The College Application Essay can be a game changer for college admissions.

 Why?

• The College essay is a way for students to uniquely distinguish themselves from the thousands of other applicants who may have similar GPAs, test scores and profiles.
• It is the ONLY chance students get to directly address the admissions committee.
• Admissions officers have indicated that the essay can become an important factor in admission decisions.
• More schools are becoming test optional (standardized tests scores are not required), placing more emphasis on the essay
• Other Advantages:  the essay can grease the wheels for the college process by providing an opportunity for self-reflection.  Writing the essay can be insightful and evaluative -- a window into who you are, what's important to you and where you are headed.  

Bottom line: it is worth investing the time and effort!

What makes an Effective Essay?

You don’t have to be an outstanding writer nor do you have to have an amazing topic or life experience to discuss.  An ordinary topic can be a winning essay.  The key is your approach.  If you use your topic to convey something of importance about you -- e.g. special attributes, areas of growth -- and express it in  your unique style of thought, the essay will be powerful!

Types of Essay Questions

Colleges typically ask students to write 1-2 longer personal statements and respond to several short-answer questions.  Short answer responses can be equally challenging to write because you must choose your words and thoughts carefully because of length constraints.  Try to avoid covering the same subjects in the long and short essays because you want to use the opportunity to share something additional about yourself.  Each essay needs to contribute to the admissions officers' understanding of who you are.

Three question types frequently encountered:

• Describe yourself

Purpose:  to learn more about you and what is important to you.

Response:  keep focus narrow with discussion on single aspect of yourself. Present yourself in an honest way.

• Why our College?

Purpose: to learn how you will fit in at the college.

Response:  discuss one or two things about the school that makes it the best fit for you.  Be specific about resources/programs offered at the college or even refer to a campus visit.   

• Discuss an Issue

Purpose: to learn about your ability to think critically and creatively.

Response:  support your points with facts and well reasoned explanations.