What are the most important things to include in a great college essay?
When writing a college essay, students often get bogged down. They write what they think admissions counselors want to hear, or what their parents think will show them in the best light. Many times, college essay advice is way off the mark!
More
1 Expert Answer
Malcolm C. answered • 01/09/23
Tutor
5
(1)
Expert High School English Teacher for Writing, Test Prep and More
Great College Essays
A fantastic college essay will show a part of the person that grades, statistics and extracurriculars cannot. It will seize an original topic and give it a fresh perspective. However, the topic is not nearly as important as the perspective and the voice. I have read fantastic essays about something as mundane as someone's hair style and very bland essays about someone's volunteer service work overseas.
In short, a great college essay will be authentic, original, enthusiastic, and will reveal an applicant who is self-reflective, confident but not arrogant, open to learning new things, and excited about where the next four years will lead. You want to inject personality, insight, style and novelty into your writing. Superb essays often have a hook, a theme and vivid sensory details. Proofread closely but don't stamp the originality out of the essay!
Still looking for help? Get the right answer, fast.
Ask a question for free
Get a free answer to a quick problem.
Most questions answered within 4 hours.
OR
Find an Online Tutor Now
Choose an expert and meet online. No packages or subscriptions, pay only for the time you need.
Gabriel L.
College essays are treated as sort of a first impression you're giving to a university. For most college essays you will be given a prompt that aims to identify a specific trait of yours. One example of an essay prompt: Describe a time where you positively impacted another person. How do you answer this? Well, the experience you share does not have to be an incredibly grand tale. What's important to include in your college essay is not an idealistic image of yourself, but rather your personality. Don't just answer the prompt with a story about how you helped an old lady cross the road and how that helped society. Write about how helping that old lady cross the road was a moment of personal growth for you. Ultimately, what interests admissions departments are glances into who you are as a person and a student, not robotic responses. Keep in mind, however, it is just as important to use proper grammar when writing these essays as colleges will typically try to gauge your level of competence in writing as well. So double check your spelling and punctuation!01/07/23