Writing Smartly | 5 Takeaways From College Essays That Worked
The summer before the final year of high school can be a hard time for students, as this is the time most students begin working on their college admission essays. And all students want Essay Writing Help. They are such an important determinant of the students immediate future, that they get all panicky and end up spending weeks if not months trying to figure out the single document.
A creative block is natural at a time like this and most students feel like they have suddenly lost all their writing skills. This is when students reach out to their peers, teachers or most typically the internet for some guidance on how to write a good college essay. Although all these sources are good enough, they may only offer you advice that is not based on experience. So where to look for? The most logical thing to do is look up essays that have worked in the recent past, as this will give you a better idea about the approach you must take. But finding such essays and reading through them can be a hectic task. So, here’s the gist of what you should take away from college essays that have worked:
1. Find a Topic You Like
Many a time we find ourselves mesmerized when we read a successful college essay. Almost all these essays seem like they are written by an expert. But it’s not. They are written by students like you, and they don’t necessarily have high intelligence or expertise in the area. But they do have a passion for the subject they are writing on. If the admission essay doesn’t require you to write on a specific subject then pick the one you are really passionate about as your thoughts will be more original.
2. Share the Experience Not the Incident
You must have been given several pieces of advice on how you should try and include a personal experience to showcase your abilities and/or character. But many students do it wrong. They write about the experience in a descriptive tone rather than a narrative one. Try and share the experience using emotive words and literary devices rather than plainly describing an incident.
3. Reconsider Your Humour
Although humour if done right can leave a good impact on the admission committee, but you should know the risks before you try it. There are very few instances where it has worked, and many where it has caused problems. Chances are that something you find funny might not sound funny to an adult evaluator. So, if you want to include humour try to do it subtly while sharing experience.
4. Don’t Fill It With Achievements
One common mistake all students make is that they turn their essays into a resume. Avoid filling your essay with every single achievement of yours. Rather, pick a few significant ones and work on sneaking them in subtly and creatively.
5. Avoid Repetition
This is an extension of the previous point. Most students tend to repeat some of their significant achievements again and again to highlight them. This only makes you look needy. So avoid mentioning things that you have already mentioned in other documents like your CV.
Writing college essays can get very stressful if you have no direction. If you are struggling with the same, consider the above-mentioned points to draw from the strategies used by essays that have worked.