College application essay writing is a long and lonesome journey for every international student. Although the paper usually requires mere 500 words, this humble number has the greatest influence over the further destiny of a student-to-be.
As an international student, you will work your hands to the bone researching and writing your admission paper, but college admission board members will only have a minute or two to actually read it. What could that mean? Probably that you have to get their attention at all costs right at the very beginning of their acquaintance with your essay.
So, here’s the question: How to win the ‘toss or take’ battle and get accepted to the college of your dreams?
We’ve asked some of the writing tutors and experts on our platform for their favorite pieces of advice for those writing a college application essay. Here is what they have to offer.
Tip #1. Stay Focused… Even When You Don’t Write
The best idea, a hooking opener, an impressive twist, and a great insight often come unexpectedly and you’d better get ready for that.
‘It’s a great practice to keep some time-tested collection system at hand wherever you go when you’re in the middle of application essay preparation,’
says Stasy Grey, an expert academic writer with over 15 years of experience on EssayLancers.com.
Try index cards, your iPhone, or a nice Moleskine – choose whatever works best for you and ensure you don’t keep information in your brain. The chances are, you won’t be able to recall that great idea about connecting the dots when you have to get down to actual writing. But when you have the thoughts in one place – you’re fully equipped for that app writing session.
Tip #2. The Right Essay Topic is Half of Your Success
Keep in mind that the application essay should be a convincing and interesting reflection of your personality. So, choose your topic wisely and personalize it.
At this stage, decide how you differentiate from other applicants and how you may contribute to the college in the future. Play piano well? Mention your lessons and resilience. Like social work? Suggest several ideas how you can be useful on the campus.
Have troubles identifying your strengths and weaknesses? Here are some topic suggestions to set you in the right direction:
- The Day I Realized I Was Part of My Country
- Why I Want to Be Like My Brother
- How My Biggest Failure Turned into Success
- What Shaped My Understanding of American Culture
- The First Time I Felt Like I Was No Longer a Child
Need more ideas? Here are Common App essay prompts 2019-2020 . Make sure you address them carefully.
Tip #3. Start with an Intro that Captures Attention
Reaching the writing-from-the-heart level is hard. However, impossible is nothing if you’re smart about it.
‘The most experienced journalists will tell you that it’s a hooking intro that turns your writing into a superb work of art that people can’t stop reading,’
recommends our bestselling-novelist-to-be and pro custom writer Donna Martin.
Make sure to start with a vivid paragraph to keep your readers engaged. Inform the admission officers about your essay topic and add a little spice in the form of an interesting story or anecdote to demonstrate some of the best parts of who you are.
Tip #4. Be Creative, but Stay within Your Plan
Audrey Simons, an experienced writer and editor in the writing industry, stresses the importance of not forgetting the self-evident truth that ‘creativity is an integral part of application essay writing, but don’t think that using God-knows-how-many tricks will save you if your paper is not properly organized.’
In other words, no matter how winning your story is, you’re not going to score well if your text is messy. Build a plan before you begin to write. The intro, the body, and the conclusion are the main parts of the application essay.
Tip #5. Tell an Interesting Story
Let’s face it, most people prefer reading a good story over grammatically perfect text. So, make sure to write an application essay that includes a good story. Don’t worry about cramming your essay with loads of details about you. Instead, let it be a stunning narrative.
‘Some years ago, I read a great admission essay where a potential student walked me through the so-called gratitude practice steps and how the human body benefits from it. I was impressed,’
says Mark Johnson, a veteran writer and former college admission officer.
Tip #6. Image You’re Admitted
Additionally, make sure you demonstrate the college-level language mastery and already live up to the high college writing standards. Make it a goal to:
- Avoid endless rows of simple sentences. Instead, use write complex sentences.
- Add linguistic patterns: a metaphor, a simile, personification, etc.
- Think of non-cliché comparisons, but add some of the popular English idioms.
- Replace lower-level words (bad, sad, said, thing, nice, chance) with higher-level words (appalling, despondent, suggested, issue, comforting, opportunity)
Tip #7. Have Someone Proofread Your Essay
This is one of the foremost recommendations on this list. You must have guessed it from your previous school or college that the words in your head don’t always make it onto the paper the way you meant. Unfortunately, it’s a frequent occasion when a writer tricks himself into thinking that the paper says something that it doesn’t. That’s why, ask a friend or a relative to look over your essay.
If there’s no one around, hire a freelance proofreader on our platform. They will surely spot the confusing parts of your essay.
The process we’ve just discussed seems like a grandiose matter, but the truth is that it doesn’t matter how much of research you’ve done or how much information you’ve collected if you don’t actually sit and write.
Writing the application paper takes time and effort, and it is important that you feel accomplished. After all, writing should nourish people’s mind, touch the heart, and feed the soul.
