How to Write a College Essay

A college essay is a type of academic assignment, usually prepared by people applying to colleges. The primary task of a college essay is to cover a specific question referring to a given topic. In this case, it should present an application document, which is an additional one for the full package handed in by an applicant. The primary task of a writer is to provide an admission committee with the extended composition supplying the admission officers with the general info about the student.

This is a kind of composition, which should enhance your letter and help you to grab the attention of the admission officers. Your college essay should comprise some required elements. You have to include your qualifications, achievements, and triumphs – all those things that may represent you as a well-developed and promising personality.

There are no standards established according to which a writer should compile his college essay. However, exist some rules and general tips assisting in the process of preparation of this essay. These useful tips may help to write a successful composition that will enable a potential student to get a place in a college of his dream.

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How to start a college essay?

The writing of a college essay demands serious approach. One has to be maximally concentrated to produce a composition of the highest quality. As is often the case, we tend to postpone the preparation of the package of a document for the last minute. This strategy turned to be unsuccessful and did not lead any student to the successful result. That is why, primarily, the task of a potential student is to think about everything timely and prepare all the necessary documentation for the entering campaign in advance. The college essay is an element of the document package required for the college application. That is why the writing of the college essay should also be planned.

Undoubtedly, writing of the composition is not an easy task. However, if a person prepares carefully, nothing can hinder him or her. Before moving to the very writing stage, an author has to prepare appropriately. His task is to plan the info that will be included in the future composition and decide on a structure of his future essay. Planning of the information is the most crucial step. The task of a writer is to focus on his achievements and strong sides of his personality. The next stage will be to think over the writing techniques that will enable the writer to present the info so that this essay will make the chances to enter the chosen college higher.

College essay format

A college essay is the most personal part of your application. One has to be maximally responsible while preparing this type of an application package. There are some formatting requirements, which should compulsorily be preserved by a writer. Primarily, it concerns the text format. Try to choose the readable font. It will make your writing easy to read. Concerning the spacing, it is better to double space your essay or set the 1,5 space format. It proves to be the most comfortable for reading. All around margins should be one inched.

Apart from the formatting standards mentioned above, one needs to decide on the separation of paragraphs. It is of the utmost importance to split your text into sections and group the info you want to present appropriately. Try to build short, but sense-loaded sentences. Do not overload your text with the useless info. It is compulsory to plan your info to be able to meet the word count requirement. How long should the essay be?  Be ready to deliver the info in a way so that it does not overreach the barrier in 650 words.

Concerning the writing style and the format of speech, try to stick to formal or semi-formal style. Bear in mind the fact that your essay presents an official document and should be appropriately written. The target audience will be the admission officers, so try to write in a clear, concise manner, avoiding application of irrelevant facts. Good college essay means a composition, which is well formatted, informative and relevant.

College essay heading

College application essay heading should be catchy and attention grabbing. One has to think over the title that will make the admission officer interested and evoke the desire to read the essay. One has to decide on a short, but relevant title. The nature of the college essay has to be very personal. That is why the topicality of the composition should be individualized and narrow enough so that the admission officer can immediately understand, whether the essay is worth reading.

Originality may both turn into advantage and disadvantage. It is important for the writer to feel the situation. A good strategy will be to pick a popular saying or a quotation as a title. Thanks to it, a writer will be able to create an original college essay. The theme can consist of even one word. However, it should be carefully picked and correspond to the content of the essay. If the word is attention grabbing and thrilling, the target reader will have a strong desire to familiarize himself with the content of the essay with such an original title.

College essay outline

A college essay outline may become a handy instrument for the writer working on this kind of written assignment. An outline will serve as a plan or a template for the writer. A student applying to a college will be an advantage if he uses an outline. It will help to preserve a logical flow of thoughts and will allow delivering the info clearly and distinctively. After the primary stage, an author already knows, what info he is going to include in his essay. Now an outline will help to split this material into smaller pieces and present it to the target reader in a proper sequence.

Delivering the material in a clear manner is important. An author has to stick to the appropriate sequence; that is why he has to make an intro, main body and conclusion. It will make the application composition readable and logical. Decide on catchy elements that can grab the reader’s attention in the intro and hold it until the end of the essay. Stick to one chosen style of language; do not mix formal and informal styles. Planning your layout will enable to avoid the application of irrelevant information.

How to end a college essay

To finish a college essay, one has to supply the reader with summing up of all info covered in the main body. Refer to the introduction; it will create an effect of the interrelation of all structural elements of the essay. The finishing of your essay should be personal and memorable. It does not mean that a person needs to implement original phrases or prepare an extraordinary material. Making the ending a concluding of the main idea traced through the whole essay be enough to make it proper.

College essay tips

While writing a college essay, students may think over the effective ways of compiling the essay, which will allow them to get a place in a college of their dream. However, the most effective writing technique is very simple – write about your personal experience, achievements, and goals and do not try to make admission officers like you. They will the unnaturalness. The main task of a student preparing a college essay is to write about his personality, be natural and genuine. One has to demonstrate his or her potential using his achievements. Try to tell about the experience and indicate what you have learned from the courses you have ended. The main task is to focus on your potential and manage to demonstrate it to the admission officers enforcing it with the real-life examples and proofs.

College essay examples

Writing a college does not mean you need to follow an established template. Here is the scheme, which can serve as an example of a college essay.

Introduction. I was born to become a doctor – this thought traces me during all my life. Many times in my life, this proved to be true.

Main body sentences. Every time, the opportunity to be a volunteer in the local hospital arose, I was ready to be involved.  It taught me the necessary nursing skills and I get an experience of working with various patients. Thanks to this, I can provide the first aid. Moreover, I am familiar with basic medical notions.

Conclusion. Every person has its vocation. I am very interested in medicine and the human body. My dream of becoming a doctor and learning all the possibilities of the body is about to come true. I want to help people. I want to take care of the lives of my relatives. The difficulty of the profession is not frightening me, and high achievements in biology will allow me to become the best doctor all over the world.

This example illustrates how it is possible to write the college essay. Of course, this is only an example; it is impossible to write all compositions in the same way. This little scheme shows how a writer can mark his achievements and tell about his experiences in a manner that allows getting a place at a college of his or her dream.

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