Tuesday, July 31, 2012

College Essay Tips

What are two tips you learned about writing college essays?  Share, but don't repeat tips!

34 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Two tips I learned about writing college essays are:
    1). Be concise. Since admissions has huge stacks of essays to read, they probably aren't going to want to have to go through a 1,000 word essay.
    2). Be an individual. You want to try and set yourself apart from the thousands of other people and really make yourself known.

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  3. Two tips I learned about writing college essays:
    1) Be genuine. Don't try to impress by lying or exaggerating. Be truthful, practical, and believable.
    2) Tell a good story. Tell the audience why you are compassionate, instead of just telling them that you are.

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  4. Two tips I learned about writing college essays are:
    1) Focus. Rather than describing everything you’ve done with your life, give a full description of one or two items or events. The magic is in the details.
    2) Find your personal voice. It's there waiting to come out. Always read your writing out loud to see if you can hear it.

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  5. Two tips I learned about writing college essays are:
    1) Use an outline to help you get your ideas down on paper.
    2) Avoid clichés and write something original to be set apart from other students applying.

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  6. 1) tell them about who you are. not just what you do and why, but describe what your about and why you are interested in what your interested in.
    2) keep it short and sweet. get to the point and make your story interesting without lying about yourself.

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  7. 1) When you start writing let the thoughts flow then go back and edit your writing.
    2) Be specific in your answers. Read the prompt then take a creative angle on it that shows your personality.

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  8. 1. Be vivid. A good essay is often compared to a story: In many cases it's an anecdote of an important moment.
    2. Be an individual. In writing the essay, ask yourself "How can I distinguish myself from those thousands of others applying to College X whom I don't know-- and even those I do know?"

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  9. 1) Be concise~ Get to the point of your writing in a clean and precise way.

    2)Be honest~ Tell a story that is true and personally connected to you.

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  10. 1. Be honest about anything, including anything personal, to get the full sense of "You".
    2. Be vivid, so the reader can connect to the setting, story, and your veiw.

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  11. 1. Be clear, direct, honest, and concise; don't ramble. More is not always better.
    2.Avoid cliches. your work should be original so, unless specified, avoid or limit quotes. Use your own writing style without slipping into slang or sloppy grammar.

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  12. 1. Be an individual. In writing an essay, ask yourself, "How can I distinguish myself from those thousands of others applying to College whom I don't know- and even the ones I do know?"
    2. Be likable. Colleges see themselves as communities, where people have to get along with others, in dorms, classes, ect.

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  13. 1. Be honest. Merely state what is there and don't embellish your accomplishments, etc too much because it's better to sound more normal than to try too hard.
    2. Be individual. Ask yourself, "How can I stand out in this group of 2,000 applicants?" Write about something unique, possibly personal to you, and even controversial if done correctly.

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  14. 1. Be controversial- Don't be afraid to talk about touchy subjects such as religion or politics.
    2. Don't try and use to much humor- to much humor can cause the essay reader to be offended or turned off by the essay.

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  15. 1. Be very detailed in your writing. It is much easier to read a paper when you can relate to it.
    2. When writing, be honest in what you say. Writing is much more believable when the story is actually true.

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  16. College essay tips:
    1.) Be smart~ talk about what turns your mind on, what gets you thinking.
    2.) Write as you speak~ Be authentic and use relaxed conversation, dont be superficial.

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  17. 1. Be likable. When they read your essay they look for someone who they could hang out with, have dinner with, and see as a positive attribute to their community.
    2. Be concise. Even though most common applications have a minimum of 250 words, don't babble. Admissions office has a big stack of essays to read so they will only spend a few minutes on yours.

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  18. 1. Be concise- a wordy essay can be confusing and frustrating to read. Be straight and to the point, without sacrificing any substance.

    2. Be unique- your hobbies and interests aren't that interesting. However, your brain and how you think as an individual ARE interesting.

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  19. 1. Express yourself. Since it's not a very long essay you don't have much time to show them you, so you need as much voice in your writing as possible to express you.
    2. Read, re-read, and re-read again. It is easy to make mistakes and so it is important that you re-read and edit your writing multiple times so that it is in its best shape when they read it.

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  20. 1. Show genuine enthusiasm in your writing, it will intrigue the reader better.
    2. Use active verbs, it makes your essay more lively. For example, "My teacher recommended me." Is better than "I was recommended by my teacher."

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  21. 1. Be genuine. The colleges want to see who you really are.
    2.Focus on one aspect of yourself. This will keep the paper focused and allow admissions to understand you better without being overwhelmed.

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  22. College essay tips.
    1. Be an individual. Try to distinguish yourself from the thousands of other kids applying to college.
    2. Be coherent. Write about one subject at a time, don't be scattered, or try to cover everything in one essay.

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  23. 1)Be individual. Try to understand that there are hundreds of people writing an essay and you want to be the one that stands out.
    2)Tell a good story and don't be afraid of giving a little personal information in your writing.

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  24. 1. Be vivid. Make sure you provide details to the setting to paint a picture in the readers mind. Try to make the story more human by giving your characters names.

    2. Be likable. Colleges see themselves as communities, where people have to get along with one another. The college wants to know if you are a person people would want to room, eat, and hang out with.

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  25. 1.) Revise until it's perfect - have plenty of trusted people look over your essay.
    2.) Be original- add a touch of humor if you feel, make it your own.

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  26. 1.Tell the colleges something they won't read on your transcript.

    2.keep it short and to the point

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  27. 1) Be personal. Make sure that your essay is connected to you.
    2) Tell a story that makes you different. What makes you different than all the other people applying?

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  28. 1) Be insightful, show the readers how you think and how you express your ideas.
    2) Organize and express your ideas well by using sentence fluency, and using transitions.

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  29. 1.) Show personality in the essay so the people reading it can get an understanding of who you are but don't explain your entire life story.
    2.) Reread your essay out loud.

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  30. 1) Make it your paper don't make up lies.
    2) edit it a lot you can't edit to little

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  31. 1.)Express yourself always show who you truly are in your essay.
    2.)Description is vital in this essay so it would be better to describe a lot more of whats going on then just tell the story.

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  32. 1.Examine your own accomplishments, goals, and achievements
    2.Express your interest in the school and what your looking for on what they have to offer.

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  33. 1. be concise - don't write too much but go over the minimum
    2. be honest - play your strengths but don't try to be someone that your not

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  34. 1. Be Honest- Don't embellish your achievements, titles or strengths.
    2. Be an individual- Distinguish your self from the many other essays that admissions officers have to read.

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