<p>I want to finish my common app essay before the summer ends, and i was wondering if anyone has any techniques/methods for getting started (b/c i’m stuck :(). Thanks!</p>
<p>I don't have any advice to offer but I do think that you are very wise in thinking ahead!</p>
<p>Ever taken a college-essay writing course? My school offered one and I am so glad I took it.</p>
<p>Alright, this is my advice.</p>
<p>Most important thing is to read a few college application essays. This may sound cheesy and seem like a waste of time, but it's certainly a big help. A personal essay has a different tone than an analytical one. Look at the tone of successful essays and poor ones. What's the difference? What about the essay turned you off? Go with your gut feeling on this one, don't worry about structure or rules just yet. Basically, what makes you feel "this guy is an jerk" or "this guy is just showing off"? Make a note of it and don't do the same thing in your own essay.</p>
<p>Ex. "Upon returning from my evening jaunt, I settle down for an exultant and fulfilling night caring for my aged grandmother."</p>
<p>("Jaunt"? "Exultant"? What's the point of big words besides to show off? Plus, unless you really come across as a wholly kind and caring individual, no one is going to believe you spend all day with your old grandmother. Minus two points.)</p>
<p>Second, make sure you have a direction to your paper. This doesn't necessarily mean you need a topic before you even start writing; in fact, the actual subject of the paper means relatively little. Don't go out of your way to write about how you spent your summer helping blind children; you're just trying to plug that fact and it shows. It helps to sit down and pick what it is you want to show about yourself, then just write about that. Find the subject that reveals the most about you. The topic can come later; I've read a good essay about eating Oreo cookies, although the writer did try to show off a bit too much ("perspicacious"? You're talking about your DOG, buddy).</p>
<p>Then just start writing the paper. Consult with your English teacher or someone like that if you need help. A few things to watch, though:</p>
<p>1) It's a personal essay, NOT a resume. If they want to know what you do after school, they'll read your application. It's listed in bulleted points on there. Make your essay about YOU, not your accomplishments.</p>
<p>2) Watch your grammar. Stupid things like dangling participles ("While going to the store, a dog bit me") and spelling mistakes ("They're essays were well-written") will make you look careless at best.</p>
<p>3) Do you get to the point? Admissions staff have thousands of applications to read. If they can't figure out what it is you're trying to say, don't expect them to lose sleep over it; they'll toss it in a big pile and get back to it later IF you're lucky.</p>
<p>4) Length, length, length. No one wants to read a thousand-word essay, especially when it says right on the application that they only want five hundred words. If that paragraph about your cat isn't relevant, take it out.</p>
<p>Finally, get people to proofread it. No one likes to be criticized, but remember that the more someone hates about your paper, the more there is to improve. Get a teacher or a friend to objectively read your paper and tell you what they think. Then get another teacher, then maybe a parent or another friend. The more opinions the better. No one will blame you for wanting a good college essay.</p>
<p>Oh, and by the way, congratulations on deciding to write your essay early. I tell all the upcoming seniors in my school to do that, but none of them do. Then they panic the week before the deadline when they have to write an essay for each of the eight colleges they applied to.</p>