Do not overdose on I
Many college admission essays are first person narratives. As a result, they are written in the first person. However, this is no justification for using the pronoun I twice in every sentence. When you are writing about yourself, you will definitely have to repeat the word ‘I’. A good idea is to rework the sentences and try to incorporate other first person forms into your writing. For example, you can include my, mine and me.
Flowery language
Flowery language is fine as long as you do not overuse it. Don’t be tempted to modify each and every noun and verb with an adjective and adverb. When employed correctly, adjectives and adverbs make your writing more sophisticated. But if you overuse these modifying expressions they will easily ruin the reading experience.
Instead of adjectives and adverbs, your focus must be on using strong verbs. Using an adjective or adverb here and there is perfectly all right, but if you include two – three adjectives or adverbs in each sentence, the admissions officer will easily arrive at the conclusion that you are an inexperienced writer.
Strong verbs
In fact, you can avoid a large number of adjectives and adverbs if your verbs are chosen well.
While the writing the essay, think about what you are trying to accomplish. You want to grab the reader’s attention and keep them engaged.
Adjectives and adverbs serve no real purpose. In most cases, you can remove them and the sentence will still make complete sense. Strong verbs, on the other hand, animate your prose and make it much more interesting.
Choosing the right verb
The most common verb in English is ‘to be’ but if that is the only verb you use, your prose will lose its energy.