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COLLEGE ESSAY
Dear Student:
Oh, boy… writing a college essay!   What am I worried about?  

INTRODUCTION  
Writing a college essay is probably the most tedious and difficult job that you will encounter while filling out applications your senior year.   The college essay is just one part of the application process but in some cases it can tip the scales in an applicant's favor.   A college essay can give admissions officers a look at the "real you" that they wouldn't otherwise obtain from just the application.   It could oftentimes mean the difference between John/Jane Doe the person and John/Jane Doe the run-of-the-mill-application.  

BE OPEN MINDED  
Be sure when writing your essay that you keep an open mind and relax.   Sure, writing an essay is no easy task but keeping an open mind can alleviate some of the stress from an otherwise very stressful process.  You might find that some of your best work comes out when you are relaxed. 

CHECK OUT YOUR OPTIONS 
It is important that before you start writing your essay to look at the variety of topics that a college may offer.   The first essay choice may not always be the best one and it is quite possible that the second or third choice is more to your liking.  

BE CREATIVE!!! 
Admissions officers go through thousands of applications each year and chances are that they have heard it all.   They have read excellent essays and poor essays on all almost every topic imaginable.   You want to be creative and original without sacrificing reader interest.   Try writing about an experience that taught you something about life or yourself.   Writing an essay about a personal experience can give you that edge and provide you with tools to write an original essay.      

BRING OUT THESE QUALITIES  
Try to bring out your good qualities as much as possible.  The admissions officers are trying to gauge your character and find out what sort of a person you are, your commitment to anything you undertake, and your qualities.  Signs of qualities they are looking for in a good student include: originality, creativity, sense of humor, intelligence, intellectual promise, curiosity, independence of thought, leadership abilities, leadership potential, special talents, integrity, social skills, intuitiveness, enthusiasm, spirit of adventure, kindness, generosity, reliability, ability to express yourself clearly, effectively, and concisely, etc.   So try to bring out such of these qualities that you possess.  

BE PATIENT 
Don't rush. Take your time.  Of course, the essay has to be finished and submitted by the application deadline, but it is not as though the essay has to be completed and turned in within a class period like many high school assignments.  So take your time.  

HAVE A GAME PLAN  
It is a good idea when writing your essay to have an outline.  Having an outline will prevent you from deviating from the main focus of your essay.  Also make sure to have more than one draft to catch any grammatical errors or misspelled words.   Use words that you are familiar with.  Using words that you are not familiar with might sound like a good idea but it is not always effective.   It can always backfire and make your essay sound unnatural.  

PROOFREADING THE ESSAY  
Make sure that when your essay is almost complete that you have followed directions and that your essay pertains to the topic.  Also make sure that your essay is neat.   You can write your essay but typing the essay on a computer is probably your best bet.   This makes it easier to go back and make corrections.   This also makes an admissions officer's job of reading your essay much easier.  

ASK FOR A SECOND OPINION  
This helps you broaden ideas on the topic you are writing about.  It also helps you correct grammatical errors that you were not able to pick up even in your final draft.   Always ask friends, parents, and teachers (preferably an English teacher) to critique your essay. 

THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO AVOID WHEN WRITING YOUR ESSAY:   
1.  Relationships between you and your girlfriend or boyfriend.  
2.  Sex  
3.  Religious beliefs  
4.  Political views  
5.  Controversial issues  
6.  How obsessed you are with yourself  
7.  Test scores  
8.  Subjects that you know nothing about  

We here at BestSchoolsUSA.com hope that these tips have helped you write that dreaded essay and have taken some of the burden off the college entrance experience.   We hope that you and the millions of other high school seniors have benefited from this website and we would like to wish you all the best of luck!  IT ONLY GETS BETTER!!!  

PLEASE NOTE:  This information is presented here for Freshmen College Applicants to avail themselves of this material when they are preparing to apply for freshmen admission to various colleges in the USA.  The information is displayed at this web site: BestSchoolsUSA.com accessible and FREE to any individual interested in applying to colleges in USA for said individual's personal use.  No other use - for commercial or any other purpose - is permitted without the express written consent of BestSchoolsUSA.com. 

For comments, please contact us.

BestSchoolsUSA.com                June 1, 1999.    


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