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Comprehensive Essay Writing Guide: Writing and Formatting Tips

Admission Essay College

Entering college is an important step in every high-school student’s life, demanding a lot of effort and preparation. While thinking about your application, you may come up with the requirement of college writing. There comes the question of how to write a college essay. That seems to be a difficult task but it is not that terrifying as you may think. It is a chance to present your personality that hides behind the transcripts and numbers of test scores. 

What is a college essay 

What is a college essay? This issue comes up right after the moment you find out the list of documents for the admission process. The purpose of submitting your essay with the application form is to fulfill your admission process with one more point. It may help the admission committee to assume whether you are really an appropriate candidate to get the offer and become a student or not.

Moreover, it is your opportunity to have a direct conversation with the office. You have about 650 words to prove your intentions and willingness to study in a particular educational institution. While writing, you can reveal new facets of your character and tell something that was unknown before.

Keep in mind that admission tutors use the essay bag and baggage with your test scores and transcripts, so it is a valuable part of the admissions process.
There are so many talented and intelligent students. Therefore, they all deserve the right to be admitted. College essays writing helps to find specifically those candidates who will fit into the college community the best. 

College essay: how not to fail it

Remember that your essay is one of the keys to unlock student life. Writing a college essay is a challenging step in the whole process. If you don’t want to screw it up, here are a few points for your information. 

  1. Start in advance
    First of all, you have to keep in mind that writing the application essay takes a lot of time. The perfect time to start is before your senior year at school, let’s say, it may be summer, as you won’t have homework and your school activities. Your mind is free from school worries and you can fully concentrate on the essay. The time you spend on that will help you to become an admitted student. 
  2. Brainstorm the ideas
    Allocate some time for each paragraph of your text and brainstorm the ideas for each one. Think closely about the structure of your text and the content you want to write about. Without these actions, there is a chance that you will simply mess up the writing process of your college essay. It may have unconnected ideas and inappropriate information. Therefore, settle time-limits for each concept and try to write down as many thoughts as possible. 
  3. Think about content and structure
    The content of your essay is the most important part. Think about how to start a college essay. Keep it in your mind that the beginning makes the first impression of your writing. Try to write several drafts for each point of your writing. Moreover, it is good to read some articles and blogs on how to start and how to end a college essay. Conclusion, in its turn, makes the last impression. Try to consider what to write and it will only work in your favor!
  4. Make your story memorable
    Even the most common topic essay can help you to transform it into something compelling! Put time and effort into the writing to make your essay outstanding. Behave naturally and follow your feelings. That will make your text sincere and memorable. 

College essay tips

If you still have a question about how to write a good college essay, here are a few tips to help you to make your essay an amazing one. 

  1. Choose the narrow topic
    Don’t choose a broad topic for your essay just because it may not fit into the word-limit requirements. You are to write about 600 words for your application essay so that a broad topic doesn’t make any sense. 
  2. Check and edit everything
    It is a necessary part before submitting your essay. It may show your implication for the whole application process, as you will submit a well-written, perused essay. If you are not sure about your writing, you can refer to the college essay editor. Professionals will only help you understand what is worth sharing with the admissions committee and what is not.  
  3. Reflect your experience
    If you write about a challenging story in your life, try not just to represent it, but tell about the benefits you took from it and how you behaved to resolve the difficulties you had. If you write about the person who has influenced you, try to tell the consequences of that impact. Don’t just point at the facts. Ponder about them. 
  4. Find your inspiration
    It may be difficult to write, especially if you are not into it. Try to find your own field of inspiration, read blogs about successful admissions, articles about college life, and students’ experiences. It is also useful to refer to samples of the success stories of admitted students. In this way, you can inspire yourself to do more and achieve success.
  5. Concentrate on your topic
    Try to write only about the things that bother you or something that matters. Don’t try to tell the whole story of your life. Concentrate on important facts and valuable skills. That makes sense and it may help you to get rid of the data that is not essential.
  6. Be unique
    Do not use cliches or stories that may be common for every person. Tell something new, authentic, and unknown before. 

These college essay tips may simplify the writing process of your essay for college admission.

College essay format 

One more important point about your essay is that you should stick to a certain format. Many colleges point that there are no word limits for your writing. However, you have to keep in mind that it mustn’t be too long. The most appropriate volume for your essay is about 500-600 words. It is enough to express the ideas that are important to you and to tell the reader about your intentions.

First of all, remember that the visual impression of your paper also plays a lot. Double-space your essay and use a readable font as nobody wants to spend their time to understand your writing. It also regards bold and italic fonts. Use them just when you are sure that the idea won’t work in the way you want without its usage.

Avoid using emojis and hashtags as you are writing a document that is a part of your admission since it is not a letter for your friend. Even if it looks very nice, try to remove it from your text. 

The second important thing is the structure of your writing. Try to divide your essay into three or four paragraphs: introduction, main body, and conclusion. Actually, you are not disallowed to write a five-paragraph essay but think closely about the content there. If you are assured that it must take place – do it. If not – try to get rid of an extra paragraph. 

It is a good idea to look through templates to understand the format and structure of the essay, but try not to use them. Admission officers probably won’t be pleased to see more of the same text from the college applicant.

If the college doesn’t require the topic for the essay, don’t forget to mention it in the title of the text. It may be confusing to read the text without understanding the purpose of it. 

Last but not least, check, check, and check once more. As you start writing in advance, you may have a lot of time to edit your essay. People change their opinions. That may also happen to you, so don’t forget to review your essay as many times as even possible. 

Doing a college writing assignment is a tough thing but with an appropriate amount of effort and patience comes college admission success. Put your inner world on paper and everything will be great. 

For more details on how to write a college essay, you can refer to the EssayEdge blog. Our professionals’ tips and tricks will help you.

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