How To Write An Effective College Admission Essay

How To Write An Effective College Admission Essay There will be many outstanding students with similar scores and gradesâ€"too many to admit. Your essay helps us learn what makes you unique from other equally talented students. The essay should not be the most dreaded part of the application process for any university. Maybe these tips will help you find that you can do this writing task with ease. Beyond gaining insight into your personal psyche, the purpose of the essay is also to showcase your written communication skills. Treat this essay just like any class assignment â€" write it early, proof and revise, keep an eagle eye out for spelling and grammatical errors, and make sure it is presented in a clean and polished way. That being said, do not call our office in a panic if you discovered a missing article or a misused “its” after you hit submit. It’s your chance to become multi-dimensional and for the admission readers to evaluate how and if you would fit into their campus community. In 2015 the National Association for College Admission Counseling released their State of College Admission Report. The result of their survey revealed that colleges ranked the application essay as the 5th most-important factor in the admission process. The only items ranking higher in importance were grades, GPA, curriculum and test scores. To be sure, the importance of the content of your essay shouldn’t totally be dismissed. The topic about which you are writing will provide some texture for me to relay to the Admission Committee, but the topic you have chosen to share with me in your essay is not the basis of an admission decision. So, don't share your information with every reader, especially, when it's too personal. Remember that your essay is your opportunity to share something about yourself that is not unveiled in any other part of your application. I discern your fit based precisely on your ability to tell me about that experience in a clear and meaningful way. To do so takes reflectionâ€"something any student can doâ€"and a firm grasp of the craft of writing. Now that I've pontificated about the value of humor in essays, let me illustrate -- once again, because it's one of my favorites from over the decades -- using a real-life example. Keep in mind, however, that a 45-year-old lawyer writes quite differently from an 18-year-old student, so if your dad ends up writing the bulk of your essay, we’re probably going to notice. This topic is too broad and too loaded, whether you want to write about God, your mom or best friend. “In a world”, or, “Once upon a time”, are not good openers. Try your best to get the attention of the reader right off the bat. Admissions offices may be quick to stop paying attention if the essay is boring. Recommendations, extracurricular activities, class rank and interviews all fell further down the list of items…AFTER the essay. UF will receive more than 30,000 applications for the approximate 6,500 seats in the freshman class. Years ago, I worked with an amazing young man who came from a difficult upbringing. Granted, there are times when a serious tone is appropriate for your essays. Because of our holistic selection process, no student will be denied based on one element of his or her application; this includes typos. Your parents, friends, guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers are great people to bounce ideas off of for your essay. They know how unique and spectacular you are, and they can help you decide how to articulate it. Take the bold move and write something interesting. Having said that, the first line should be an indication of what the paper is about at large.