How to Write Admission Essay
By definition, an admission essay also called an application essay, a statement of purpose or personal statement, is a generic autobiographical statement written by an applicant who is a prospective student looking for a college, university or graduate school. The essay discusses the life of the prospective student as well as his or her goals. One should view it as a window opened for a student to demonstrate why they are unique to fit a college program.
As more and more students are graduating from high schools, the number of applicants looking for the limited spaces in colleges and universities has increased. It is up to you to utilize the chance given to you through an admission essay. You may be limited to only about 250-500 words but as it is the line between acceptance and rejection, you should look to write more than test scores, grades and co-curricular activities. Instead, write something that captures the attention of the reader such as a favorite activity or any other story about you.
The hardest part is brainstorming ideas that you can use as your topic. The subject matter is very important so take as much time as you want thinking about it. Be keen to write down every idea you get, do not rule anything out. Think about your major accomplishments and why you consider them accomplishments. In this, do not only look at the formally recognized ones because the others are the ones that are likely to be more useful in relation to your life. Think about any quality, skill or attribute that distinguishes you from everyone else.
Your admission essay could contain right about anything, you could even write about your favorite book, work of art or movie. Discuss about how they have influenced your life in a positive manner. Think about the most difficult time in your life and how it changed your life. It would be a boost if you discuss how you mightily struggled for something and succeeded it. If you failed, unfortunately, discuss about how you responded from it. Think about what you yearn for the most and what you desire to be. Who would you like to achieve it with, both living and dead?
Think about a moment of epiphany you experienced, like your eyes were opened to something that you were previously blind to. Are you aware of your strongest and most unwavering personality trait? Is there any philosophy or belief that you adhere to? How do your friends affect your character? Think about what your friends would write if they were the ones who were writing the admission essay on your behalf. Are there any qualities that you possess that universities look for? Think about any important community activity that you have been involved in and the reason that drove you to it. Think about your future.
After you consider all these things, many things should pop up in your mind. However, if you are still blind, ask for help from parents, friends and colleagues. From your friends, try to ask why they chose you and an image of your personality should start to emerge. Try to consider your childhood. In this, do not write about what happened but how it inspired the interests you have today. Analyze each aspect of your life and how it was shaped from your upbringing.
It has been noted that most applicants do not have role models and are never really influenced by other people. Take this as an advantage and write about someone who aspires to become like. Think about the traits you like about the and how they could help you become a better person. Finally, think about why you want to spend 2-6 years of your life at a particular college. Why is the degree you want to acquire necessary in fulfilling your goals? Think about your goals broadly.
After you are done thinking about what you can write in your admission essay, you have numerous topics that range from goals, important life experiences, features, spectacular non-academic accomplishments and research experience. It is now up to you consider topics that will allow you to synthesize your traits and experience into one piece while still addressing the need to be picked by the institution.
Before you put pen to paper, ask yourself whether you have selected a topic that describes something important which you can integrate your vivid personal experience. Analyze whether your topic is gimmick- will your essay be written in an iambic pentameter or in a humorous way. It is highly advised not to write in a funny way because the admission committee may not appreciate it. Make sure that your topic stands out and is not a repeat of what everyone else is writing.
Again, it is important to make sure that you can readily answer the questions that might arise about you from your essay. The most important thing is to make sure you can write all your points within a certain word count, say 500 words for example. If you choose to write about something technical, make sure you have sufficient information to back it up. It must not look like your trying to impress the reader with shallow tactics. The entire essay must be interesting because you never know, the members of the admission board might only spend a few minutes going through your essay, which earns they might only read a small section of your essay.
papersmarketplace.com is an online writing company that offers high profile paper work. It is one of the few companies that we recommend who can write an admission letter for you. They can help you come up with a good one and here are a few guidelines of how to:
- Create a good first impression
- Focus on personal attributes
- Display your diversity
- Essay Fit
- Be honest
The aim of writing an admission essay is to showcase your strengths. Do not be tempted to write anything that displays your weakness unless it is really necessary. Any information to the admission officer about use of drugs, drinking and partying may ruin your chances of getting into the institution.
