collegeessaytips2

More Tips for the College Essay

Here are some suggestions for things you might want to mention in your autobiographical essay.

Family background; something about your ancestors, heritage, parents
Events or people that have been important to you, and why
Something you have learned that you found very interesting and why
Your interests, hobbies and any favorite activities, such as sports or music
Any jobs you have held that you think were helpful in your development
Why going to college is important to you and what you hope to get out of the experience
Which careers you are considering and why you think you’d like to go into them
Why you’d like to enroll in the college you are applying to attend
What you particularly liked about your high school years, including courses and extracurricular activities
What you think your “good points” are and some things you’d like to improve about yourself

Of course, there are many other topics you can touch on when you write your essay. Talk about it with your folks, friends, or counselor; they may have suggestions too. Ask them to read the final version of your essay.

Remember, when writing your essay, use language you are comfortable with and put things in your own words. Be yourself!

DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO WRITE YOUR ESSAY. GATHER IDEAS FOR AWEEK OR TWO, WRITE A FIRST DRAFT, AND LET IT REST. ALLOW A FEW DAYS BETWEEN REVISIONS, BOTH MAJOR AND MINOR, AND A DAY BETWEEN COMPLETION OF THE ESSAY AND FINAL EDITING.

Interpreting Essay Questions
QUIESTION	INTENT OF ESSAY QUESTION	SUGGESTIONS OR COMMENTS
“It is our aim to get to know you as well as possible through this application. With this in mind, please describe in detail some special interest, experience, or achievement or anything else you would like us to know about you. Essays on a personal, local, or national topic that is of particular concern to you are also welcome”	In essence, this question asks the student to “tell us something about yourself.” Since the variety of suitable topics is so broad, the admissions committee is as interested in your choice of topic as it is in what you have to say about it.	Be sure to relate your topic to yourself. It’s not enough to simply write about political unrest in South America or your involvement in the school play. In all cases, you’ll need to show how your experiences have had an effect on you.
“Write an essay that will help us to understand you better as a person and a prospective student”	This essay has tow parts. The first part closely resembles the previous question. The second part asks students to address the issue of why he or she would be a good candidate for this college.	Be careful to answer both parts of the question. Make sure the second part of the essay shows how you and the college are well matched. Refer to the college catalog, brochures, and your notes to help make your answer specific.
”You have an opportunity, if you wish to take advantage of it, to offer any additional information that you believe the committee should consider in reviewing your application.”	This question may be viewed as required or optional depending on the number of essay questions appearing on the application. Required: If this is the only essay question on the entire application, be sure to grab this opportunity to add a human dimension to your SAT scores, GPA and other personal statistics. Optional: If your application requires you to write one or more in-depth essays, then you need only respond to this “optional” question if there is some special situation you feel you must explain, such as how a serious illness affected your high school record during your sophomore year. Other situations might include a divorce in your family, a parent losing a job or going to a new school.	While optional questions don’t need to be answered for your application to be considered complete, you will want to answer the question if your response can provide additional information that could help the admissions committee know you better and possibly decide in your favor.