Advice on Writing the Best College Application Essay

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The college application essay is something that most high school students will encounter on their journey to higher education. While you don’t need to write like Shakespeare to create a compelling document, there are certain standards that you have to meet if you want your college essay to be a positive reflection of yourself. What should you keep in mind if you are writing a college application essay?

Answer the Question Thoroughly

It is important that you answer the question that is being asked of you. If you ramble or meander away from the topic that you are supposed to cover, it won’t matter how well written your essay is. Therefore, make sure that you understand the question and create an outline of the main points that you want to cover before you start writing it.

Write in a Concise Manner

Concise writing is easier to read and understand. Shorter sentences are easier to consume because you get right to the point and make every word count. While you may consider using longer sentences to vary the flow of your essay, avoid fluff or other content that doesn’t add value to your essay.

Proofread Your Work

You should consider your college application essay to be equivalent to sending in a job application. If you send in a document that has many spelling or grammar errors, it will devalue your essay and make it harder to read and understand. To ensure that your essay is free from technical errors, have someone else read it before you submit it. Remember, the spelling and grammar checker on your computer cannot catch every error that you make.

Write It Yourself

Although you may want someone to look over your work before you send it in, you don’t want someone else to write your essay for you. It should be in your voice and give an honest impression of who you are. The fact that someone else wrote your essay will be obvious to anyone who reads the document. At best, it is considered dishonest to have someone else write your essay. At worst, it could be grounds to have your application thrown out entirely.

Your college application essay needs to be clean, concise and put your best foot forward. Submitting a quality document with varied word choice and sentence structure will show that you are ready for higher education and would make a great asset to the school that you want to attend.