Many people do not understand that just because something terrible happened to them, it does not necessarily mean that the person will make a good university student. Most people are seen to write about how they survived poverty, domestic violence, immigration, death of parents among other stories. If you choose to write about these types of cases, make sure it all adds up to bringing strong personal qualities. If you can take advantage of these undesirable circumstances and really bring the best qualities, your story will make you hard to forget. If however, you do not have a good story, please steer clear of this topic. The aim here is to show that the qualities picked up can help you become a good doctor, lawyer or business person.
Every college, professional school and university wants to increase diversity. It is of good counsel to declare, as an applicant, what makes you diverse. This should be the best topic idea anyone has but be sure to finesse the issue by discussing your personal qualities and how you dealt with social ostracism. In relation to the company, mention how your diversity will contribute to the realm of campus opinion.
The essay you write should fit well with the rest of your application. It should be a platform to explain the unexplained but keeping off the obvious. For example, if you had a medical condition that hindered your excellence in academics, then should be the place you explain it. The hint is to give a quick and convincing explanation.
Unless you are a truly excellent writer, the most enthusiastic and passionate writing is of events that actually occurred. Many people may be tempted to invent hardships into their lives but it is not worth it.
Tips on writing a successful admission essay
The first hint to writing any essay is to remain in topic. Remember that the purpose of this personal statement is to persuade the admission officer that you are worthy the admission into the college or university and to make him feel that you are more than a standardized score but a human he or she can relate with.
Colleges and Universities admit students every year. It is likely that the story you are writing about has been read year in and out so as you describe your experiences, remember to be yourself. The feeling that you give your events is what makes you unique. So this reason, stay away from any grand themes that you have no experience with.
The trick to beating a boring topic is to play around with your words. Plain words will just put off the reader so use an eye-catching language that captivates your audience without going overboard. Once told this, many students think that using big words make good essays but on the contrary, if misplaced they make your essay boring. If you are apt with imagery then you could apply it in your writing. Generally, admission essays have room for this as you are narrating experiences.
For an application essay, introduction is everything. With the many essays on their tables, it is expected that admission officers will only spend about a minute or two on one essay so spend most of your time on the intro. It is good to create a mystery which will make the reader eager to read the rest of your essay. The intro should appeal the emotions of the admission officer.
In any form of writing, the rules of paragraphing should be adhered to. First, the paragraphs that follow the introduction must relate to it. Additionally, use the transition within paragraphs to preserve the logical flow of your essay. The transition should include key words, progressing the idea as well as use of words such as in result, in addition and many others. Once you are done with your body, write a conclusion as a chance to impress your reader with your qualifications. Avoid writing a summary of the body but instead write something fresh. Also avoid stock phrases such as in summary, in conclusion, to conclude and many others.
To make a good conclusion, expand upon the broader meaning of your subject matter. Make sure that there is a relationship between your introduction and the conclusion. There should be a sense of balance between the two. You could also end with the definition of a term that was used in the body or by just using a relevant famous quote or proverb. This should come out naturally so also be careful not to go overboard with it.
Before you can revise your work, give yourself some time off. During this time, you could read other admission from trustworthy sources such as papersmarketplace.com. This could help you decide whether your topic and approach is worthwhile.
You may not be able to notice mistakes on your own, but if you gave your essay to someone else, they could help you out. From this, you could learn if you stayed in topic, if your sentence structure is varied, if you used any unpleasant clichés, whether the imagery you used was vivid, the best and the best parts of the essay, the parts that are unclear and most importantly whether if the reader was part of the admissions board, would pick you up into the university.
The only thing now remaining is revision. There is so much you could do that would allow the growth of your main topic. If you, however, want your subject matter to remain the same, it is possible to change a sentence or two without affecting the meaning. As part of editing, cut out the parts that you feel are unnecessary and the ones that are too broad, clear them up. Make sure that in your essay, the superior arguments are in the foreground so that if the admission officer only reads part of it, they will be satisfied with what you have presented.