Writing an Effective Admissions Essay

Writing

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Competitive technical colleges and institutes often require that applicants write an admissions essay. Improving your chances of getting into such schools is dependent upon writing a high-quality essay that outlines your reasons for pursuing your particular education path.

Describing Your Background

When given an opportunity, many people have an easy time explaining their backgrounds to other people verbally. Writing down your personal history may be more challenging. To write a well-organized admissions essay, first create an outline. Include important points such as your cultural upbringing, your early educational experiences and the interests and values that have led you to pursue your current educational goals.

Detailing Your Professional Goals

An effective admissions essay also clearly explains what you envision yourself doing in the future. When applying to a technical college, you must have some vision of the skills and knowledge you will gain that will lead you to your ultimate professional goal. Create an outline of the various skills you hope to gain and the exact types of professions and settings in which your skills will be most marketable.

Crafting the Essay

Review your outline of your background and professional goals to choose the most salient aspects. Which are the most crucial points that you wish to convey in your essay? Which facts will be appealing to someone on an admissions committee?

Once you have selected the main points, write in a natural and clear tone. Be sure to ask someone you trust to read the essay and correct all typos and errors before submitting it.

 

 

Scholarship Essays Simplified

The essay portion of scholarship applications is often the most daunting.  Students feel confined by compactness of the essay and overwhelmed by their perceived inability to stand out. But here is the truth, scholarship essays have a purpose.  The purpose is to get to know you.  No matter what the assigned topic, essay evaluators are trying to get a feel for who you are as a student.

Follow these simple steps and breeze through your next scholarship essay.

Read and Analyze

Read and analyze the essay topic. What are the parts to the question or topic? What are the evaluators looking for? Brainstorm ideas around the topic.  Prepare a short outline for your best ideas.

Introductions and Conclusions

Introductions and conclusions should hook together.  Grab your reader with an introductory sentence that demands their attention and requires them to continue reading.  Tell the reader in the introduction what will follow.

Use your conclusion to summarize your main points and to lock into your introduction.

The Rule of Three

Illustrate your main idea with three examples.  Three is the number for completeness.  Readers feel satisfied with three pieces of evidence or examples.  You can definitely use more, but three is the minimum.

Use Active Voice

Whenever possible use active verbs. Say, “ I ran my first and last marathon at 15.” Don’t say, “ I was a marathon runner in my teens.”

Proofread and Proofread Again

Read your essay backwards.  Read the last sentence first.  It is easier to find mistakes when you read the essay backwards.  Read the essay aloud to see how it flows.  Finally, ask a friend to proofread your essay.