Sample College Application Essays

Sample College Application Essays I was ecstatic to discover a group of students with whom I shared interests and could truly engage. Preoccupied with new friends and a rigorous course load, I failed to notice that the tables had turned. Max, lost in the fray and grappling with how to make connections in his enormous new high school, had become withdrawn and lonely. It took me until Christmas time â€" and a massive argument â€" to recognize how difficult the transition had been for my brother, let alone that he blamed me for it. There is nothing worse than work that has been plagiarised. And since universities, colleges, schools and businesses have taken a big interest in this area, is it very easy to get caught out! Essentially you have to be one of the best “soccer” essays or “mission trip” essays among the hundreds the admission officer has likely read. If you’re writing a “Why I want to be an engineer” essay, for example, what 3-5 common “engineering” values might other students have mentioned in connection with engineering? Your teacher was just trying to make sure you understood how to write, not give you a rule you had to always obey. The answer is one page single spaced or two pages double spaced. Proofreading your work allows you to get a feel of whether your essay reads well. Allowing others to take a look at your work gives them a chance to spot any areas which cause confusion. And most importantly, proofreading lets you check for any clumsy mistakes in your spelling, punctuation and grammar. You want the reader to gain a good overall impression of your essay, but this won't happen if you've left silly mistakes in. The personal statement is likely to be words long and many of the colleges you’re applying to will require it. The best advice that we can give regarding the title of your common app is to not overthink things. Every college essay needs a title because it’s a piece of creative writing, but by no means does it have to be something you spend days stressing out about. Download four essays that got students into Cornell, the University of Chicago, and Smith to see how Story To College teaches students to find their unique stories and develop their authentic voices. They are looking for students who will make a difference in their classrooms, dorms, and communities. Now, depending on how you've setup your document your page count may vary slightly, but with Arial or Times New Roman 12 point font and conventional margins you should see similar results. 500 word essays are very common throughout middle and high school English curriculums, especially as book reports, or summaries of current events. You can easily check page count in word processors like Microsoft Word and Google Docs, but for a quick reference use our table below. Some students forget that proofreading work is essential! Rocio’s essay uses the tortilla-making story to introduce us to her sense of multiculturalism, an identity that is clearly important to her. By utilizing the example of struggling to cook well in the kitchen, the writer is able to effectively relate to readers of all ages and backgrounds. If a student is still very much struggling through the challenges they describe, the admissions reader may wonder if the student is ready for college. The part of your application you’re likely to spend the most time on. But of course I’d say that; I’m the College Essay Guy. Where are the stories that reveal what you bring to the world? These questions should inform your entire college application process. I think the five paragraphs for an essay is more of a rule-of-thumb number that is easy to teach students when they are first learning to write. We believe that Rocio’s sense of perseverance will translate to her college experience as well. Connect with our featured colleges to find schools that both match your interests and are looking for students like you. A live online video course for counselors on guiding students through writing a great college personal statement. While I won’t say you should never write about these topics, if you do decide to write about one of these topics, the degree of difficulty goes way up.