<p>Do we have to follow the middle and high school formula-Intro, Thesis, Paragraphs supporting thesis, Conclusion? (Bad grammar.) Or can we just pick a topic and write about it, as long as it's not just rambling?</p>
<p>One of the great parts about college essays is there is no set format required! For some essays, an intro and conclusion are good, but it depends on the topic and your approach.
Personally, none of my essays had a traditional intro or conclusion. For one of mine, I tied a few points together at the end, but otherwise, my structure was not traditional at all. When I wanted to emphasize something, I put it on its own line.
Like this.
That’s just my writing style though.</p>
<p>I think in a simple form, proper essay structure is:
-Tell them what you are going to tell them (introduction)
-Tell them (3 paragraphs)
-Tell them what you told them (conclusion)
Having good essay structure is an important component to writing a good essay.</p>
<p>Think of essays as movies. The school essay you mentioned - having a theme, intro, supporting thesis, conclusion - creates a documentary film. That is NOT what an admissions essay is. It is a personal statement - a narrative story, and should engage the reader emotionally as much as a Harry Potter film would (but in 500 words or less 
).</p>
<p>Remember the REAL purpose of the essay: to make the school LIKE you and WANT you.</p>
<p>I’m sure it intro, 2 body, conclusion </p>
<p>Sent from my Desire HD using CC</p>
<p>Sorry to disagree with bruceboger and dirkslam41, but their advice is NOT what you should follow for ADMISSIONS essays like the Common App Essay. However, if you are talking about theme papers for college classes, it might be OK advice. For Admissions essays, go research some of the older posts on this forum and see some examples of what the schools are looking for. I am the author of a book on college admissions essays and the college officials who have seen the book have been very enthusiastic about it. You should always SHOW yourself via a story and not TELL about yourself in an essay.</p>
<p>What I did and I find to make strong essays if handled correctly is a chronological sequence that introduces an event/situation in the opening paragraph, analyzes the impact of it on you as an individual/student and what you gained from it and then concludes by returning to the same situation while introducing a tone of finality and confidence. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t recommend using your introduction as you would in a literature analysis; this seems too structured and limits what you will be able to do going forward.</p>
<p>Since it is not an argumentative essay, there is no need for a counterargument, right?</p>
<p>and I’m curious how you end a college essay to make it sound convincing for you to get in-- without making it too demanding or vague o.o</p>