Three Keys For Writing the Best Possible College Admissions Essay

College admissions officers consistently rank theapplying to become a member of a pretty special
personal essay as one of the most important factorsand exclusive kind of community. One, like any other
in their decision to admit or reject students. It's onecommunity, that seeks to perpetuate its most
of the few parts of the application in which animportant values. Present the wrong you to the
applicant represents herself or himself not in drycollege or university community and you'll be rejected.
statistics, but in her or his own words and ideas. AInstead, work hard to display essential personal
well-written personal essay transforms a studentqualities that are most relevant to the diverse
from a package of information into a real person formissions of the college or university to which you are
the committee, whose essential job it is to stand inapplying. Remember that universities and colleges are
judgment. No matter how smart and successful afirst and foremost institutions dedicated to the life of
student you have been, if you don't write a personalthe mind. Words and ideas are passionately real at
essay that quickly and effectively reveals you to bethe university and are deeply integrated into the daily
passionate, intellectually curious, and a person oflife of the people who live and work there. So any
strong character, you won't be asked to become apersonal experience or ambition that you describe in
member of the university community. So, as youyour essay must become fodder for purposeful
write your personal essay, consider these tips:reflection that is of interest and use to university
1. Think about your audience and write for them.folk. You'll need to explain what your experience or
Who are they? What is their task? Under whatambition should mean to someone committed to an
conditions are they reading your essay? Collegeintellectual approach to life.
admissions officers read thousands of essays from3. The personal essay is a writing genre, which means
hopeful applicants. And they read them over thethat its readers have concrete expectations of what
course of a few short weeks, often according to ashould and should not be included in it. Ask those of
set of criteria that have not been made public andyour friends who have gotten great packages from
that are designed to reduce the pile of applications inthe schools you want to attend to see their personal
front of them to manageable size. With a maximumessays. Write or call the admissions department of
of 1000 words and no more than a minute or two toyour target schools to see if they have samples
create an impression, you have to make the reader'savailable. Use the internet to find successful samples.
job easy and interesting and give them reason toProf. Allen Grove's website is a reputable place to
spend more time reviewing your application. Yourstart. He not only provides strong sample essays but
writing must be clean, clear, well-organized, andexplanations of how and why they work.
easy-to-read. What's more, the content of the essayOnce you've found great samples, study them
must be original, compelling, meaningful, andcarefully to learn how to build an essay that makes all
distinctive. And, because your readers need tothe right moves, while signaling your originality and
assess your analytical and intellectual skills, yourdistinctiveness. Remember, even very proficient
personal essay must display the rhetorical markers ofprofessional writers struggle as they learn to write in
a highly-skilled thinker and communicator.a new genre to a new audience. You may need to
2. The personal essay turns you into a real persontry (and fail) several times before you figure out
for the admissions committee. The person youhow to write a truly great and authentic personal
represent yourself to be in your essay must beessay, one that will set you apart from the
authentically you. But that doesn't mean it should bethousands of your competitors.
your deepest, most intimate, inner-most self. You're