{"id":1180,"date":"2021-04-28T11:03:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T11:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solomonadmissions.com\/?p=1180"},"modified":"2023-12-01T16:16:22","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T16:16:22","slug":"7-college-application-essay-dos-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solomonadmissions.com\/in\/post\/7-college-application-essay-dos-donts\/","title":{"rendered":"7 College Application Essay Do\u2019s & Don\u2019ts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

College application essays need to tell a story to immerse the reader in a narrative that they don\u2019t want to end. Unfortunately, most college admissions officers<\/u><\/a> often read many strung-together paragraphs with no structure, climax, or transformative learning moment for the reader to enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Article Will Cover The Following:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.1 Pick A Prompt And Stick To It<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.2 Share Challenging Personal Experiences<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.3. Don’t Get Off<\/u><\/a> <\/a><\/u>Topic<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.4 Tell A Good Story With As Many Details As Possible<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.5 Read Your Essay Aloud<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.6 Use An Informal Tone and Keep It As Simple As Possible<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.7 Don’t Forget To Proofread<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. College Essay Topics That Stand Out<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Essays About Community or Service Work<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Even though there are a huge number of resources available on the perfect college admission essay, applicants can fall victim to writing incoherent themes, using irrelevant or clich\u00e9 anecdotes, ending with a weak conclusion, and having basic grammar and punctuation errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Solomon, our strategic positioning methodology<\/u><\/a> provides excellent content for college application essays and gives applicants a comprehensive analysis of their various strengths and weaknesses to highlight or avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we discuss in another recent post on how long college application essays should be \u2013 even during these unprecedented times, there is a strong emphasis in college admissions on crafting a unique, positive, and inspiring personal essay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most colleges require applicants to submit a one-page personal statement \u2013 with word counts ranging from 500 to 750 words<\/strong> (or the associated character counts).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application submission platforms like the Common Application<\/u><\/a> and the Coalition Application<\/u><\/a> allow you to utilize one personal statement or essay for those colleges using that system \u2013 it\u2019s a good idea to note which colleges have their own application and unique personal college essay (like Georgetown) versus schools that participate in the Common or Coalition Applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here we are making a distinction between the personal statement and other required supplemental college application essays, which are specific responses to the \u201cwhy\u201d that college is a match for your strengths and interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solomon Admissions Consultants<\/u><\/a> have compiled seven (7) of the top college application essay \u201cDo\u2019s & Don\u2019ts\u201d from their collective experience in helping students draft, revise outstanding essay submissions \u2013 be careful and avoid essay traps by reading our list of tips below before beginning to draft your exceptional personal statement.<\/p>\n\n\n

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1. Pick A Prompt And Stick To It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Answer the question asked in the prompt and use structure to create a strong narrative throughout your essay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Share Challenging Personal Experiences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But don\u2019t feel pressured to end with a solution or happy ending. Your writing should provide a full and descriptive context where the reader learns about you are and brought you this point in your life \u2013 weaving together your experiences and how they have helped you develop as a student, leader, community member. You can also speak to what has inspired your journey and future plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Don\u2019t Get Off Topic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

See Tip #1<\/em> and make sure the story you are telling is actually your story to tell. Reflect and summarize your potential ideas frequently for the best topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Tell A Good Story With As Many Details As Possible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Show your impact and personal qualities with a captivating narrative rather than telling the committee how great you are. Even though you need details, skip the “moral of the story conclusions<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admissions readers don\u2019t want to be told directly what the life lesson was. If your essay is strong, the conclusion is nuanced. The same strategy applies to your hook \u2013 just dive in.<\/p>\n\n\n

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5. Read Your Essay Aloud<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you read aloud, you find places where our brains remove words without us noticing \u2013 something admissions officers<\/u><\/a> will notice and then reject your application. Be careful, though, because sometimes what is acceptable in spoken language can be off in writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Original writing takes time so give yourself plenty of time before the deadlines. Fresh ideas don\u2019t spring up at the last minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Use An Informal Tone and Keep It As Simple As Possible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In other words, write like you speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use voice memos or just start talking to brainstorm topics. Inspiration can come at the most inconvenient times, so using technology to capture your ideas can be a great place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Don\u2019t Forget To Proofread<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Give yourself enough time to revise and edit your college essay thoroughly. Grammar and spelling mistakes just aren\u2019t acceptable in highly selective college admissions<\/u><\/a>. When doing final edits, remember not to bury your lead \u2013 remember that your beginning hook must capture the reader\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please pay attention to verb tense and keep it active. Use transitions within and between paragraphs, so that you don\u2019t have to waste words explaining your story over again. If your outline concepts flow, the transitions should too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, have trusted advisors, siblings, parents, or even peers read your essays before your final submission. Solomon admissions consultants<\/u><\/a> help our clients\u2019 voices to shine through, rather than obscuring them.<\/p>\n\n\n

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College Essay Topics That Stand Out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n