How To Write

How To Write I wrote three distinctly different full drafts for my Common App college essay, all speaking about my Asian-American identity in different ways. Each full draft also had a number of smaller edits. I’ve read for several institutions, two testing agencies, and various scholarship competitions. Conservatively, I’d say I’ve looked at more than 10,000 essays by now. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s more, and I know plenty of people on my staff and around the country who put that number to shame. Last week I talked to a high school senior as a favor to a friend. The student is not applying to Georgia Tech, so I was giving him general application advice. This student focused on a single question â€" where is home? â€" and showed the reader a lot about who he is as a person. It’s an odd, vibrant place with odd, vibrant people. Originality is celebrated there â€" not in the half-hearted “good for you” way, but in the full-throated “GOOD FOR YOU! One of the first of my fellow students to befriend me wore corset tops and tutus and carried a parasol with which she punctuated her every utterance. “Origami isn’t a typical topic for a college essay, but, beyond that, she showed us rather than told us about her process of making objects that didn’t always turn out how she expected or wanted. It helps us to see her as someone who would be willing to jump into new experiences on our campus. What also stands out here is the imagery she uses to get her point across â€" I could picture the crumpled pieces of paper on her floor and the frustration that she felt. In the end, she was able to tie her creative process making origami to her academic interests,” Richardson wrote in an email. Our peers recognized them as being unique, but instead of ostracizing them or pitying them, the students in Berkeley celebrated them. This essay is an example of how to tell the story of moving to America in a unique way. The examples, tips, topics and prompts outlined above should help you rock your college application essay. And hopefully, this is an illuminating part of the process, one that not only helps you get into the college of your choice, but one that also helps prepare you for success once you get there. Speaking of future drafts, one of the best things you can do is run your essay by a trusted family member, educator, advisor, or friend. Her best friend was a boy with purple hair who once wore a shirt with built in LED lights for Christmas. They were the most popular people in school, in direct contrast to all that was socially acceptable in New Haven. Get feedback from somebody whose opinion you respect. This feedback will give you a sense of how well your ideas are coming across to the reader, how compelling your story is, and how you might be able to improve your essay. Did you pick us just because we’ve got a good ranking, or do you actually know something about how we work? Cultural reputation, IE, what the students behave like and what they value? DI correllates to yield, and yield boosts rankings â€" and everybody likes high rankings. The essay is a joy to read, sharing a detailed glimpse of the student’s personality without feeling like it’s trying to list positive personal qualities. Remember that your research will be more effective if you do early research into ALL your schools at once, or at least all the ones that have Why School essays. Don’t they already know what is great about their school? They’re asking because of something called demonstrated interest. Demonstrated interest is a fancy way of saying, how much do you really want to go to OUR school?