An Expert Guide on How to Write a College Essay like a Pro

As you would know, a college essay is an excellent opportunity to show admissions officers who you are and shine among the thousands of other applications they have to read. Writing an essay reflecting your personality and values can help set you apart and make a lasting impression. Since many colleges are not considering test scores, your essay may be even more critical. From creating an outline to nailing the conclusion, we’ll help you write a killer essay, just like a pro working with a trusty paper writing service. Also, a thorough read of this blog post will save you time searching for how to write a college essay again.

How to Write a College Essay? Everything You Need to Know

Not surprisingly, you might be in sixes or sevens when writing your first college or personal essay. No need to fret, as you’re in the right place to learn how to write a perfect college admission essay.

The Structure of a College Admission Essay

There’s no exact way to structure a college application essay, but it’s essential to plan it out and ensure it flows. You could write a series of anecdotes on the same topic or just one incident that showcases all your best qualities. Any structure works, but the regular five-paragraph essay is one to avoid. Colleges want to see that you can write more sophisticated stuff than what you were used to in high school.

Pick up a Good Topic for College Essays

When deciding on a topic or point of view, pick something that accurately reflects you. People can tell when you’re not being genuine. Don’t use fancy words that you wouldn’t use in everyday conversation, or choose a topic that doesn’t say much about who you are. Speak in your voice, with your sense of humor and your natural way of speaking.

Ensure what you write about is meaningful, not just something you think will make you look good. You can write about the things that show off your strengths or weaknesses too. Being honest about your experiences, hobbies, or even complex parts of your childhood that you’re trying to work on may have a more powerful effect than trying to impress with a boastful story.

Work on a Good Outline

Before you start writing, figure out how you will go about it. Do you want it to be in chronological order, or do you want to introduce something, move away from it, and return to it at the end? There are many options, and you can follow a couple of examples. Make sure you decide on a structure before writing a college essay (personal statement).

You don’t have to stick to the outline you made, though. If it doesn’t work out, it’s ok to change it. Writing multiple drafts will help you come up with an excellent final product. No matter what structure you go for, it needs to be easy to follow, and you should be able to fit it into the word count. Write in a way that would make the reader understand. Remember, your audience will only go a little in-depth into your essay!

Keep your Readers Engaged from the Start

Many other folks will be vying for an admission officer’s time, so ensuring your essay starts with a bang is essential. You could start with an attention-grabbing statement, a thought-provoking quote, a question, or a vivid description. Jumping in with a strong thesis statement can be a great way to kickstart your essay and get the writing process rolling. If you want to tell a good story, getting off to a great start can help set the scene, engage the reader, and clarify your intentions.

A perfect example of achieving this:

“I was so passionate about my education because I saw knowledge as the way to free myself from not knowing things. When we were studying cancer in class, I promised to remember every fact and detail from textbooks and medical journals. As I thought about my future, I realized that what I was learning would allow me to make up for what I hadn’t been able to do for my grandmother. But I was more focused on getting good grades and high-test scores. I started to think that being perfect in school was the only way I could make it up to her.”

Emphasize Your Life Experiences

Admissions officers want to know more about you and the life experiences that have shaped you. They’re more interested in reading about your growth and development through adversity and successes. Let them know how winning a football game for your school has impacted you as a person, a friend, a family member, or a leader. What did you learn about yourself?

Below is an example of how you should emphasize your life experiences in admission essays:

‘Taking a stroll on a nature trail near my house opened my eyes to the truth. Over time, I had put schoolwork and grades ahead of everything else, even honoring my grandmother. As I walked, the trees, charred from fire from a few years back, the colorful rocks on the sidewalk, and the wispy clouds in the sky made me realize my small part in a bigger picture – the world and humanity. Before accepting my guilt, I better understood the world and my duties to others.

Keep the Readers Interested with Examples

As you go further into your essay’s topic, remember that it’s better to illustrate with examples rather than simply stating stuff. Creating a vivid picture with stories and experiences is much more interesting than listing what you did. It could be more exciting to read a list of achievements, and the admissions officer would also like to hear about your emotions throughout the journey.

An example of that would be:

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been on the go. My grandparents first took me to France when I was a kid, and since then, I’ve been to 29 different countries. Each place has been a whole new adventure. When I was 5, I was in awe of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. When I was 8, I fed pigeons in Piazza San Marco and rode a gondola in Venice. When I was 13, I was checking out Stonehenge and walking along the Great Wall of China – it was mind-blowing to see these ancient structures still standing!”

Keep Your Readers in Mind

When you write something, make sure your ideas flow logically and use good transitions between paragraphs. Double-check to ensure you have all the essential details the reader might need. Ask yourself if what you wrote is clear and makes sense.

Don’t Consider Your First Draft Final

Put your essay away for a few days and revisit it after you’ve had some time. You can look at it from a different perspective which may help you make some changes. Give yourself plenty of time to write different drafts.

Properly Format your Essay

It doesn’t matter if you’re typing your essay into a text box or attaching a document – there are a few formatting tips to remember.

• Ensure to indent or double space to separate paragraphs.
• Go for a standard font like Times New Roman, size 12, and ensure you have 1.5 or double line spacing. Margins should be 1 inch wide.
• Save it as a PDF.
• Put your last name and page numbers in the header or footer.

Invest Proper Time in Proofreading your Final Draft

You must read your college essay repeatedly to avoid typos, grammar, and spelling issues. After a while, you might need a different set of eyes, though. It’s best to have someone who has yet to read it to catch any mistakes you have missed.

Example of a Great College Essay

Below is what your college essay must look like.

“Interdependence among people has been a massive part of human history. But nowadays, young people seem to be less connected to their communities. Over the years, I’ve been interested in how people interact. When I noticed how indifferent my peers were to their social responsibilities, it spurred me to take on some leadership roles to help motivate them to get involved with service projects and become more engaged members of society.

About a year before starting high school, my cousin and good friend died from cancer. I didn’t know how to process these deaths until I read The Fall of Freddy the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia in my first year of high school. It’s an allegory about a leaf that goes through the seasons and eventually dies in winter, understanding that it existed to help the tree flourish. After reading it, it made me see the cycle of life, how strongly we depend on each other, and how my actions can have a significant impact.

Last year, I got involved with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life – a 24-hour relay walk-a-Thon to raise money for cancer research and create awareness about its early detection. I got a team together at school with 30 students and chaperones, and we raised $800. Watching everyone form friendships with each other and the Phoenix community was fantastic. This year, I headed up the team again with 95 members, and we raised a whopping $2,900 for the cause. At the start, it was just my advisor and me, but I eventually got the support of the administrators. I spent many hours prepping for the event, and it was worth it!

The theme of Relay for Life is hope for a cure, and I’ve learned through leading it how important it is to work together as a community. We’re all connected, and that’s why we’re here. I’m starting a club at Sonora High School to get more young people involved with the American Cancer Society, including the recent Arizona Proposition 45. We all have a purpose in life, and mine is to be a student and help motivate others to participate in the community. Now that I’m applying to the University of California, I will use my understanding of people and motivation to build stronger relationships between the students and the community.”

Take Away

We hope you have a fair idea of writing a college essay. Since it is an integral part of the college admissions process, therefore it must be written well. It will also imply that this blog post has served its purpose well. Still, if you need an expert hand to take care of your college essay, please don’t hesitate to buy cheap essay at a cut price for academic growth.