How to Write a Winning College Application Essay – Solid tips

It’s that time of year again. Students across the country are beginning to apply for college, and parents are starting to sweat. The whole process can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! We’ve put together this blog post with some tips on how you can write a winning essay for your application.

Come up with a creative essay topic:

The essay is your one chance to make an impression on the admissions committee, so you want it to be something they can’t forget. Instead of writing about a hobby or extracurricular activity, try coming up with a topic that relates directly to why you’re applying and what sets you apart from everyone else who applied for that school.

For example, if you’re applying to a journalism school, why not write about your experience starting up your high school’s newspaper?

If you’re applying to a business school, maybe write about how you solved an economic problem in your community. You get the idea!

Write from the heart:

The biggest mistake most students make is trying too hard to fit their essay into one of those tired old tropes – “write about your favorite sport,” or “tell us about something you built.” Don’t waste the admissions committee’s time with something bland and predictable.

Instead, write about a moment or experience that shaped who you are as a person today. What do you want them to know about you? Come up with an essay topic around this idea and make it real for both yourself and your reader – then go ahead and knock!

Don’t try to force your essay into a mould that doesn’t fit. The best essays are the ones where you can tell it was written by someone who is authentic and has something important to say! This authenticity will shine through in your writing, so make sure you don’t lose sight of it while editing your final draft.

Keep it real:

Nobody wants to read a bunch of BS. So if you’re going to write your essay in the first person, don’t try and change who you are so that it sounds like something someone else would say!

For example: “I’ve tried my best over the years to be an upstanding citizen” doesn’t sound nearly as genuine as “I try to be an upstanding citizen every day.”

The admissions committee wants you to be real, so don’t hold anything back. You should also avoid using weak words like ‘very’ or ‘really’. Be specific about your experiences and how they have shaped who you are today – but always write from the heart! Get feedback from someone you trust:

Avoid clichés:

Avoid using tired, overused clichés or phrases that you wouldn’t even use in everyday conversation. This includes describing yourself as ‘driven’, being a ‘people person and so on. No admissions committee member wants to read the exact banal words over and over again! And if they do happen across one of your weak words by mistake, it’s not going to make a very positive impression on them.

Keep your writing strong and clear:

Admissions committees read thousands of essays every year – yours has got to stand out from the rest! Make sure you edit and proofread your essay before submitting it for review (and then do another check after that as well!)

The best essays are ones where the words flow from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph. Don’t try and cram in too much information or make it sound cluttered – you want your writing to be clear and easy for admissions officers to read! If you can do that, then we guarantee that they will remember reading about YOU at the end of it all.

Give good examples to back up your ideas:

Don’t just tell admissions officers what you’ve done or achieved; give them solid examples and concrete facts to back up your claims. For example: “I am a good writer” is not as strong as saying, “My English teacher said I write creatively with flair.”

The best essays are ones where the student does all of the work for the admissions committee. They should be able to read your essay and know exactly what kind of person you are without having to guess or use their imagination!

Ask someone to proofread your work:

It’s always a good idea to get someone else to proofread your work, just if you missed anything. And if English isn’t your first language, then you must do this!

Don’t be afraid of getting feedback – it can only make your essay better! Ask essay writing help when you need it, and remember: there is no such thing as the perfect essay, but it doesn’t have to be hard!