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Lesson One: College Essay Question Help
(by
EssayEdge.com) |
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Consider a
significant experience,
achievement, or risk
that you have taken and
discuss its impact on
you.
Colleges use the
relation of
accomplishments to get
insight into applicants'
personalities and
character traits. Some
schools ask targeted
questions, while others
leave the topic open for
applicant
interpretation.
An important point:
refrain from repeating
information found
elsewhere in the
application. Some
"overachievers" try to
include virtually all
their accomplishments in
one essay, missing the
point of the exercise
altogether. A laundry
list of academic,
extracurricular, and
work successes will not
give admissions officers
much more insight into
your personality. In
fact, they may infer
that you do not realize
that, in college, you
will not be able to be
editor of the yearbook,
editor-in-chief of the
newspaper, president of
the honor society,
captain of the football
team, and class
president all at the
same time. The mature
applicant knows that
college will require a
student to focus on a
few interests but spend
more time and effort
pursuing them.
For those of you who
were not the school
"all-star," don't worry.
Some of the best
Accomplishment essays
have been written about
what could be construed
as mundane
events-learning how to
bake a cake,
miraculously getting the
engine in your first car
(which you
affectionately call your
"clunker") to start, or
getting your elderly and
bed-ridden neighbor to
smile by performing your
cheesy stand-up routine.
The accomplishment does
not need to be
earth-shattering, but
you do need to show why
it is important for you
and how it has affected
you in a discernible
way.
For an example of an
Influential Experience
Essay, click here.
Consider a problem
facing society today and
reflect on its
importance to you.
Unfortunately, this is
one of the most
difficult categories of
questions to write
about. Admissions
officers are looking for
your take on age-old
problems, such as
racism, poverty, and
world hunger, as well
more publicized current
issues, such as business
ethics, the impact of
technology upon society,
and the rapid spread of
AIDS across the globe.
The tragic events of
September 11, 2001,
gave special meaning to
this category, as
applicants were asked to
discuss issues that hit
closer to home that most
of us ever expected.
Though it is tempting to
argue in favor of your
point, remember to be as
objective as possible
and consider multiple
sides of the issue. This
will portray you as a
mature, astute
individual. Stay away
from cliches and
generalizations.
Instead, write about
what the topic means to
you personally-what it
has meant in your life
and why you think
it is important.
Spending some time
researching the topic on
the Internet or at your
local library will
ultimately prove
worthwhile.
For an example of a
Social/Political Issue
Essay, click here.
Identify a person,
fictional character, or
historical figure who
has had a significant
influence on you.
Describe that influence.
Admissions officers will
want to know if there is
more to you than your
SAT scores and GPA.
Therefore, it is
important for you to
find a way to
differentiate yourself
from the other qualified
applicants. You can
demonstrate that you are
not just another pretty
transcript by showing a
completely different
side of yourself through
the role models and
influences that shaped
the person you are
today.
The key here is to
personalize: Do not go
off on tangents,
focusing on someone else
instead of the most
important element-why
your topic is
significant to you.
Focus on what these
influences have meant to
you and how you have
grown, tying in relevant
aspects of your personal
or family life when
appropriate. Show your
strengths in new ways
without restating the
obvious.
Do not feel that you
need to write about
famous people or impress
admissions officers by
noting your family's
ties to an influential
member of the government
or movie star. Writing
about a teacher who
sparked your interest in
archaeology by taking
your third-grade class
on a field trip to see a
dinosaur exhibit is more
effective than
name-dropping in the
hopes of impressing
admissions officers.
For two examples of an
Influential Person
Essay, click here.
Why do you want to spend
the next four years at
our school?
Surprisingly, most
students find this topic
difficult to write
about. If you have
chosen to apply to an
institution based upon
its ranking in a popular
magazine or because your
parents told you to, you
may have to spend some
time thinking deeply
about exactly what it is
that makes this
particular institution
right for you.
A main point of these
questions is to see if
you care enough about
the college or
university to have
researched it beyond
what anyone could have
read in its marketing
literature or on its web
page. Knowing
yourself-your passions,
skills, and goals-can go
a long way in helping
you answer School Target
questions. If you see
yourself as an aspiring
journalist and are
applying to a school
that can help you land a
coveted internship
writing for the
Washington Post, you
can discuss how you plan
to make it as the
editor-in-chief of the
college newspaper. If
you want to be a social
worker and are applying
to a university in a
large urban area, you
can talk about how the
geographic location will
provide ample
opportunity for your
involvement in community
outreach programs.
However, make sure to
show how and why that
particular school offers
what others do not.
For an example of a
Future Goals Essay,
click here. |
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