Who Are You?
The essay is an important part of your application. This is one part that you can control. The essay is the living, breathing part of your application--your chance to personalize your application beyond the numbers, and your opportunity to show something about you that may not come across anywhere else in the application.
Why do colleges require essays?
No aspect of the application process causes more procrastination or bewilderment than the essay. The essay is not designed to be a hurdle, but an opportunity to "talk" directly to the people reading your application and making decisions.
Essays are required for various reasons. According to the Bates College Office of Admission, one purpose is to give the college a sample of your writing. An essay demonstrates your writing ability, which is a key component to success in college. Another reason colleges require an essay is to help draw distinctions between applicants. The essay is your chance to share something of yourself. An essay will rarely take an applicant out of consideration at a college, but it certainly can elevate an applicant in the eyes of the admissions committee.
Tips
The following tips have been gathered from a variety of colleagues in the field. These tips should help you as you begin the process of writing an essay that you will be proud of, and one that will help the reader get to know you better.
- BE YOURSELF! Write about something that you have a keen interest in instead of writing about something you think the admission committee wants to read.
- Follow directions and be aware of length limits. If the application provides you with a question or a topic, answer the question. Colleges often impose limits on the length of the essay. If your essay exceeds the limits slightly, it is unlikely to cause a problem. On the other hand, if you essay goes well beyond the requested length, this may annoy the reader.
- Pick a topic of genuine interest. What you write about should be of real interest to you. Find a topic that excites you - if you bring genuine interest to your writing, then the reader will find it interesting.
- Avoid writing in strictly biographical facts. For example, avoid the following: "I am a senior at Brainerd High School, and I enjoy history and playing soccer." These facts can be found in your application. The essay is an opportunity to elaborate on some of these facts - what do you enjoy about soccer? Why is history of interest to you?
- Write in your own voice and style.
- Show your topic. Don't just tell about the topic, but use vivid examples to bring the topic to life. Describe the scene, the people, and the details.
- DRAFT. EDIT, RE-WRITE and REVISE. Use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
- Don't pull out the thesaurus; don't overwrite, using long words in hopes of impressing the admissions committee. (It won't.)
- Don't ramble. Be succinct. Make a point and stick to it.
- PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD. Then ask someone else to proofread it, too.
- Honor Code rules are in effect when you write your essay, so do your own work.
The following are sample questions taken from college applications. You may want to think about how you would respond in an essay.
- Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
- Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
- Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
- Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you and explain that influence.
- Consider the books you have read over the last year or two, either for school or for leisure. Please discuss the way in which one of them has changed your understanding of the world, other people, or yourself.
- What has been your most profound or surprising intellectual experience?
- What is your favorite word, and why?
- Besides the computer, what technological development has had the greatest impact on human society?
- Tradition plays an important role in the life of all cultures. Discuss a tradition your family, school, or community observes and explain its impact on you.
- If there were one picture left on your last roll of film, what would you photograph and why?
- You are meeting your college roommate for the first time. You can bring only three items with you to your dorm room. What items would you bring to provide a first impression of your personality, character, or interests? Please elaborate.
- Write about a matter of importance to you in any topic area.
