Writing College Essays

Writing College Essays This book is very well-written and provides a wealth of information about college essays. It is not so much a roadmap to writing the college essay, but rather a very insightful overview of general points that admissions staff look for in these essays. We found it a useful read in conjunction with a more pragmatic guide to writing the essay. I don't normally write reviews for books, but this book is so good at its purpose--to help people become better writers. Your overall Grade Point Average , college preparation, test results, and the strength of the high school curriculum all outweigh the essay . However, teacher recommendations and extracurricular activities rank below the college essay . Therefore, it is extremely important to submit a well-written college entrance essay. One hurdle that you must surmount when planning to go to college is the application process. It can be laborious, time intensive, confusing, and overwhelming. The college essay can feel like the worst part of the application process. Whether writing comes easy or is a struggle for you, writing an essay can be a significant challenge and it can feel like your whole application is riding on that one essay. This module can help you to sort through what you need to do to write the best essay you can write. The risks are greater than any benefit you might get by plagiarizing an essay. Do not assume that if someone else writes the essay for you that it will produce a high quality essay. The importance of college essays has increased in the past few years. Before vague, my writing is now leagues clearer. I did not think my writing would improve very much, yet this book has pointed out serious issues I suffer with my writing. Writing for AP classes in high school relies on assertions and facts to support it. However, when writing about oneself in the personal statement or any other point in one's life, this book offers a plethora of tips to give your writing a facelift. Twenty-six percent of college admission offices consider the college entrance exam is of “considerable importance” in the admission process . Some colleges weigh essays higher than other parts of the application. However, the essay is not the most important part of your application when you are applying for college. I bought this book thinking it would just be about the nuts-and-bolts of writing the college essay. The book does thoroughly cover this topic, however it's real value for the money is the insight and jolt of reality it provides into the process of admission from the point of view of the admissions staff. The volume of applications that each admissions officer reads the quick pace of the actual decision making was astonishing. These essays are a critical component of a student’s application, as it’s one of the only opportunities to inject personality into an application. Students should spend a lot of time crafting their essays and as as result, need to manage their time to be successful. Most students worry about what an admissions officer looks for in a writing sample. But that’s the wrong way to approach this vital component, says former college admissions officer Harry Bauld. It definitely helped me write essays I would not have been able to write before reading the book. One of the most stressful aspects of the college application process is the essay. While Stanford is the exception to the rule â€" many top colleges will just require one or two longer essays â€" it doesn’t diminish the effort needed to effectively apply to these schools. As a result, it’s imperative that rising juniors get a head start on their college essay brainstorming, writing, and editing. The majority of stress and work in the admissions process stems from the essay writing.