How to Write an Essay About Yourself for College
Do you want to know how to write an essay about yourself for college? Well, it is a smart move because once you apply to college, you will be expected to write one as part of the application process. Writing an essay about yourself gives you the chance:
- To show the admission officers who you truly are
- To provide information regarding yourself that did not fit in other sections of the application.
- To reveal your capabilities when you have time to work and think on a writing project.
The most important tip on how to write an essay about yourself for college is “be yourself.” The second suggestion is to “start early.”
Tips on how to write an essay about yourself for college
These tips, will help you write an impressive essay that makes you stand out from other applicants:
- Select a topic that best highlights you
Do not place emphasis on great aspects of a college, the level of dedication it takes to be a dentist or the sheer number of activities you participated in during school. You are supposed to share personal thoughts and stories. You should use the creative approach and highlight those area that you have not included in other sections of your applications, like high school records.
From the sample at here you will see that the writer begins the essay by talking about the goals and dreams they have. It is not until the second paragraph that they begin to talk about grades.
- Keep a narrow and personal focus
Do not attempt to cover a lot of topics at one go. Doing so makes your essay sound more like a resume and it fails to offer any special details about you.
Your focus should be on one specific aspect about yourself that will make readers learn more about you. If you know how to write an essay about yourself for college, then you know the importance of giving your reader one main idea.
It is crucial as it makes it possible for them to follow through the essay from the start to the end. You can request someone else to read the introduction of your essay and state what they think about it.
- You are supposed to show, not simply tell
While writing your essay, do not simply pass an idea across by stating a fact like “I Love to surround myself with people from different backgrounds and with different interests”.
What you are supposed to do is provide specific reasons, examples and details in order to develop your main idea. For instance, describe a situation where you were surrounded by different people with different interests. You are supposed to:
- Indicate what you were doing
- State who you talked with
- Highlight some of the experiences you walked away with.
- Use your own personal voice
If you do not know how to write an essay about yourself for college, pay close attention. One of the common mistakes students make is using ideas or phrases used by others before. Often, these include statements such as, “There is so much suffering in the world that I feel I have to help people.” The language used here is business-like and overly formal something you want to avoid at all costs. What is more, you should avoid using unnecessary words.
Rather than copying the voice of others, use your own voice. For instance, you can share a real life experience you had as well as how it made you feel the urge to take action. It is important to note that most admission officers are able to tell whether your essay was simply edited.
The essay at here is the perfect example of how you can use your own voice. Additionally, it portrays a high level of creativity as the writer describes what makes them stand out.
Additional tips on how to write an essay about yourself for college
- Write as you would speak-The purpose of this essay is to show admissions committee the real you, why you act and think the way you do and what motivates you. Therefore, you should not write as if the essay was about someone else. Use a tone that is relaxed and conversational in order to get across to the committee.
- Be original-Most of the essays students write use similar, tired themes. Be original. Instead of portraying yourself as the victim, your focus should be on how you overcame a difficult situation. It is important to remember what bores you is likely to bores others as well. Therefore as you write and revise the essay, ask yourself continually whether you would have any interest in reading the essay.
- Show enthusiasm-Writing that is invigorating has the ability of drawing a reader in. therefore, while picking your topics, make sure you pick topics that genuinely excite you. This is because your level of enthusiasm will be shown through your writing.
- Focus-Instead of describing everything you have accomplished in your life, provide a description of one or two events in full details. Bear in mind that there is great magic in details.
- Create mystery-Your introduction paragraph should be one that surprises readers and makes them interested in reading past the second paragraph. For instance, if you are a volunteer for Appalachian Trail Club and you decide to talk about the latest trip you took, begin by describing the sounds and sights then move to forest clearing trails.
- Use active verbs-Action verbs have the ability to make your college essay lively than use of a passive voice which is often viewed as detached and cold. You are supposed to say “My Botany teacher recommended me for a semester of study at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania,” rather than “I was recommended for a semester of study at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania by my Botany teacher.”
- Use simple words and short sentences-A study recently carried out at Stanford University indicates that people who use complicated language are considered less intelligent compared to those who use concise, simpler language. Your aim is to ensue your reader understands your essay. Therefore, whenever you obscure terms in a needless manner, you do not impress them.
The Do’s and Don’ts of writing your essay
If you want to know how to write an essay about yourself for college, keep the following aspects in mind:
The Do’s
- Write concise, revealing essays that not only inform your readers but enlighten and amuse them
- Present yourself as a humble, modest and genuine individual
- Answer every aspect of your essay question in the best possible manner
- Write in a manner that will make you appear positive, intelligent, mature, persistent, creative and thoughtful
- Demonstrate you have knowledge regarding the college as well as its resources such as programs, students and courses
- If there is something that is counter intuitive about you, mention it. For instance, you could be a football player who loves poetry or a woman who is a physics or computer geek.
- Once done writing the essay, give it to someone else so they can read and edit it. Work on the final edit before you send it.
- While describing someone or something, you should use different words
Don’t
- Ramble on or write a lot. Remember that more words does not necessarily mean a better essay
- Boast or brag too much as you will come across as someone who is arrogant
- Write what you assume college admission individuals want to know rather than what you actually think.
- Go off talking about what you intend to say rather than concentrating on what was asked in the question. You should not ignore the word limit given as well.
- Come across as an individual who is negative, immature, shallow or judgmental.
- Make things up in order to impress your readers. It is highly likely the admission officers will see through your attempt.
- Complete your essay and assume that it is perfect without editing it, make sure that you take time to look for grammar and punctuation errors.
An essay about yourself gives you the opportunity to show your admission officers the real you, how you perform, your sense of humor and how you think. If you want to learn how to write an essay about yourself for college, look at the sample at collegeconfidential.com.
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References
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/essays/tips-for-writing-an-effective-application-essay-college-admissions
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/write-essay-myself-applying-college-5726.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-hansen-shaevitz/college-essay-tips-_b_1719862.html
http://www.back2college.com/admissionessay.htm