Crafting An Unforgettable College Essay

Crafting An Unforgettable College Essay They know how unique and spectacular you are, and they can help you decide how to articulate it. Keep in mind, however, that a 45-year-old lawyer writes quite differently from an 18-year-old student, so if your dad ends up writing the bulk of your essay, we’re probably going to notice. This topic is too broad and too loaded, whether you want to write about God, your mom or best friend. Now that I've pontificated about the value of humor in essays, let me illustrate -- once again, because it's one of my favorites from over the decades -- using a real-life example. Years ago, I worked with an amazing young man who came from a difficult upbringing. The only items ranking higher in importance were grades, GPA, curriculum and test scores. Recommendations, extracurricular activities, class rank and interviews all fell further down the list of items…AFTER the essay. Unfortunately, this also leads to the danger of getting off topic. You probably already know not to use clichés in your college admission essay, but it’s important to realize that we sometimes slip into clichés in our writing without even realizing it. Also, by clichés I mean not only clichéd phrases, but also clichéd topics. Being too obviously aggressive in your essay can backfire. “In a world”, or, “Once upon a time”, are not good openers. Try your best to get the attention of the reader right off the bat. Admissions offices may be quick to stop paying attention if the essay is boring. Take the bold move and write something interesting. Your essay helps us learn what makes you unique from other equally talented students. The essay should not be the most dreaded part of the application process for any university. While you should definitely convey your enthusiasm, you don’t want the admissions committee to read the subtext of your essay as a really basic sales pitch. You want your essay to stand out for other reasons than its bare-faced “ADMIT ME!!!! ” attitude, but your essay has to actually interest and engage the admissions committee to make them want to admit you. There are some mistakes that consistently show up in college admission essays that should be avoided at all costs. Your parents, friends, guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers are great people to bounce ideas off of for your essay. Initial residency classification is determined by the Office of Admissions after applicants have been admitted to the university. All applicants are considered non-Florida residents until they provide proof otherwise. Failure to provide all relevant information and required documentation in a timely manner could result in a non-Florida resident classification for tuition purposes. An online Florida Residency Declaration For Tuition Purposes form is available to provide the necessary documentation as described below. All admitted students will be sent this online link. Test scores posted on official high school transcripts may also be accepted. Granted, there are times when a serious tone is appropriate for your essays. In fact, trying to make light of a serious topic can sometimes backfire. In consideration of the priority admissions deadlines, applicants who submit test scores after February are not guaranteed admission and may have to defer their applications to a future term. Whereas other students will rely on parents, teachers or counsellors for free advice as hundreds of thousands nationwide race to meet a key deadline for college applications. UF will receive more than 30,000 applications for the approximate 6,500 seats in the freshman class. There will be many outstanding students with similar scores and gradesâ€"too many to admit. Maybe these tips will help you find that you can do this writing task with ease. Editing college admission essays is obviously a must and seems like a “duh” tip, but it is definitely one worth repeating. Your college admission essay is very important, so you don’t want to let any typos slip through. When your creativity is sparked and your writing for a college admission essay seems to simply flow out of you, it’s a great feeling .