8 Tips for writing an extraordinary college application essay

Writing an application essay during college admission is a must and every student has to write a

meaningful essay. This essay can be highly considered while admitting the student into a college. A

college application essay is more so about what the student intends to do after getting admission in

the college and it is not just about praising the college and its infrastructure or anything. One thing a

student must remember is that colleges seldom encourage flattering or hypocritical essays.

Instead, most college authorities insist that students should reveal their true-self while writing

college application essay. Their college application essay must be able to reflect their ambitions,

educational preferences and also some personal details which can make the readers understand the

type of person you are. Again, it also doesn’t mean that you can write all things that have happened

in your life till date. In other words, your college application essay must be a mix of all the things

mentioned above.

Looking at some of those points keenly, we can find that, you should

Be yourself: While writing the application essay, just be yourself. Talk about some of your

experiences which you think are worth sharing and what you have learned from that particular

experience, etc. Don’t prolong it too much and also don’t just say something as a punch line, unless

you mean it.

Be honest: Be honest in what you say. It is very important that you should be very honest in your

application essay itself. Don’t overstate facts. Instead accept them as they are. Everyone doesn’t not

need to be a hero to prove one’s worth. Sometimes, being yourself and honest can mean a lot.

Use a direct style: Instead of writing in a passive style, write actively in a first person mode. This is

particularly important for sharing your experiences. While sharing your experiences, using a second

person or a third person tone will have a lesser impact on your essay and can also discredit the facts.

Cover just one or two topics to the max: While writing your essay make sure that you share your

thoughts and/or experiences one or two to the max. This is because, writing about too many topics

can lose sight of the topic in focus. For example, if you start your essay saying that you want to study

sociology and psychology and become a psychologist is okay, but talking about something like you

were inspired by the movie, “The Silence of the Lambs” can be very inappropriate.

Share your good experiences: instead of sharing just your thoughts, it would be better to share

some of the experiences that you’ve had in your life. But, make sure that these are good experiences

and you had something to take you with.

Write a likeable essay: Colleges or universities are like small communities where not just education

is imparted. It is a place where students and professors spend most of their time. So, you don’t want

others to think of you like a ‘misfit’, do you? Write with a likeable style. Remember that your essay is

the first impression that you make.

Write on a controversial subject: While most students don’t attempt to write anything controversial

in nature, you could write one. Give your views about a recent controversial incident and present

your views about it. It’s not about being right or wrong, but it can show your attitude towards such

an incident. And remember, not to hurt anyone’s sentiments writing about such a topic.

Use humor: If you are writing a big essay of more than 500 words, make sure that you add few lines

of humor here and there. But, you should be very careful while using humor as it can hurt people. So

use it cautiously and use intelligent humor instead of some slapstick jokes.

With these tips, we hope that you write an extraordinary college application essay and get your

admission in your favorite college.