time to take breaks, ask advice, and edit your essay. You may not always have a choice of your essay topic. Acceptance into college is dependent on your strengths and academic abilities. Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. To identify key ingredients of a good college essay. If I had to assign the MVP of the college application essay, it would be the very first sentence. Once you’ve proofread and edited the essay till you’re sick of it, let a few people you trust look over it. If they’re willing, get one of your English teachers to read it. When you begin to write an essay, it’s normal to fall back on clichés. That’s okay to start â€" it gets you in the flow of writing. But we want to get that stuff out of the way as quickly as possible so we can move on to the not so obvious. However, you will always have a choice on exactly what you write about within the topic guidelines. Your passion about the topic will show through your writing and make your essay stronger. Your motivation to write will become stronger if you are excited about the topic. Discuss how your disability has made you the person you are today. These people will point out things you never would have noticed on your own. John Hopkins University has a page full of essays that worked; one in particular, entitled“Breaking Into Cars”, showcases what the writer learned from his experiences well. This second version isn’t going to win any awards, and it definitely needs more work, but the specificity is there. If the person reading this essay had no idea about marching band or music, this description would give them enough detail to empathize with the writer. It helps you get all the obvious stuff out of your head first. Do not make things up or use things that have happened to other people. A strongly written essay about a fight you had with your parent and how you solved the problem will be much better than a made-up story. All colleges take integrity and honesty very seriously. Any uncovered dishonesty would have serious consequences on your future. Anyway, writing about something due to of personal experience will be much easier than writing about something you have had to make-up. Talk to at least one adult about disclosing your disability in your college essay. Make a list of the keys to a good college essay, then list why they are important. College essays, though not the most important thing, are very important in the application process. Trust that you are interesting and have powerful stories to tell. Emphasize how it has made you stronger, think outside the box, or overcome adversity. Do not focus on the things you cannot do or highlight your weaknesses. works as a high school English teacher at a school for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. She graduated from The George Washington University with a Master’s Degree in Secondary Special Education and Transition Services in 2013.