17 Things To Write About

17 Things To Write About Good essays are always quite personal without being sentimental. We serve students who have not yet begun the college application process, students who may already have a draft they want to polish, and students who are anywhere in-between. Before you begin to tackle this essay prompt, there are a few points of which you should be aware. First off, don’t reiterate information that can be found in other parts of your application. Instead, use this opportunity to showcase an additional side/aspect of yourself. A second pair of eyes naturally catches mistakes that you might miss as a result of reading your words too many times. A reader also may find sections or concepts that are unclear, even if they seem apparent to you as the writer. This is a cue to rethink your wording or perhaps add an extra sentence of clarification. If you can get one other person to read your essay, great. On the other hand, some college applications require applicants to submit a supplemental essay that specifically asks why you want to go to their college or why you chose X major or field of study. So, you can also write your potential major there, if required. Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders. College application essays can be an effective way for you to communicate your uniqueness to admissions officials. Some students try so hard to be creative, or to entice the reader with a sense of intrigue, that they sacrifice clarity. If your reader is one paragraph in and thinking, “I don’t have a clue what this student is talking about,” you’ve moved from arousing interest to creating confusion. Unlike the other parts of the application, where high grade point averages and SAT scores reign supreme, the essay is less about being impressive than it is about being authentic. It was right there in the last sentence of the first paragraph of Mikey’s college essay. The college essay length requirements differ among universities. However, it ranges between 250 and 650 words in universities. The word limit is usually specified in the requirements. Either 250 or 650 words, that is quite a short essay. Thus, you should be able to demonstrate your writing skills in such a short paper. Don’t just say that volunteering in a soup kitchen allowed you to see the importance of helping others. Admissions committees really want you to speak to the experience and really explain the impact it had. Finally, you’ll need to be able to strike a balance between being self-effacing and being a braggart. I was supposed to believe this typical high school senior, who had inhabited this planet for a slight 17 years, chose to use the word “henceforth.” Mikey was a good kid. CollegeCovered.com was created to provide students, parents and high school counselors with the know-how to plan and pay for college. This website offers a variety of resources and tips for each step of the college planning process. If you have questions about Discover Student Loans, visit DiscoverStudentLoans.com or call STUDENT anytime 24/7. Speaking of which, even the best writers in the world need another writer or editor looking over their shoulders. Secondly, you must recognize that schools don’t only view “big” achievements as a viable topic. You don’t need to have worked on a cure for AIDS or helped send a rocket into space to write a compelling essay. The essay is valuable to you and the colleges to which you are applying. If you think of the application as pieces of a puzzle or as independent voices coming together to tell your story, the essay is part of the puzzle over which you have complete control. The essay also provides you with an opportunity to say what hasn’t been said in your application and do so in your distinct voice. The paradox of the overzealous editing of the college essay by many helicopter parents is that they don’t know what a college essay is really about. It’s certainly possible and often effective to begin your essay with a description that piques interest without necessarily revealing exactly what the description is about. But while enticing and intriguing are good, bewildering and unintelligible are not. Your college essay gives you the chance to talk about your best assets. While your essay should convey your best qualities, you want to avoid bragging too much. If you write about an activity or an experience, focus not on how good you are or what you have accomplished, but instead on what the experience/activity means to you.