What Are Some Dos And Donts For The Admissions Essay?

What Are Some Do's And Don'ts For The Admissions Essay? Reflecting on those experiences could give you plenty of material to write about. He holds a BA in Psychology from Florida International University and an MA in Education from Georgia Southern University. Take the time to make sure your essay is something you’re proud of. Do provide new information that is not on your application. Do understand the mission of the school and how you will fit in. Do not embellish your essay or have someone else write it for you. Do not go over the word count â€" make it concise and smart. There are many do’s and don’ts regarding the college application essay. A particularly critical “do” is to make sure that your essay stays on point. As soon as I was physically big enough to carry around a mini Fender electric guitar, I begged to take guitar lessons. Perhaps it was subconscious at the time, but while many of my elementary school friends were playing sports with their dads, I was looking for a way to connect to my donor through music. During middle school and high school, my enthusiasm for music and performing accelerated in tandem with my talent. When I was in second grade, I read the essay for the first time and learned the donor was a professional musician and an accomplished guitar player. This knowledge was the catalyst for me to begin exploring my own musical abilities. I quickly learned to play the clarinet and joined the elementary school band. There is not a time I play my clarinet or guitar, step up to a microphone to sing, or take a bow after a performance that I do not wonder what my donor would think of me. I am still searching for a connection to him through performing and music. I am thankful his personal essay swayed my mother to choose him as my donor, and that his writing compelled me to discover and pursue all of my passions in the classroom and on the stage. In addition to pursuing instrumental music, I began singing in theatre and in an a cappella group. Eerily similar to the college application process, there were many qualified donor applicants. Choosing one donor from the pool of applicants was an insurmountable task for my mom until she realized there was an essay buried in the back of each profile. Applicants will sometimes digress, then fall in love with their digression and not be willing to cut it. Five hundred or less words isn’t much, so be sure that the essay remains focused on fully answering all aspects of the prompt, as they are asked. One “don’t” that I think is particularly important is to resist the urge to sell yourself. Essays that state, “No one could possibly be better qualified for your program than me,” or some variation of that, risk a backlash from Admissions Directors. Well, I’ll be the judge of that.” Instead, illustrate why you are so well qualified and let readers come to that conclusion themselves. Most college essay topics will be assigned to you by the Common App or whatever university you're applying to. If you're trying to think of ways to answer prompts, try making a brag sheet of things you've done or accomplished that you were proud of. You might be tempted to try to make the admissions officer who is reading your essay laugh. Humor is a great way to make friends or break the ice with someone new, but you should try not to rely on it in your admissions essay. You have no way of knowing what the admissions officer's sense of humor is like, and you don't want to run the risk of a joke falling flat or, even worse, offending someone. Once you've brainstormed a list of ideas, choose one as the theme of your essay. Focusing on one theme helps keep your essay organized and to the point. After reading my donor’s essay, she chose him because he spoke so eloquently about his passion for music and the arts. Do tell a story in an interesting and engaging way. Don’t just relay the facts, but pretend you are sitting in a coffee shop talking to a friend. Don’t repeat what is found elsewhere in your application, unless you’re adding pertinent information to round it out. Do write in your own style and using your own words.