Posts Tagged writing an essay
The Importance of a College Admissions Letter
The admissions letter or essay is often weighed just as heavily as the other elements of your application, if not more so. Why? The admissions letter allows admissions officers to learn more about you and your personality than is shown through your test scores. Additionally, the admissions letter shows your critical thinking and writing skills, which are important for college.
The Topic
When selecting a topic, it is important that you choose one that will allow you to show your personality, why you are a good candidate for the college, allow you to demonstrate your writing abilities, and answer the questions put forth on the application. Simple, right? It’s not an easy process, but it can feel more manageable if you break it into smaller steps.
Choose a topic that you are familiar and comfortable with. This is not the time to research a new subject. Examples of topics that might work include an experience from your past, a hobby, or an issue of personal importance. Choosing a topic that you’re comfortable with is particularly important if you’re feeling unsure of your writing skills or find writing the admissions letter to be particularly challenging. This will help build your overall confidence.
Develop an Outline
When writing the admissions letter, you need to accomplish two things. First, write a letter that demonstrates an understanding of writing basics. This means your admissions letter will have an introduction, body, and conclusion, and will follow a logical path from one section to the next. The other essential thing you letter must do is answer the questions set forth by the school.
Create an outline for your admissions letter using the basics of writing an essay. You’ll need an introduction, a body, and a conclusion for the letter. Open the admissions letter with something interesting, such as a quote, intriguing fact, or question. If you can engage your reader immediately, he or she will want to continue reading.
The body of your college admissions letter will cover the most important parts of the letter, showing your uniqueness as an applicant and answering questions. This part will require careful planning. Finally, the conclusion will bring your admissions letter to a logical close.
To ensure that all the important parts of the letter are included and to help you organize your thoughts, create an outline of your admissions letter. Ensure that everything is included that you need and wish to highlight.
Draft and Rewrite
Very rarely will a first draft of an admissions letter be the version that you use for your college application. Good writing is a process of writing and rewriting. Allow yourself plenty of time to outline, draft, and rewrite your admissions letter.
Your college admissions letter is an important piece of the college application, and could mean the difference between an acceptance and a rejection. By following a few simple steps and allowing yourself enough time to work on the letter, you can greatly increase your chances of earning that acceptance.
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Essays About the Presidential Election in Admissions
I’ve had a few people ask me whether they should write about the Presidential election and how it is has shaped their lives. The answer is: if you can do it effectively without it being too clichéd, then yes – it can be an acceptable topic. All too often, however, students let the election season take over their college applications- writing fervently for either Obama or McCain without any substance; they forget to come up with a solid theme about themselves. Don’t fall victim to such poor writing.
Writing an essay, whether it be for prep school, college or graduate admissions, requires students take an inimitable approach. You must write with clarity, consistency and care.
For example, the following essay is a sample of bad writing on the election:
“I’m supporting ______ candidate because we need change. Change is a good thing for America. Just look at the last 8 years; when I was in middle school students and teachers thought we were heading in the right direction.”
Why does this essay start off bad? Well, for one, it is about a concept, i.e. “Change,” which can be difficult to bring down to a tangible level where the audience can see how it has shaped your life. Instead, start broadly and narrow the concept into a form where the reader/audience knows where you’re heading with the topic. Further, supplement any political writing with solid examples of your participation in the election process.
Here’s an example of a better essay with more substance:
“Having volunteered in a local phone drive for __________ candidate, I have heard the voices of people desiring change; I want to be part of this change. I took part in the electoral process because I feel our government is too large and our individual voices are all too often drowned out by special interests and lobbyists.”
These two parallel examples – one bad, one good- hopefully clarify the essay topic of the Presidential election or any election for that matter. If you have volunteered before or been an active part of any local, state or federal campaign, tell the admissions office, be specific and bring any abstract topic such as change down to a manageable level. You don’t want to sound clichéd like many political ads airing across the nation. Bring substance, candor and care to your essay and you’re bound to connect more with your audience.
Hope that helps…
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