Anyone suffering from writer’s block? The essay part of an admission application to a university can be pretty anguishing. In 500 words or less you have to write about something that will seduce (literally…see the clip from ‘Legally Blond’ below) the selection committee. To get into college these days, you need to take the SATs (Scholastic Aptitude Test), have a good grade-point average (out of a scale of 4.0), good teacher recommendations and correct completion of the application form (a college application is a relatively easy online questionnaire to fill in: name, address, family history,schools attended, employment history plus an application fee)…and an excellent captivating well-written personal essay. This is the part that everyone hates because they think that this will set them apart from others who have 4.0 grade point averages and the maximum number points on the S.A.T.s (maximum 2400 points). A lot of colleges do place a lot of importance on the essay as they receive thousands of applications and the only way to distinguish between an “excellent” student and a “superior” student is to read his/her essay. So…here’s a clip from “Legally Blond” where we can see the Harvard Selection Committee in action (they’ve just viewed a video essay which Elle Woods sent in in lieu of a written essay).
As you probably heard they’re trying to choose students based on their uniqueness in order to create “diversity” (Go to my website to learn more about student life in US):
The common essay questions on college applications these days are the following:
- describe an ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact
- discuss a public issue of special concern to you
- talk about a fictional character or creative work that has profoundly influenced you
- write about diversity and how important it is
- write about a topic of your choice (students’ favorite choice as it’s so open-ended…but also the trickiest to write about because the choice is so vast)
1.CHOOSE A SUBJECT OR THESIS==A LIFE CHANGING EVENT
As you’re writing for an admissions committee, the subject you choose will probably be something about your life or a life experience. You want to choose a topic that is going to catch the eye and attention of the reader so think carefully about how you can transcend one of your life experiences to make it more universally important and life-changing. Reading Marlo Thomas’s book “The Right Words At The Right Time” could help to inspire you as the short narratives in this book are all about how people learned a valuable lesson in life in a somewhat banal event in their life. What’s most important is to choose an event in your life that you’re passionate about or that made an indelible impression on you. If you’re excited about it, you’ll be able to more easily communicate that passion and interest to your readers. Avoid these cliché subjects:
- Sports oriented: I won the soccer game for my team by scoring the winning goal (banal)
- My grandfather was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed and I hope to be like him someday (How are you already like him?)
- I took a trip with my family to Europe and it was fantastic (paid for by Mommy and Daddy)
- I was an au pair girl in Germany (too frequent)
- I attended a boy scout leadership conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (trivial)
- I belong to the Salvation Army and collect donations every Christmas (overused)
It’s better just to write about yourself and what makes you…well…you! But that means a lot of inner reflection and creativity. Samples of college admission essays
To make it easier map out your ideas…
2.MIND MAP YOUR IDEAS
The human brain is wired to be more sensitive to images than to words (read “Moonwalking With Einstein” by Joshua Foer to learn more about this). Adding a visual outline will make writing your essay a lot easier and you will be able to gather and organize your thoughts very quickly in addition to seeing easily where you’re going. Add headings and sub-headings to your map. It will eventually look like a tree, the tree trunk being the topic, the branches, the different examples and experiences which are supported by the tree stem. Listen to Amanda, a college student, explaining how it works for her:
Begin writing the body of the essay. Each “branch” of the tree will represent a paragraph. Try to use the leaves to support and bring light to what you’re saying. For an admissions essay you can break the cardinal rule of never using the personal pronoun “I”. In an admissions essay, you’re going to talk about your life and how some personal events made you the person you are. Remember you’re trying to prove why your presence would make a difference at the college or university you’re applying to. Most universities are looking for “diversity” and your job is to prove that you are unique and that you would add something to the overall educational experience of your classmates and who knows bring prestige to the university.
3.WRITE THE CONCLUSION
Go back to your “tree trunk” and state again your main idea or thesis. Try to repackage your ideas or some of the branches of your tree in a more emphatic way so that you can leave the most favorable impression of the person you are as possible. You want to make an impact and capture the attention of your readers and leave them with an unforgettable impression.
4. WRITE THE INTRODUCTION
Now that you’ve concluded your essay, it’s time to write the introduction. This should be fairly easy as you’re now quite familiar with the essay itself and the ideas you’ve developed in each paragraph. With your Mind Map you can retrace your steps and introduce them in a meaningful manner to seize the attention, emotions, and interest of the reader. Now’s the time to grab them! You don’t want them to throw your paper away and eliminate your application immediately!
5. PROOFREAD
Your word processor’s spell check is a good place to start. But it’s good to keep in mind the following rules:
In a formal paper you should avoid:
- Using the same word twice
- Making grammatical mistakes (have someone else read through your paper to edit it)
- Using colloquial or informal expressions
- Employing contractions which are considered informal
- Writing without correct punctuation (commas, quotation marks, colons, semi-colons, apostrphes, etc.); there are many books which can help you but I use “The Brief English Handbook” by Dornan and Dawe for a quick reference guide
6. PUT YOUR PAPER ASIDE FOR A DAY OR TWO
Think about other things for a few days…that is if it isn’t a rush job like most of my Blog posts! This will permit you to read it again with a fresh mind. In this way you’ll see if you need to rewrite some passages which are clumsy or which do not flow or perhaps which are not clear. Have a close friend (or parent) read it and let them tell you what they think. Don’t rely too much on their advise…remember it’s your essay about your life and you want it to reflect who you are…but their perspective might prevent you from making a few mistakes. So good luck and happy writing! Hope you get into the campus of your choice! For more writing strategies, go to the writing page on my website. For information on competitive exams go my my “Ace Your Exams” page. Good luck! (or “Break a Leg” if you’re superstitious!)
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