10 Successful Harvard Application Essays

10 Successful Harvard Application Essays Your parents, friends, guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers are great people to bounce ideas off of for your 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. 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!!!! Before you prepare for your college admission essay get one thought straight out of your head altogether. Do not even bother plagiarizing essays downloaded from the internet. There are multiple software tools available even for free that will detect where you copied your essay in a matter of milliseconds. Plagiarism has zero tolerance in any educational institute of repute and if you are caught it means automatic disqualification. Take the bold move and write something interesting. Having said that, the first line should be an indication of what the paper is about at large. 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. 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. 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. ” 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. Could you add Acceptance or Admission to your title and sometimes in the first paragraph? When I read college essay I was given a sense that it would be an essay for a class, not the admission essay. I think it would just help with clarification because I have always been told to assume the audience has no idea what you are talking about when you start. I would suggest using a stronger transition than “also” in your second paragraph. I’m not positive, but I don’t think College Essay needs to be capitalized, maybe you could do Common Application Essay. The goal of the personal experiences described in your essay is to show that you’ve reached the level of maturity and competency to thrive in their school. If this is a legacy type of situation, where you have relatives that have gone to that school, you can mention that as well, in such a way that endears the school to your family. It’s possible that schools will be glad to hear how their university has impacted your family. “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. 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. 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 .