Your college essay is an important part of being a student and many of us just cannot get going. This is purely because we understand the impact it needs to have and we get a bit psyched out by the enormity of the task. With that in mind, I have to tell you that there is nothing to worry about. There are some things you can do to help you get started. Perhaps you need a little motivation or maybe you honestly don’t know where to start. No matter what your reasons are for not writing that first line, we have some tips from pro essay writers to help you out. All experienced essay writers have a method to how they tackle this dreaded task and today we are going to share their methods with you.
Stop procrastinating
I understand procrastination but I also know that it has never done me any favours. Be in studying for an exam or starting a new healthy lifestyle. For some reason, humans like to wait till the last-minute and then run around to complete something they had a lot of time to do. It seems to be in the DNA of some people. When it comes to your college application, there really is no room to procrastinate because there is so much work that goes into it.
Don’t see this as a one or two page written work. There is some level of strategic thinking that goes into your college essay and that takes time. Writing an essay about my best friends and writing an essay about myself is two very different things. Give yourself an advantage by starting as early as possible. This way, when something pops up that halts your work, you still have time to catch up.
Speak to other students
If you know someone who is already attending the college you are trying to be accepted at, speak to them about their college essay. Ask specific questions that made their essay stand out. There will probably be tons of applicants but there is always some common skills the college is looking for. Look for these common skills and see if you can apply these into your essay. The committee goes through a pile of applications every year and if you want to be successful, you need to get some tips from the people who have done it.
Your essay has to represent you and you have to take what current students are saying and apply it to your life. You do not have to copy everything they are saying but you can definitely learn about the structure they used. There may be two students from different colleges and had success with different approaches. This is because each institution has their own requirements. If you are applying to more than one college, make sure to write a unique essay for each institution.
You are the star
A college essay is all about the applicant, which is you. For some people, it is difficult to speak about themselves but for this exercise, you have to let that emotions go. One thing to remember is to only use stories that are appropriate for your college essay. Just because you find it entertaining, does not mean the applications committee will. Another point to remember is to not dwell on one story too long. Say what you need to say and then move on to the next point.
Every paragraph should always come back to how it affected or changed your life. You can tell a story about your brother, but it has to have a direct link to you. The application is not about your brother but you can definitely include stories about the people in your life and how their lives impacted yours. Take the committee through your life story and how you ended up at this points. Mention the things that broke you and the things that built you. You do not have to be perfect all the time, but you have to be relatable. Let them see your personality, your hopes, your failures and your success. Be honest with everything you say and there is no need to make up any elaborate stories. Your life is your story and that is enough.
Conclusion
I hope these tips helps you get started and stop dreading your college essay. Sometimes you just need to write that first sentence and take it from there. Before you do start though, make sure to draw an outline first. You can use your outline to quickly summaries each section so that you don’t forget important details. After that, you can start filling in the gaps with more information.
Make sure your essay structure is correct. You can also do a quick online search and look at other essay examples to get an idea of what it should look like. Look at the list of requirements set out by the college and see if there is a number of words limit to make sure you stay within the required limit. There might be specific details they want you to focus on so be sure to read through the entire application section. Every college is different and you cannot write a generic essay, but rather one specifically directed to each college you are applying at. Good luck and remember, you’ve made it this far and you’re not turning around now.
Written by: Linda Jellison works as a content manager. Her hobby is traveling, reading and guest post writing. She was a top student and now she shares her experience with other students. Linda dreams of publishing her own book and running her own blog.
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