College Application Essay Tips

Your rsum is the key to understanding the basics of your accomplishments - for
both the college(s) and you!
*Study your rsum and select which achievements and activities you would
potentially like to highlight in an essay.

Schools want to see your humanity and values what makes you YOU!
*Interactions
*Intellectual personality
*Commitment to your interests
*The role your background has played in the formation of your identity

Theres no need to undergo an existential crisis just be truthful and passionate!

Know the different types of essays.
*Short answer vs. long answer
*Essay

View each colleges essay requirements multiple times before you begin the writing
process.
*This ensures you wont write repeat essays (you may be able to submit an essay
to more than one school or scholarship organization).
*It also guarantees that you submit all necessary materials.

Read only 1-2 model essays from actual college applicants.
*This allows you to gauge colleges expectations.
*BUT you dont want someone elses style or story to influence your own, which
is why I recommend limiting the amount of sample essays you peruse.

Style:
*The INTO, THROUGH, & BEYOND technique:

- Lead the reader INTO your story with an engaging introduction

- Take the reader THROUGH your experience. There should be a natural
flow to your storys development, purposeful motivation behind each
section.

- The story should conclude with a message or lesson that extends
BEYOND that initial experience.
How has that moment/experience influenced who you are
today and who you want to be during college, after you
earn your degree?
I like to refer to this as a call to action.

*Utilize powerful, active verbs

*Show, dont merely tell


Avoid TMI
*Yes, be honest, but you dont need to sensationalize a scenario that is already
extraordinary or difficult.

*Write a first draft that includes all the extreme details then edit these details,
scaling back on their intensity.

Admission reps can definitely tell when a student has embellished his/her essay or even if the
student is outright lying.

Brainstorming:
*Free write
*Pretend youre being interviewed thirty years from now for a documentary about
your greatest accomplishment.
*Write a letter to your future room-mate explaining your quirks, background, or
your expectations for freshman year.

Drafting
*You will need to spend at least two days drafting and writing your essay.
*Depending on the prompt and the word limit, you should write between 2-3
drafts of your essay.

Proofread!
*Read your essay out loud and/or in reverse order (i.e. from the last sentence to
the first sentence).
*Ask an English teacher, a friend, a parent, or me to read through your essay.
*Carelessness will cost you if you dont execute this crucial step!


[Modified from Dr. Rebecca Josephs (Assoc. Professor of Curriculum at Cal State LA) suggestions]