College Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide

It forms an important part of your application and gives you an opportunity to show your personality and values. You need to do some careful planning for writing your college essay and this step-by-step guide will show you what to do.

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Read and follow the instructions

Reading instructions and following them is an essential part of your success in doing assignments at college. Admission officers will want to see how well you can follow guidelines. For example, a college essay length is usually between 500 to 650 words long. Wordiness is one of the main pitfalls students fall into when writing essays and you need to adhere to the word count and eliminate all fluff content and redundancies in your essay.

If you have a specific prompt to follow, it will help to underline the keywords or phrases in it. For example, it may include words like 'failures,' 'setbacks,' or 'obstacles.' This will help you to stay on topic when you come to do your first draft. Common computer errors, such as not being able to connect to Wi-Fi, can prevent you from accessing the instructions when you need to check them and this will be to your detriment.

Brainstorm the topic

Most essay prompts ask about how your experiences have shaped you or led you to share your views, interests and aspirations. To gain clarity, you need to externalize your ideas and let them take shape in writing. Here are some questions that can help you to gain clarity about what you want to include in your essay:

1. 'What are you most proud of?'
2. 'Where is the place you feel most comfortable?'
3. 'What has been your greatest obstacle in life?'
4. 'What is your favorite hobby?'
5. 'What are your most precious personal items?'
6. 'What excites you most?'
7. 'What is the worst problem facing the world today?'
8. 'What's your vision for your ideal future self?'

The purpose of brainstorming is to put your thoughts in visible form so writing a rough draft of your essay becomes easier.

Decide on a structure

There are no set rules for how to structure your college essay but there are two common structures most students use: a narrative structure or a montage structure. If you want to write about challenges you've faced and how they've shaped you, a narrative structure is best. A narrative structure is a single story that shows how you overcame a challenge and developed as a person. It usually consists of three main parts: the challenge and its effects, what you did about it, and the lessons you learned.

The second type of structure is a montage structure which is a series of vignettes with a common theme. You find a common thread or theme to tie together different moments, experiences or events in your life. Perhaps you have a t-shirt collection that symbolizes some of the most important moments in your life. Maybe you have stayed in different countries and in each one you learned a valuable life lesson. Choose parts of yourself that are essential to you as a whole person and a theme that connects them all. 

Write a rough draft and review it

In your first draft, you can write freely as you will make many revisions to it. Try to write without stopping for about half an hour or an hour to get your creative juices flowing. Try to answer the prompt questions with stories from your life, giving examples whenever possible. As soon as you have finished, read what you have written.

When you read through your rough draft, make sure you didn't go off topic and put a star next to parts that resonate with you. Delete any clichés you've used inadvertently. College admissions officers read so many essays every year and if you want yours to stand out, you can't afford to use clichés.

College admission officers will respond with interest if you say what they don't expect you to say and in a way that they haven't heard before. It will bore them if you say, 'I want to be a doctor because I love helping people and I want to make the world a better place.' Try to make uncommon connections and go beyond the obvious. You can choose the best college essay writing service which helps you to avoid using clichés and find different ways of expressing your ideas.

Use a compelling introduction

A standard, one-size-fits-all introduction may make admissions officers believe they are dealing with an unremarkable applicant. Your introduction has to have an opening hook that draws the reader in and yet doesn't give away too much. The reader shouldn't guess the entire trajectory of your essay from the introduction. An unexpected opening will capture attention, raise questions and make the reader want to read right to the end. 

If your essay focuses on a particular experience, describing one moment from that experience can draw the reader in. Focusing on the details of what you could see, smell and feel can immediately place the reader in a specific context and create the desire to read further. 

Fine-tune transitions between paragraphs

It is important to show rather than just tell so you need to include specific examples from your personal experience. Transitions between paragraphs are one of the most difficult parts of a college essay and it can take some time to fine-tune them. It can help to do this.

1. Highlight the first sentence of each paragraph. Read each one out loud and see if they connect and tell a story. If not:
2. Rewrite the highlighted sentences so they flow.
3. Rewrite the paragraphs so they flow from the highlighted sentences.

Creativity is important when writing your college essay but this doesn't mean that it is not also an organized one. You need a good introduction, a flow between paragraphs, and a sound conclusion.

Edit and proofread

Using complex vocabulary gratuitously or in the wrong context won't impress. Rather eliminate complex words, especially if you don't really understand them, and use words that you use naturally. This will make your essay sound more authentic and allow your personality to shine through. This doesn't mean using slang or ignoring grammar or spelling rules.

You will need to make sure your grammar and spelling are correct as any typos or grammatical errors will give the wrong impression. It can help if you let a parent or teacher proofread your essay as they may pick up errors you didn't notice. They can also tell you if the writing sounds like you or not.

Conclusion

In the end, you want your college essay to be a genuine reflection of you, your experiences, your insights, and your values. Don't be afraid to keep thinking about and revising it. Application boards regard your college essay as a very important part of your application so it is worth putting in the effort to really communicate who you are and what you have to offer. The essay should be able to impress you and everyone else who reads it. 

Samuel Daniel

Update 09 December 2021