The college essay is often a personal statement that you write as part of the overall application. It is a key aspect to your college application that will showcase your personality, experiences, and motivations. This provides a better insight into the type of person you are, instead of just focusing on grades and test results.
But it can be difficult to write about yourself, especially after years of schooling in which you would write about subjects, like history and literature. A college essay requires a different type of writing style, so it is crucial you understand the components that must be considered when crafting it.
This post has expanded three of the key components prospective college students should remember when writing their personal statement essays.
Grab the Reader’s Attention from the Beginning
There is a lot of competition when applying for colleges, so it is vital that you stand out from the very start of the process. One way to do that is by grabbing the attention of the college admission officer from the beginning of the essay. You can achieve this by starting the essay with an opening paragraph or sentence that captures the imagination.
A powerful opener will not be generic or ordinary. Instead, you should begin with a clear statement or question that will assist your writing process and guide the entire essay. This opener will serve as a roadmap of the story, engaging the admission officer’s eye from the start. According to research, you only have 10 to 20 seconds to seize a reader’s attention; if you don’t, then they will not fully engage with the rest of the content.
Some of the most effective ways to begin a college essay include asking an interesting question, telling a personal anecdote, or stating a shocking statistic or relevant quote.
Write with the Reader in Mind
Most students will be used to writing for their teacher in mind, and there is a level of knowledge already between the two. This habit can be difficult to break, though, but it is important to do so. The college admissions officers have no idea who you are, what statements you are trying to make, and so on; with this in mind, you must write to communicate actual ideas that links to the prompt, if relevant.
You should build a clear and logical essay that has a natural flow from one point to the next. There should be transitions between each paragraph to assist this. As this is often a skill that you must pick up on your own, some assistance might be required to write a college admissions personal statement. Going Ivy explains that this is different as “the subject is you, and the directions to take are limitless.” Brainstorming sessions and worksheets can help inspire you.
A good tip to remember during this process is to have someone who does not know you read the essay before finalizing it. This will help you understand if you have portrayed yourself openly and make amendments if the reader is left with unanswered questions.
Proofread and Rewrite
Proofreading is a vital part of the essay writing process, and it should not be missed. This is the final step to verify there are no errors, such as spelling mistakes or incorrect punctuation and grammar. You can use online checkers and software to find and amend these issues.
However, you will also want to read the essay aloud to yourself in a quiet area. Reading it aloud allows you to pinpoint which sentences do not sound correct or flow nicely, and asking other people to do the same can offer more feedback. This is particularly useful when thinking about the essay’s tone, as it can be difficult to keep the one voice throughout and other people might spot this before you do.
After finding issues, you can rewrite the college essay to read with more fluency than before.
By remembering the three components mentioned in this post, you will write a more well-rounded college essay. This will hopefully help your application stand out from your competition.
