Should my college essay have a title?
One is not necessary. Students that we work with don’t use titles in the great majority of situations. The few occasions they have done so, they have done so because the title permits a subtle word play or repositioning of the essay as a whole. Don’t feel obligated to include one, as they are entirely optional.
Should I use paragraph breaks or indents in my college essay?
Either. Just be reliable. The only exception to this rule is if you’re pasting into a box that messes up your formatting; for instance, if your essay’s indentations are deleted when you copy it into the box, use paragraph breaks instead. (And when you enroll in college, make sure to find out which style manual you should be using: various fields have various standards, and different formats—Chicago, APA, MLA, etc.—can be used.)
How many paragraphs are appropriate for a college essay?
English essays are not personal declarations. They don’t have to have five paragraphs, a clear, persuasive thesis at the start, and a summary at the end. Feel free to depart from that, then. How many paragraphs should a college essay writing sites have? It’s up to you, within reason. There are some excellent personal statements that utilize four paragraphs, and there are others that use eight or more (especially if there is dialogue—yes, dialogue is OK too!).
How much time should go on my college essay?
The good news is that colleges and the application platforms they employ typically set strict word count limits for you. You will be allowed a maximum of 650 words for your main personal statement on the most widely used college application platforms, such as the Coalition Application and the Common Application, and often less words for additional essays that are school-specific. The maximum word count is typically specified by other systems; for instance, the UC PIQs have a limit of 350. You can write them to inquire if they don’t make this apparent in the application systems or on their website (and be careful to do some research). They are not biting.
So, should you utilize the entire area? Generally, we endorse it. We believe that not taking advantage of the entire amount of space they provide to tell your narrative could be a missed opportunity because you probably have a lot to say about your life. You don’t have to utilize every single word they provide you, but try to use the majority of them. However, if what you’re saying doesn’t advance the narrative as a whole, don’t merely fill the silence.
Additionally, certain applications and supplements include suggested word counts and lengths. For instance, Georgetown specifies “approx. 1 page,” whereas UChicago doesn’t specify a length requirement but suggests aiming for 650 to 650 words for the extended essay and 250 to 500 words for the “Why us?”
In general, those colleges that don’t set a cap can use UChicago’s recommendations: 650 is probably enough if it’s a “Why Major” supplement, and 250–500 is a reasonable range for other supplements. If you exceed those, it is acceptable as long as you are earning the extra words (as opposed to rambling or using excessive verbiage). Your viewers are people. If you send them a book, their focus can wander.
Regarding elements like bold and italics
Remember that if you copy and paste content into a box, your formatting can be lost. Therefore, make sure you will be able to use bold or italics if you were wanting to emphasize something. (And generally, try to convey that kind of emphasis via sentence structure and phrasing rather than relying on bold or italics; doing so will improve your writing.)
In terms of font size, type, and color
Be straightforward and conventional. Things like Times New Roman or Georgia (the typeface used for this) won’t let you down in terms of style. Just stay away from typefaces like Comic Sans and other casual or informal fonts.
Going in a different direction with the aforementioned could be a risk, possibly a significant one, for just modest reward. To a reader, elements like a bizarre typeface or text color may easily seem gimmicky.
Take some chances with your subject matter, your connections, and the conclusions you draw if you want your writing to stand out.
When attaching a document (as opposed to pasting)
All of the aforementioned still holds true if you are attaching a document as opposed to pasting words into a text box. Once more, we advise sticking with conventional fonts and sizes; Times New Roman, 12-point, is a reliable choice. Most likely, 1.5 or double spacing will do. normal margins.
Basically, use the formatting you’d typically use in college to demonstrate to them that you’re prepared to write in that environment.
Is there a sample college essay I may follow?
Depending on what you’re requesting. If formatting is what you mean when you say “template,” then… look above.
But not exactly if you mean a structural template. There isn’t a single model college essay to use. And that’s advantageous.
Having said that, we’ve discovered two fundamental structural methods to creating college essays that may be used for each and every prompt we’ve encountered. (Apart from listings. as they are lists.)
We’ll discuss those two essay forms in more detail below, but you’ll notice how adaptable they are and how they may produce remarkably distinct writings. You can also look at a few sample essays to get a sense of the format and organization. However, before you look at too many samples, we advise doing some brainstorming and outlining to come up with some potential subjects.
How to Brainstorm an Amazing Essay Topic in Step One
Together, we’ll talk about the theme and structure. Why? the two inform one another.
(And just to be clear, by “topic,” we mean the theme or focal point of your essay that you use to demonstrate your character and principles. You are always the “topic” of your college essay.)
There are, in our opinion, two fundamental structural techniques that can be used in any college essay. These aren’t the only two alternatives; rather, they can be used for any writing prompt you may encounter.
Which structural strategy you employ depends on how you respond to the following query (and its addendum): Do you believe that you have overcome big obstacles in your life? or not at all? Do you want to write something about them?
If the answer is yes to both questions, you should adopt the narrative structure.
If the answer is no to either, you should probably attempt Montage Structure.
Thus, what exactly are those structures? And how do they impact your subject?
The narrative structure is a traditional form for stories. If you read, watch movies and TV, share stories with friends and family, and watch movies and TV, you’ve probably seen this a lot. This can be unfamiliar if you don’t do any of these activities. If not, you already are aware of this. Maybe you’re just unaware that you do. In a narrative, a character or characters—in this case, you—work to overcome obstacles while also learning, developing, and gaining understanding. For a college essay that uses the narrative format, you should divide the word count nearly evenly among the following three sections: a) Challenges You Faced; b) What You Did About Them; and c) What You Learned (with the proviso that a and b may be slightly intertwined with c). Events and paragraphs are causally related.
