| Many of you will now be at a stage in your education | | | | degree of similarity in research interests between |
| where you are thinking about going to college and/or | | | | you and the faculty member you wish to work with |
| university for the value that it may give to your | | | | in your admissions essay. Of course admissions |
| future career direction due to the need for the | | | | committees are aware your interests will change |
| further qualifications required for certain jobs in areas | | | | over time and so they do not expect you to provide |
| as diverse as sport and film and law and accountancy | | | | them with a detailed description of your research |
| to prepare you for working in these areas. | | | | interests but merely your academic goals relevant to |
| Therefore, an admissions essay is written by a | | | | the proposed field of study. |
| potential student as part of some college or | | | | Unique experiences or qualities - All of us have |
| university admissions processes in order to be able to | | | | qualities that may distinguish us from other individuals |
| filter out the best candidates. This is because an | | | | so may be look to make a list of all your qualities and |
| admissions essay can be invaluable for allowing the | | | | think of how you have used them previously in your |
| administration of the institution that you are applying | | | | admissions essay. Discuss those that will make you |
| to will then be able to get to know much more | | | | stand out but are still connected to your chosen |
| about an individual student than what more generic | | | | subject and even where you do not have many |
| application forms can provide. | | | | experiences related to your subject, try to make |
| And yet the rules in relation to the admissions essay | | | | your other experiences relate to your chosen |
| are not absolute. | | | | subject. By way of illustration, if you want to study |
| The importance college and university admission | | | | psychology but only have experience working in a |
| reviewers place upon a potential future student's | | | | supermarket, find a connection between psychology |
| admissions essay can vary greatly from one | | | | and the supermarket that show your interest in and |
| institution to another. This is because whilst some | | | | knowledge of the subject to depict yourself as |
| institutions place little or no importance on the nature | | | | unique in your admissions essay. |
| and scope of this kind of essay writing, others place | | | | Faculty members - It may also be beneficial to state |
| much greatest importance on this kind of essay | | | | who you will be interested in working with at your |
| writing. Nevertheless, it has come to be commonly | | | | chosen institution depending on the guidelines for |
| understood that liberal arts colleges place a great deal | | | | admission essays - so do your research. This is |
| more importance on the value of an admissions | | | | because this will very often make it a lot easier for |
| essay than major universities – although, of | | | | the admission committee to determine whether your |
| course, there is no absolute rule. | | | | interests match with the faculty members you want |
| But what about the admissions essay itself? | | | | to work with. Remember to mention more than one |
| Generally it has come to be recognised that the | | | | professor because mentioning only one may |
| majority of colleges and universities that require an | | | | decrease your chances of being accepted onto a |
| admissions essay from each of their potential future | | | | course - also contact professors and find out if they |
| students will choose one or more topics for their | | | | are accepting new students before applying to help |
| applicants to write about. However, it is also to be | | | | prepare you for this aspect of your admissions |
| appreciated that there are some other colleges and | | | | essay. |
| universities that have an 'open topic' policy in place | | | | Volunteer and Job Experiences - Only mention |
| meaning the applicant can write on any subject they | | | | volunteer and employment experiences that are |
| choose – although some of the most typical | | | | relevant to your field of study or have helped you |
| topics include career aspirations, academic strengths | | | | develop or acquire a skill necessary for your field of |
| and weaknesses, past experiences, along with the | | | | interest in your admissions essay - this may be useful |
| reasons for applying. | | | | in your personal statement accompanying your |
| The writing of the admissions essy is clearly not a | | | | application regardless. |
| task to be taken lightly – it could be the | | | | Moreover, before you even consider handing in your |
| difference between your getting into the institution | | | | admissions essay to your chosen institution, I would |
| you want to get into to further your career and | | | | advise you to run through the following checklist of |
| having to resort to your second choice. | | | | points of consideration that you must consider |
| With this in mind, I would advise you to make sure | | | | whether you have effectively fulfilled - |
| that you make sure you deal with the following basic | | | | (a) If you are already studying at a school, college or |
| steps in your admissions essay regardless of the | | | | university, have you got feedback from one of your |
| subject that you are planning to study (unless of | | | | teachers on your admissions essay? |
| course you are given guidance from your prospective | | | | (b) Do you believe that the admissions essay you |
| institution that you clearly MUST adhere to) since you | | | | have written addresses the question or topic? |
| need to introduce yourself and explain why you are | | | | (c) Is your admissions essay positive rather than |
| an appropriate candidate for studying your chosen | | | | negative about you? |
| subject at a given institution. | | | | (d) Do you reflect your strengths to the reader in |
| But what do you need to do for the admissions | | | | your admissions essay? |
| essay writing process? | | | | (e) Is your admissions essay written and expressed |
| When writing your admissions essay you may wish | | | | concisely? |
| to consider the following areas - | | | | (f) Have you used blocked paragraphs for your |
| Consider an appropriate theme - May be you could | | | | admissions essay have? |
| first make a list of all of your experiences and | | | | (g) Have you left a line between each paragraph to |
| interests at first and then try to find a connection | | | | make your admissions essay look neater? |
| between the different items on the list - although of | | | | (h) Is the grammar and spelling you have used for |
| course you will usually need to emphasise why you | | | | your admissions essay appropriate? |
| should be accepted onto the course by distinguishing | | | | (i) Have you personally proofread your admissions |
| yourself as superior to other applicants in your | | | | essay? |
| admissions essay. | | | | (j) Does your admissions essay discuss your goals |
| Use the appropriate tone - There is usually a need to | | | | and plans for the future? |
| be balanced or moderate, but with a serious and | | | | (k) Does you admissions essay show how you are a |
| ambitious tone. Regardless of whether you are | | | | good fit for the subject and the institution? |
| discussing positive or negative experiences, there is a | | | | (l) What skills do you have to offer the institution in |
| need to sound open-minded and use a neutral tone. | | | | your admissions essay? |
| Moreover, you must not sound too casual or formal | | | | (m) Have you been formal in your admissions essay |
| by portraying confidence with an active voice in your | | | | and avoided being overly personal? |
| admissions essay. | | | | (n) Have you avoided excuses for poor grades and |
| Writing in the first person - Although most of us are | | | | bad experiences in your admissions essay? |
| taught essay writing that avoids using ‘I’, | | | | (o) Avoided rambling and too much detail in your |
| ‘we’, or ‘my’, you are encouraged | | | | admissions essay in keeping with the word count? |
| to speak in the first person on your personal | | | | (p) Discussed relevant academic, volunteer, and |
| statement that may or may not be part of your | | | | employment experiences in your admissions essay? |
| admissions essay. This is because you must make | | | | (q) Have you distanced yourself from what you have |
| sure your work sound personal and active - you | | | | written to see whether your admissions essay is |
| should also avoid overusing ‘I’ and also | | | | suitably enticing for a reader? |
| include ‘my’ and ‘me’ along with | | | | (r) Have you carried out research into this area on an |
| transition words like ‘however’ and | | | | admissions essay? |
| ‘therefore’. | | | | Then, having checked your work on your admissions |
| Discuss your research interests - There is no need to | | | | essay against the points made in the above checklist, |
| include a specific and concise dissertation topic in your | | | | you should be much better placed to then produce |
| personal statement since you should only express | | | | something that is suitably impressive for the |
| yourself in broad terms within your field. You must | | | | administration of a prospective institution. |
| discuss your research interests to compare the | | | | |