When it comes to college applications, many students dread admissions essays. After all, you have already worked diligently over the past many years to put yourself in a position to apply to these schools, and now each university is asking a unique prompt. But the reality is that a great college admissions essay is one of the most important aspects of any college application. These essays offer students an opportunity to not only demonstrate their cognition and competence but also personality and creativity—serving an important function for admissions officers sifting through sometimes thousands of applicants.
Writing a great college admissions essay does not have to be the daunting process that some make it seem. If you are ready to begin applying to schools, follow these three steps for writing an admissions essay to ensure you produce your best work.
1. Time to Brainstorm!
The first step to writing a great college admissions essay is collecting ideas and past experiences. This may seem trivial to some, but this process has two positive impacts on your essay. First, it gives you a head start on crafting your essay, diminishing any procrastination that otherwise may be a hindrance. Secondly, it allows for more time to envision the direction you would like to take your essay. Sure, some students can sit down and hammer out a great college admissions essay without much thought, but the vast majority benefit from extra brainstorming. This is a good time to ruminate on past experiences that helped shape who you are and how you got to where you are. What challenges did you face? How did you overcome them?
2. First Draft
Once you have a brainstorm—either in your head or on paper—the next step is to organize it into a first draft. This doesn’t need to be perfect, but it does have to be structured and have as much detail as you can think to include. If your brainstorm was a jumble of ideas, this first draft will be a more organized flow of those ideas. Focus on addressing the prompt. That is your primary goal with your first draft. You can perfect the essay later.
3. Revising and Perfecting
The third step to writing a great college admissions essay is the step that many students skip—and it is also the most important. Stephen King said, “To write is human, to edit is divine.” No college essay should be submitted without a proper and thorough editing process. This is where Inno-V College Admissions Consulting can be a huge asset. Our experts will be able to assess every aspect of the essay, from flow to word choice to grammar to context and focus—aspects that most writers, even the most successful, have a difficult time assessing on their own work.
With these three steps in mind, you will undoubtedly produce a great college admissions essay—and unquestionably increase your chances of acceptance into the best universities.