Montages are another thing you’ve seen. But once more, you could not be aware of what you know. So: A montage is a collection of items with a common theme, usually photographs. You’ve probably seen montages in countless movies, such as the “here’s the couple meeting, dating, and falling in love” montage in romantic comedies and the well-known “training” montage in action flicks. A tale is told more fully by a few photos. By using a thematic thread to write about five distinct pairs of pants that represent various facets of who you are and what you value, you may create a montage in your college essay. Or distinct but related things that you enjoy and are quite knowledgeable about (like games or animals). or notes in your happiness journal.
Instead of being binary, each of them exists on a spectrum.
Each individual will define “elastic” differently. Mountaineering and family, history, literature, science, social justice, environmentalism, development, and insight might be related in some way. and another person could not make much of a connection with it. perhaps trees?
“Uncommon” – thousands of students compose essays each year discussing concerts, sports, or missions. It’s not impossible to write on these topics, but it’s far more difficult to stand out.
It’s possible to categorize “difficult or compelling challenges” into two categories: the weaker end includes things like failing a class or not making the sports team, and the stronger end includes things like escaping a war or spending three years without a home. It’s quite difficult to create an excellent essay about a weaker problem, even though you theoretically could.
“Insight” is the response to the query, “so what?” A fantastic insight will probably surprise the reader a little, whereas a mediocre insight will probably not. It’s important to realize that some themes are definitely simpler to draw insights from than others. However, insight is something you’ll generate in an essay through the writing process rather than something you’ll typically know in advance for a topic.
To be clear, you may still create a fantastic montage with a well-known subject or a tale with mediocre insights. However, the level of difficulty increases. Probably quite high.
How do you come up with possible themes that are on the simpler side of the spectrum to stand out with in light of that?
Perhaps the topic you have is the ideal one for you. Additionally, if you are really certain, you can move on. Spend some time on the tasks above if you’re not convinced this topic will help you share your most meaningful story. Moreover, all that brainstorming will be helpful when you write your additional essays, even if you decide to stick with what you already have (though please be careful not to fall victim to the sunk cost fallacy).
The Needs and Feelings In particular, the exercise is fantastic for coming up with ideas for narrative structure and connecting tale events in a causal manner (X caused Y to cause Z). For Montage Structure, the activities Essence Objects, 21 Details, and Everything I Want Colleges to Know can provide engaging thematic threads (P, Q, and R are related because, for instance, they are all characteristics of a brilliant endodontist). However, they are all beneficial for both structural approches. An essence object can bring a story to life. In a montage, one paragraph can be devoted to a difficulty you faced and how you overcome it.
A crucial component of both is the Values Exercise; regardless of whether you utilize montage or narrative, we should be able to tell some of your essential beliefs from your essays.
How (and why) to adopt a decent framework when outlining your college essay
Professional writers have months (or years) to develop a story, and they may discard significant portions of or entire drafts. However, not every professional writer knows exactly how a novel will conclude when they start writing. Major sections or entire drafts are probably not things you want to toss away. In order to outline, then.
Use the brainstorming exercises from earlier to select the topics that will best express your story and to determine whether a narrative or montage format will work best.
Using the Feelings and Needs Exercise, create distinct bullet points for the Challenges + Effects, What I Did About It, and What I Learned sections of your narrative. You use those as your outline.
Yes, it’s that easy.
Outline 4–7 connections your thread makes to various values through various events, and if you can, various lessons and insights (though you may need to develop these later, during the writing process). As an illustration, consider the connections between auto repair and family, literature, curiosity, adventure, and personal development (via various details and experiences).
When to throw everything out and start fresh
In the end, you won’t know for sure until you try a draft or two if a topic will work. And perhaps it will be wonderful. But remember the sunk cost fallacy and be willing to give different approaches a shot.
Asking for feedback is the first thing you should do if you’re stuck on a personal statement topic and just aren’t sure about it. Look for a partner who can help you evaluate it without being emotionally attached to any negative feelings (such as anxiety, worry, or dread) that may have grown up around it.
Ask them to assist you as you complete The Great College Essay Test to ensure that your essay is effective. If not yet, do you think this subject has the potential to become so? Or are there other themes that would better enable you to convey to a college who you are and what you have to offer?
Because that is what you want. Format and organization are merely means to an end.
Moving forward
Before we look at some sample essays, be sure to bookmark this page so you can return and take The Great College Essay Test after you’ve gone through numerous drafts of your own essay to be sure it is functioning properly. Simply put, the essay’s purpose is to show the college that you’ll be able to contribute both while and after college. We think that an excellent essay must possess these four qualities:
- Core principles (exhibiting who you are by what you value)
- To make a reader feel more connected to you, show vulnerability.
- “So what” moments, or insights
- Craft (clear organization, elegant language, deliberate decisions)
- Read your essay aloud to a person you know and pose the following questions to gauge how your ideals come across:
- Which values do you think the essay demonstrates the most?
- Which values are sort of there but might be more pronounced?
- Which ideals might be showing through, and were there any missed opportunities?
- Identify your essay’s vulnerability by asking the following questions:
- Do you feel more connected to me now that you’ve heard my story?
What new information about me have you learned?
Review the assertions you’re making in your essay to look for “so what” moments of insight. Are you considering the lessons these situations and experiences have taught you? In what ways have they altered you? Are you forming (ideally) unusual or common connections? unconventional or surprising insights frequently make up the unconventional relationships.
Craft is the quality of each paragraph, sentence, and word being a choice that has been thoroughly thought through. something the author has taken the time to edit and improve. that the essay is clear and fascinating. How can this be tested? Ask yourself: Do I need this for each sentence, paragraph, and word? (Strong warning: Please stay away from neurotic perfectionism here. All we’re asking is that you use words deliberately.)