Almost all colleges ask students to submit an essay along with their application. Your application essay plays a very significant role in determining your chances of getting admission to the college of your choice.
A poor essay will easily get a brilliant student rejected. On the flip side, exceptionally good application essays often help students with average scores get into the college of their dreams.
The tips given below will help you write that perfect application essay.
Avoid the List
Don’t try to include all of your accomplishments or activities in your application essay. This is a common mistake. If you mention just about everything about you, your essay will become a tedious list. This is totally unnecessary because other parts of the application give you plenty of space to list your extracurricular activities.
Tell a story
The most compelling essays tell a story. That is the reason why people want to read them. Your essay should have a clear focus. It should expose your personality through carefully chosen detail. For example, a thoughtful narration of a crisis in your life reveals a whole lot more about you than a long list of prizes and honors you have won. Your grades and scores will easily convince the application officer that you are smart and intelligent. Use your essay to convince them that you are mature and thoughtful and that your personality has depth.
A touch of humor may help
We have already discussed the need to be thoughtful and mature. Of course, they are very important, but you have no justification to make your essay too heavy. Use a clever metaphor or a little self-deprecating humor to lighten up the essay. They tend to work most of the time. However, don’t overdo it. That will create the exact opposite effect. If you fill your essay with bad puns, you can rest assured that it will end up in the rejection pile. Also, remember that humor can never be a substitute for substance.
Your primary task is to answer the essay question thoughtfully. If you can bring a smile to the reader’s lips, it will definitely help your case, but that should not be your primary objective.