Application Essay

Application Essay Don’t start with the end in mind, write to find out what you actually have to say. If you are asking yourself, how can I impress the college admissions folks without sounding, you know, braggy? One great way to keep yourself accountable in the essay drafting process is to work with a friend, a parent, a teacher, anyone who will expect you to send them drafts. Get feedback and finalize your first batch of regular decision essays. First off, make sure to get your early admissions applications submitted. A majority of deadlines are Nov. 1st, but some are Oct 15th, so make sure to not miss those. To be safe, try to submit your applications a week or two ahead of the deadline. All essay prompts should be released by this point, so there’s no need to hold back anymore. This should be the month that you get as much work done as possible. Try to go a completely different direction with this essay. Different prompt, different organization, different anecdote and message. If the essay is too similar to the previous one, you probably won’t ever one of these drafts ,and it will be somewhat a waste of time. An essay that is presented in a few long paragraphs is not only hard to readâ€"the resulting word “blocks” can be overwhelming to tired eyesâ€"it effectively obscures the author’s key messages. And rememberâ€"a one line, one sentence paragraph can be more impactful than a 3-4 sentence paragraph. Don’t go at this journey alone, especially in the editing process, and always ask for help. We recommend that you submit everything at least a week in advance. There are a lot of little things that can come up that you want to be able to keep track of. In particular, the earlier you submit your applications, the earlier you’ll get access to the schools’ application portals on their websites. Once you have access to this, you can double check and see if the school’s have received everything that’s required of you to submit. They see a ton of candidates who are drawn by the fame or prestige of their institutionsâ€"who are simply applying to see if they can get in. Such candidates, regardless of their credentials, are not very compelling and are easily dismissed. Admission officers want to get past the facts of your application to better understand how you think. From a technical point of view, then, your essay should reveal that you have good command of the language, understand the rules of grammar and can convey ideas concisely. College essays, however, are arguably the most challengingâ€"and, potentially paralyzingâ€"assignments you will face during your senior year. An author, editor, and four-time Emmy award winner, Craig applies the highest professional standards to his work with students. Throughout our tutoring process, the student remains the author of the essay. How do you process information about yourself and the world around you? Your essay should reveal how and why have they shaped you. College professors don’t want to have to teach you how to write. Don’t restate information that can be found elsewhere in your application. This is your opportunity to provide insight and interpretation. Essays that become travelogues or resume narratives have little value to the reader and are wasted space. Admissions officers are seeking students who are purposeful in their pursuits when choosing among highly talented students. For any essays that you wrote with the incorrect prompt, don’t throw them away. They can oftentimes be used to address other, more flexible supplemental essay prompts later on. Get feedback on your two Common App personal statement essays, decide one which one to use, and make final edits. If you’re still not satisfied with either of your Common App essays, you can try for a third idea.