1. INTRODUCTION
Ok, I simply CANNOT stress how important it is to capture your reader's attention. I know, I know - you've heard this a bajilion times but it is crucial that you apply it to ur college essay b/c the admissions officers are only going to spend 1-3 min. reading it. So make it count! Does it take u FOREVER to try and come up w/ even a decent sounding intro? Well, I never said that this was going to be easy! ok ok, I'll give you guys a tip that helped me out: Think of your essay as a 3-min. movie. So set the right mood and tone w/ ur intro and make this one interesting short movie to read! psst... don't give away too much - u don't want to ruin the ending!
2. THE MEAT
A.K.A. BODY PARAGRAPHS! These are just as important as the intro. Be consistent Keep the same tone as ur intro(which u may have to go back & edit if needed) and have ur essay flow in a logical manner. Take out any unneccessary words and keep ur transitional phrases to a minimum. For example, insteading of dragging out a sentence w/ "In our society today,", plz just do yourself and the person reading ur essay a favor by replacing that phrase w/ "Now,". Remember, this essay is supposed to give an image of who you are as a person - so just make the essay sound as if you're talking to someone... in a very grammaticaly accurate way!
3. FLOWERY WORDS
Save it! The admission officers can spot a phony from a mile away. You DO NOT need to use big, difficult words to try to impress your reader. I repeat, DO NOT USE BIG WORDS". In fact put that thesarus away right now! Ok, fine I did use the thesarus a little bit while writing my essay, but just to replace words that I kept repeating with words I already used in my everyday language. Please don't try to sound like Aristotle or Descartes in ur essay - unless of course, that is how you REALLY do talk to other ppl. Ok, I want every single one of you to go out and either buy the following book or borrow it from a friend or check it out from the library or whatever. Please read this book BEFORE you start writing your essay! I think every high school senior absolutely must make it their top priority to read it. Alright, alright - here's the book: A Farewell To Arms by Hemmingway. In fact, you may refer to any of Hemmingway's works to get a sense of what your college essay should ultimately try to sound like :)
FINALE
Ok I could not have put it better myself. So I won't. Here's how to end with a grand finale w/ tips directly quoted from Essay Advantage: "Do not simply summarize. The admissions essay is not long enough to warrant a summation. Also, as with the transitions, avoid stock phrases. Do not begin your conclusion with, "In conclusion...", or any other trite phrase. Try instead to utilize this last opportunity to capture the readers' imagination by restating, recapitulating or rephrasing a point made in the body of the essay. Be bold but not stupid. DO NOT end your essay with a quote from a historical figure. The admissions committee wants to know about you, not what Winston Churchill thought about the dog days of war." Moving on... (here comes the fun part)
GO ON FACEBOOK
Or watch T.V. or clip your grandma's toenails. Just plz do something else and step AWAY from ur essay. Not because you deserve it(which I'm sure you do!) but because once you do come back to it, you'll see it from a whole new perspective - which is good. So put that essay away and don't look at it for at least a couple days, even weeks. I'm serious. And once you do happen to come back to it, don't be scared to tweak it and brush it up a little here and there! ;)
FEEDBACK
This is like a DUHHH. Have your friends, your parents, and your teachers (especially your english teacher) edit it and give you some feedback. Take their criticisms as helpful hints on how to improve ur essay and thank them for their time. Also, check out your public library's website for free homework help and have an online tutor check and edit your essay for you too! It's good to get feedback from as many people as possible.
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