Guidance on How to Write College Essays

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Guidance on How to Write College Essays

Where to Begin a College Essay?

Experts imply that the summer before your senior year at school is a wonderful time for you to start working on your essays because assignments and extracurricular activities do not eat up your time and mental stamina during that year. Starting early also enables plenty of time for amendments before college application deadlines draw near, which may be as early as November for early decision or early action applicants. Students can research online the university-specific essay criteria, comprising the word or character limitations and essay topics.

Many students intending for a seat in top US colleges may send their applications through the Common App to over 900 colleges. Some institutions require applicants to submit one or more supplementary writing samples in addition to the main essay. In these supplemental essays, which are usually briefer than the main essay, students may have to clarify why they are interested in a certain school or academic discipline. If the colleges concerned need extra essays, students should plan an extended writing process.

The majority of prestigious universities do want numerous pieces of writing. You should not use up all your time working on a single large essay and, in the process, overlook the rest of your application. There may be additional doubts about an application demanding significant writing.

What is the ideal length for a college essay?

Even though instructions on the Common App – which you can submit to various universities at once – state that "there are no restricted word limits" for its main essay, it approves about 650 words.

Institution-specific supplemental essays are typically around 250 words long.

How to Choose a Topic for a College Essay?

Choosing what to write about is the initial and often the most difficult part of the whole process. In a college application, there are usually countless essay prompts to choose from. They tend to be broad, open-ended inquiries that allow pupils to write about a combination of themes.

The essay isn't an autobiography. Putting your entire life into one essay is virtually impossible. Experts recommend that students restrict their urge to talk about everything important to them and write about a single event, passion, or quirk that exposes something extraordinary about them, such as how they think, what they value, or what their strengths are. Students can also write about anything that associates with their personal history. Even a very ordinary essay may be captivating if done well.


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