Common College Essay Mistakes
It may be tempting to skip over the college essay question on the college application, but don't do it! Colleges look closely at the application essay when deciding whether to admit students. If your test scores and academic record puts you in a gray area, the essay becomes even more important.
Why does the college want you to write an essay anyway? A great essay tells them what is important to you and shows that you have the maturity to succeed at college. This is your chance to tell them what is special about you that your test scores, grades, and recommendations don't show.
Below are some do's and don'ts to help you start writing that college entrance essay.
|
Do |
Don't |
||
|
|
Be original and creative. Choose a topic that grabs the reader and gets a positive emotional response. |
|
Pick an obvious topic or write about broad social or political topics without relating them to your personal experience. |
|
|
Use a personal anecdote, a bit of dialogue, or vivid imagery in your introduction to capture the reader's interest right away. Sprinkle these throughout the body of the essay to illustrate your preferences, values, and thought processes. |
|
Paint with too broad a brush by talking about every good thing you've ever done and ending up with a broad summary of your entire life. Concrete examples are better than generalities. Show—don't tell—the reader who you are. |
|
|
Write a well-organized essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion. |
|
Write a disorganized essay with no clear beginning, middle, and end. |
|
|
Use a positive tone in your essay. Write about things you enjoy, people you love, or valuable life lessons you've learned. |
|
Be sappy, over-dramatic, or negative. Try not to write about when your dog died or why you didn't get good grades in school. |
|
|
Be truthful, while highlighting your best qualities. |
|
Lie or exaggerate. They are interested in you, not a fictional character! |
|
|
Use your friends, parents, counselors, and teachers as resources. They can help you brainstorm ideas, give you feedback about your essay, or help you find mechanical errors. |
|
Try to do this without any help from your friends, parents, counselors, and teachers. It can be really frustrating writing without getting a reaction from anyone. |
|
|
Polish it. Check for spelling and grammatical errors. Type it. Have a friend or relative proof it. |
|
Spend just 15 minutes writing it on the back of a napkin. |
Feeling overwhelmed? You are not alone! Although this can seem like a daunting task, there are some tools that will help you out. Make sure to have a dictionary, thesaurus, and The Elements of Style by Strunk & White handy. Also, there are a number of good resources on the Internet where you can find information on writing a college essay. Search for "College Essay" from any search engine. Or go to your local library and look for a book about writing a college essay.
DISCOVER ACT http://www.act.org/discover/news/0111/essay.html