MORE IMPORTANT THAN I COULD POSSIBLE CONVEY TO YOU IN MERE WORDS. SINCE MANY SCHOOLS NO LONGER HAVE THE FACE TO FACE INTERVIEW PROCESS, COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAYS HAVE REPLACED THIS AND ARE TERRIBLY IMPORTANT. MOST COLLEGES HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT THEY ASK YOU. SOMETIMES YOU HAVE A CHOICE AS TO WHICH ESSAY TO RESPOND TO. HERE ARE TEN GENERAL HINTS TO USE IN ESSAY WRITING. I WILL PROBABLY POST MANY MORE LATER ON.
TEN ESSAY HINTS:
1. MAKE SURE YOU ADDRESS THE ACTUAL QUESTION THAT IS BEING ASKED! YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE HOW MANY ESSAYS I HAVE READ THAT THE STUDENT DEVIATES SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE QUESTION BEING ASKED. STICK TO IT.
2. FOLLOW SOME TYPE OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR ALL YOUR ESSAYS. THE GOOD OLD INTRO-BODY-CONCLUSION TYPE FORMAT IS PERFECT AND STILL WIDELY USED. YOUR INTRO PARAGRAPH IS WHERE YOU SPECIFICALLY ANSWER THE QUESTION (STATE YOUR THESIS) AND ADD SOME STRONG RESPONSE TYPE DATA. THE BODY CAN BE 2 OR 3 PARAGRAPHS SUPPORTING THE THESIS STATED IN THE INTRO PARAGRAPH. THE CONCLUSION WRAPS THINGS UP AND AGAIN REMINDS THE READER OF YOUR THESIS.
3. TRY TO MAKE THE ESSAY AS INTERESTING AS YOU CAN. REMEMBER YOUR AUDIENCE. THEY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOU. MAKE IT PERSONAL. GIVE PERSONAL EXAMPLES. DO NOT WRITE THE ESSAY ON A VERY COMMON TOPIC LIKE "HOW I OVERCAME MY ADD". THEY LIKE UNIQUE MATERIAL.
4. INJECT SOME HUMOR. THIS KEEPS THE READER INTERESTED.
5. DEFINITELY HAVE YOUR ESSAY PROOFREAD BY MORE THAN ONE SOURCE. YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER, YOUR PARENTS, AND YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COUSELOR ARE JUST TO NAME A FEW.
6. IF YOU GET STUCK ON A TOPIC(S) ASK YOUR PARENTS. THEY USUALLY WILL REMEMBER INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT YOUR LIFE THAT YOU HAVE LONG FORGOTTEN.
7. USE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT GRAMMAR STRUCTURES. FOR EXAMPLE, USE A SEMI COLON HERE AND THERE, USE SOME COLONS, USE SOME DASHES, ETC.
8. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FOLLOW THE NORMAL CONVENTION OF ESSAY WRITING YOU LEARNED IN YOUR ENGLISH CLASS. THIS IS ONE PLACE THAT TAKING A RISK CAN PAY OFF, BUT YOU MUST BE CAREFUL. FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF THE PERSON WHO PROOFREAD YOUR ESSAY.
9. WATCH OUT ABOUT SAYING TOO MUCH GOOD THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF. THAT LOOKS VERY SUSPICIOUS. KEEP YOUR ESSAY WELL BALANCED ON YOUR GOOD POINTS AND MENTION SOME THINGS THAT YOU MAY NOT BE SO GOOD AT BUT YOU ARE WORKING ON. REMEMBER, KEEP IT SOMEWHAT PERSONAL. THEY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOU AND YOUR LIFE. KEEP IT REAL. ITS ABOUT YOU AND YOUR LIFE USUALLY. GET PERSONAL. STAY AWAY FROM PLATITUDES AND MORALIZING AND LECTURING. THEY DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT.
10. MENTION CURRENT EVENTS, BOOKS YOU HAVE READ, FACTS YOU KNOW, ETC. WHEN APPROPRIATE TO BACK UP YOUR THESIS. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH SHOWING THEM YOUR EDUCATION OR YOUR KNOWLEDGE. THEY LIKE TO KNOW THAT.
THERE IS A LOT MORE TO BE SAID ABOUT ESSAY WRITING INDEED! THERE ARE MANY WEB SITES AND BOOKS THAT SAY FAR MORE THAN THIS POST CAN. I HAVE LISTED SOME OF THESE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS PAGE UNDER "SOME GOOD BOOKS ON COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING". CHECK THOSE OUT. THE MORE INFORMATION YOU HAVE ON DOING THIS THE BETTER. SOMETIMES ESSAYS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO MAKE OR BREAK A STUDENT'S ADMISSION. THEY ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. YOU CAN MAKE UP FOR A LOT OF POOR GRADES OR TEST SCORES BY WRITING GOOD ESSAYS.
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