Writing great college admission essays

Your essay reveals your personality. When admission officers read your essay, they get a sense of who you are. Your admission essay also gives you a great opportunity to impress the officers with your writing skills.

Here are a few tips for drafting that perfect admission essay.

1. Organize your thoughts first

For many students the hardest part is getting started. Before you start writing, brainstorm about your unique personality traits and strengths. Once you have gathered enough ideas, you can start writing.

2. Let your first draft flow

Organize your ideas in note form. The next step is to create an outline for your essay. While writing the essay, develop each of these ideas into paragraphs. A good essay will not be complete without examples that build your case. Before you start writing decide where you want the examples to appear. Now you are ready to prepare the first draft. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. That is nearly impossible. Just pour your thoughts on to the paper. You can fix mistakes later. At this stage you don’t have to worry about editing either.

3. Develop the three essay parts

As you should already know your essay has three parts: the introduction, body paragraphs and the conclusion.

4. Be specific

Read the question and try to figure out how it relates to your personal qualities or experiences and then take a specific angle. Make sure that everything you write supports your main viewpoint.

5. Be honest

The question might ask you to describe your best or worst personality trait or an experience that shaped your personality. Or you may be asked why you want to attend a certain university. While writing an essay on a topic like this, don’t be tempted to write what the admission officer would like to hear. Instead, answer honestly. Ask yourself what your best quality is or why you want to attend a particular college.

6. Get feedback

Before submitting your essay, show the draft to your family, teachers and friends. They might be able to offer valuable feedback. Make changes but don’t change your voice. Your essay must always sound like you.

7. Proofread and correct mistakes

Read your essay again and again to check for spelling or grammar mistakes. Ask a friend or a family member to proofread it for you.