Writing The College Essay

Writing The College Essay That is, an assignment, essay or paper will likely be assigned as 1500 â€" 2000 words rather than 3 â€" 4 pages. This way it is much more difficult for the writer to “game the system” by using large fonts and excessive spacing to meet the writing criteria. My teacher told me that I needed to write an essay that had 2500 words. I got marks off for not writing an essay with exactly 2500 words. If there is no way to cut down your essay without keeping your argument clear and strong, you must simplify your argument. In short essays, it is often better to have a broader thesis that you can support with one or two specific examples. This way, readers can infer implications from your thesis that you did not explicitly state. For example, many scholarships are funded by private companies that sell products. You might want to reference those products in your essay. You’re telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using “I” and “me” throughout your essay. While these topics are tough, if you feel passionately that a particular tragedy impacted your life significantly and you do want to write about it, try to keep the essay’s focus on you. Think about your feelings regarding the situation, how it affected you and what you learned from the experience rather than just simply recalling the situation or the person you lost. If you’re applying for a scholarship, research the scholarship provider. Understanding what makes the provider/college unique and what their motivations are, will allow you to incorporate that information in your essay. Put some virtual blinders on and write your little heart out. Correcting an existing essay is MUCH easier than writing a perfect essay from the gecko. As a humanities student, I know what it’s like to struggle with the daunting task of writing a 500-word essay. You don’t know where to start, your thesis is nonexistent, you’re dreading the inevitable late-night ahead, and you’re struggling just to turn thoughts into words. Is this really something that’s worth complaining about? The important issue is to write the best essay you can, not the length of words. If you’re focus in only on the words and not what you’ve written, your writing is never going to be good. Since there can be a large variation on the number of words needed to fill a page, most papers are no longer assigned by page count. College application essays are often the most challenging part of the application process. And while they may not be the most important part of your application, they can differentiate you from similarly qualified applicants. Fortunately, these tips for writing essays can help you along the way and get you on the path to a well-written essay. While this sounds like a lot of steps to write a simple essay, if you follow them you will be able to write more successful, clear and cohesive essays. Topics like death and divorce are cautionary because they can be extremely difficult to write about. In most cases, your essay isn’t the factor that determines your admission to college. However, an offensive, off-putting, or forgettable essay can hurt your chances. By avoiding the topics listed above, you’ll ensure that your essay helps â€" instead of hurts â€" your chances of admission. If you do write about someone who influenced your life, make sure that you only briefly describe them. That’s completely ridiculous but my teacher refuse to reinstate the point she took off because she said 2500 words and not 2498 words. I could’ve just said that my was 2500 words and she would’ve never known the difference. I don’t understand why I’m being punished for being honest. Spend most of the essay focusing on yourself and how your personality or choices have been shaped because of this person. For instance, if church was a major part of your upbringing and is very meaningful to you, you could mention this aspect of your identity in a college application essay. However, it’s important to do so without implying that your religion is better than others or attacking people who don’t practice your religion.