A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing A College Application Essay

Writing your very first college application essay can be nerve-wracking. However, it is essential to remember that this is a piece of work which will help the admissions board get to know you and your personality, something that your test results will never be able to show. The following is a useful guide to getting you started in the right direction.

Follow these steps when writing your essay:

• Brainstorm ideas - Begin by writing down as many unique and interesting anecdotes and personal dreams and aspirations that you have, which would be appropriate to include in this kind of a paper. You can later pick and choose the ones that you would like to connect and use in your writing.
• Research - Read as many inspirational and opinion articles as you can get your hands on. These will give you good ideas for your own writing and will help you develop a style and a voice.
• Write a first draft - Don’t worry about how it reads and what mistakes you make along the way, writing a natural first draft will help you set the rhythm and style for the final work.
• Receive feedback - You shouldn’t shy away from receiving feedback for the first draft that you’ve written. Family, friends and teachers will be the best people who not only know you but will be able to give you honest feedback on the points you need to improve upon.
• Structure - Begin writing the final versions of your paper by dividing your writing into an Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. Use the points that you had written down during your brainstorming session and your first draft to divide the points into the three sections.
• Honesty - This is key. Being honest in this kind of a paper will help you connect with the Admissions board and help you get into the right college. It is important that you balance your writing out between your own shortcomings as well as achievements. This kind of writing should not solely reflect all the great things about you!
• Edit - Give yourself enough time to work and re-work your writing. You should put the essay through at least three to four rounds of editing before you can be satisfied with what you want to submit.

The first and biggest step to writing this kind of a paper is to sit down to write it and write it with honesty.