Step Three:
Writing the Essay, Tips for Success
Even seemingly boring topics can be made into exceptional admissions
essays with an innovative approach. In writing the essay you must bear in mind
your two goals: to persuade the admissions officer that you are extremely worthy
of admission and to make the admissions officer aware that you are more than a
GPA and a standardized score, that you are a real-life, intriguing personality.
Unfortunately, there is no surefire step-by-step method to writing
a good essay. EssayEdge editors at http://www.EssayEdge.com/
will remake your essay into an awesome, memorable masterpiece, but every topic
requires a different treatment since no two essays are alike. However, we have
compiled the following list of tips that you should find useful while writing
your admissions essay.
1. Answer the Question
You can follow the next 12 steps, but if you miss the question,
you will not be admitted to any institution.
2. Be Original
Even seemingly boring essay topics can sound interesting if
creatively approached. If writing about a gymnastics competition you trained for,
do not start your essay: "I worked long hours for many weeks to train for
XXX competition." Consider an opening like, "Every morning I awoke at
5:00 to sweat, tears, and blood as I trained on the uneven bars hoping to bring
the state gymnastics trophy to my hometown."
3. Be Yourself
Admissions officers want to learn about you and your writing
ability. Write about something meaningful and describe your feelings, not necessarily
your actions. If you do this, your essay will be unique. Many people travel to
foreign countries or win competitions, but your feelings during these events are
unique to you. Unless a philosophy or societal problem has interested you intensely
for years, stay away from grand themes that you have little personal experience
with.
4. Don't "Tresaurize" Your
Composition
For some reason, students continue to think big words make good
essays. Big words are fine, but only if they are used in the appropriate contexts
with complex styles. Think Hemingway.
5. Use Imagery and Clear, Vivid Prose
If you are not adept with imagery, you can write an excellent
essay without it, but it's not easy. The application essay lends itself to imagery
since the entire essay requires your experiences as supporting details. Appeal
to the five senses of the admissions officers.
6. Spend the Most Time on Your Introduction
Expect admissions officers to spend 1-2 minutes reading your
essay. You must use your introduction to grab their interest from the beginning.
You might even consider completely changing your introduction after writing your
body paragraphs.
- Don't Summarize in your Introduction. Ask yourself why a reader
would want to read your entire essay after reading your introduction. If you summarize,
the admissions officer need not read the rest of your essay.
- Create Mystery or Intrigue in your Introduction. It is not
necessary or recommended that your first sentence give away the subject matter.
Raise questions in the minds of the admissions officers to force them to read
on. Appeal to their emotions to make them relate to your subject matter.
7. Body Paragraphs Must Relate to
the Introduction
Your introduction can be original, but cannot be silly. The
paragraphs that follow must relate to your introduction.
8. Use Transition
Applicants continue to ignore transition to their own detriment.
You must use transition within paragraphs and especially between paragraphs to
preserve the logical flow of your essay. Transition is not limited to phrases
like "as a result, in addition, while . . . , since . . . , etc." but
includes repeating key words and progressing the idea. Transition provides the
intellectual architecture to argument building.
9. Conclusions Are Crucial
The conclusion is your last chance to persuade the reader or
impress upon them your qualifications. In the conclusion, avoid summary since
the essay is rather short to begin with; the reader should not need to be reminded
of what you wrote 300 words before. Also do not use stock phrases like "in
conclusion, in summary, to conclude, etc." You should consider the following
conclusions:
- Expand upon the broader implications of your discussion.
- Consider linking your conclusion to your introduction to establish
a sense of balance by reiterating introductory phrases.
- Redefine a term used previously in your body paragraphs.
- End with a famous quote that is relevant to your argument.
Do not try to do this, as this approach is overdone. This should come naturally.
- Frame your discussion within a larger context or show that
your topic has widespread appeal.
- Remember, your essay need not be so tidy that you can answer
why your little sister died or why people starve in Africa; you are not writing
a "sit-com," but should forge some attempt at closure.
10. Do Something Else
Spend a week or so away from your draft to decide if you still consider your
topic and approach worthwhile.
11. Give Your Draft to Others
Ask editors to read with these questions in mind:
- WHAT is the essay about?
- Have I used active voice verbs wherever possible?
- Is my sentence structure varied or do I use all long or all
short sentences?
- Do you detect any clichés?
- Do I use transition appropriately?
- Do I use imagery often and does this make the essay clearer
and more vivid?
- What's the best part of the essay?
- What about the essay is memorable?
- What's the worst part of the essay?
- What parts of the essay need elaboration or are unclear?
- What parts of the essay do not support your main argument or
are immaterial to your case?
- Is every single sentence crucial to the essay? This MUST be
the case.
- What does the essay reveal about your personality?
- Could anyone else have written this essay?
- How would you fill in the following blank based on the essay:
"I want to accept you to this college because our college needs more ________."
12. Revise, Revise, Revise
Revise, Revise, Revise. You only are allowed so many words;
use them wisely. If H.D. Thoreau couldn't write a good essay without revision,
neither will you. Delete anything in the essay that does not relate to your main
argument. Do you use transition? Are your introduction and conclusions more than
summaries? Did you find every single grammatical error?
Allow for the evolution of your main topic. Do not assume your
subject must remain fixed and that you can only tweak sentences.
Editing takes time. Consider reordering your supporting details,
delete irrelevant sections, and make clear the broader implications of your experiences.
Allow your more important arguments to come to the foreground. Take points that
might only be implicit and make them explicit.
Have your Essay Professionally Edited. The
application essay is too important not to spend $50 for its improvement. Editing
houses like EssayEdge at http://www.EssayEdge.com/
will significantly improve your essay's style, transition, voice, grammar, and
tone; EssayEdge will also make content suggestions to ensure your essay is unique
and memorable.
 EssayEdge.com Admissions Essay Help - Put Harvard-Educated Editors to Work for You! View 300 free sample admissions essays!
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