Aside from preparing your academic transcripts, requesting people to write your reference or recommendation letters, and doing well in admission tests by obtaining high scores, there is one more requirement in your college application that you should never disregard ? your college essay.
The college essay is not merely a proof of your writing prowess. More importantly, it is your tool to introduce yourself to the admission committee and let them see your character, your personal side that cannot be gleaned through the other application requirements. Those who would read your essay want to see your writing ability and insight into who you are.
Introducing yourself to your readers
Indeed, writing the college essay could be a stressful and exhaustive process, but you must view the essay as an opportunity rather than a chore. In doing so, you are more likely to come up with a good essay. Remember too that of all the application requirements, the college essay is one where you?ve got complete control over.
Letting them discover your unique characteristics
You need to do a little brainstorming prior to writing your essay. You must take time to reflect on your life. What are your interests, motivations, and your strengths? You can play up with these and relate it to your choice of university and course. You should be able to “sell” yourself to the admission officers and convince them that you are worthy to be part of their college.
For example, if you want to enter med school, one possible theme of your essay can be “why I want to be a doctor.” From here, you can relate your experiences and inspiration that led you to decide to become a doctor. You can also highlight some of your skills and interests which you deem helpful in becoming a good med student.
Other effective tips in revealing yourself through your essay
Other essay tips include being yourself and being different so you will stand out from the rest of the applicants. You should have a focus and a thesis statement that is clear to your readers. Write from the heart and write about topics that are truly significant to you.
Related links:
Personal Statements – Personal statement writing tips and guides
Notable Achievements – Achievements you should include in personal statements
Personal Statement Essay – How to use a personal statement essay sample
Sample Essays – Where to get good sample essay sources
Essay and Resume – Similarities and differences of a personal statement and a resume
Writing Personal Statements – Steps in writing personal statements
Good Story – Using a story in personal statement essays
Effective Personal Statements – Tips in writing effective personal statements
Good Essay Examples – How to write personal essays with the aid of good essay examples
Personal Statement – Tips on making your personal statement reveal more about you
Top 5 Tips on How to Write a Winning Essay with the Help of a Sample Personal Statement Essay
Your essay is very important to your college admission. Many colleges stress immense importance on the admission essay. However, you can still aim higher rather than just aiming for that college admission. Make yourself remarkable in your first step into college by writing a winning essay. An excellent way of starting an essay that has a high potential for winning is by using a sample personal statement essay. Below are 5 tips that will help you come up with an award-winning piece.
1. Choose an excellent sample essay.
If you want to write a winning essay, you must have winning material. You can do this only by choosing from a list of winning essays in the library or on the Internet. An award certifies that an essay is written well and has an excellent content. Choose a sample personal statement essay that has won an award. It is upon this essay that you will base yours. Basing upon a poorly written work creates a poorly written essay. If you can do more work, then you may choose two sample essays. This allows you to have a wider viewpoint.
2. Pick a single aspect of the essay that you like best.
An essay has many facets. Choose what interests you most in a sample essay and study it. It could be the content, outline, or style. Study it carefully and figure out how it helps in making that essay an excellent piece. Then, study how you can apply his writing techniques in the development of your essay. You do not have to master everything. Your essay only has to possess one distinctive characteristic and you already have a potentially winning essay.
3. Be specific.
What makes an essay boring? It is unsupported generalization. It leads the reader nowhere. Discover how the author of the sample essay develops his topic. Know how he or she focuses on something very specific and concrete. Study how he makes every detail in his essay revolve around a specific incident or idea. Specific details make a solid piece. Learn the writer’s technique and pattern your outline after his or hers. A concrete essay based on specific details is more likely to earn better recognition.
4. Your work must reflect yourself.
You must be able to reveal yourself in writing. Even though you are using a sample essay, it does not mean that you have to exclude yourself. Your sample essay is just a pattern, something that guides you, and stimulates your thinking. Your essay still has to show how unique your personality is. Showing the evaluators how distinctive you are can create an excellent impression. It also means additional winning points.
5. Acknowledge your sources.
You probably have lifted some information from the sample personal statement essay that you are using so be sure to cite the material in your works cited page. In any case, you must cite the author when you borrow ideas. This means that you still have to cite the author if you changed his or her words.
Photo Credit : MShades
Using a Sample Personal Statement Essay when Writing an Essay Focusing on Your Experiences as a Research Assistant
A personal statement essay is easy to write once you start hitting your strides, that is, when you already know where to begin. Beginning a personal statement essay is quite difficult since there are so many points where you can start. That is why it is advisable to use a sample personal statement essay. This allows you to have a framework which can guide you not only in beginning your essay, but in writing and concluding it as well. Being a research assistant is a huge advantage for you. That job allowed you to learn many things that you can use in graduate school. However, you are not the only graduate school applicant who has experienced being a research assistant. The challenge for you now is to make yourself stand out among the rest. You must write an essay that shows that you are unique and distinctive.
You may choose to base on a different essay
The personal statement essay of the research assistants who have entered college ahead of you may not be interesting. There might be an essay in the library that interests you more. You can still use that essay even if it does not deal about the personal experiences of a research assistant. Study how the author begins his or her essay and see if you can begin yours in a similar manner. For example, the author began with the most remarkable experience he had as an intern. You may also do so provided that you do not copy any of his idea. You may pattern your style after the original writer if you do not have a hard time writing that way. Just do not rephrase anything from his or her work.
Be careful with online sources
Should you use a sample personal statement acquired from the web, be sure that it has a verifiable author. The web is very easy to access and posting any information, factual or not, is very easy as well. The best thing that you can do is to get your sources from reliable websites. Verify the author of the sample essay to make sure that it is not plagiarized. If you cannot verify the author’s identity, you may have to skip that essay. You cannot use it as a research material. A work that has no author has no authority.
Get the author’s point
Understand the point that the author is making. Know where he or she wants to lead you, what his or her intents for writing are. Ask yourself what his or her aim is in writing that essay. This allows you to have an objective so you would know where to go when you are already making your essay. Do some self-exploration. Know how the point the writer is making relates to you as a research assistant.
Photo Credit : Kristian D.
