<p>So I've been thinking about my essays for quite awhile. I've written a first draft of several essay topics. However, I just don't think they are that good. I just don't know how to write personally/honestly. It's hard for me to express my thoughts/ideas/experiences through a 500 word essay, because I don't know how to make it flow, connect the ideas, etc.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any advice for how I should approach my essays? How can I know if they will attract the readers' attention? How do I know whether or not they represent me well? Thanks!</p>
<p>People/books always say "make sure your essays represent YOU. write passionatelyon your interests, show don't tell, etc." </p>
<p>But my question is...how? Is it just a matter of rhetorical devices, and essay writing skills? I have a lot of experiences/ideas in mind, I just don't know how to write down my own thoughts on paper...</p>
<p>The Bauld book is good, and there are lots of universities that have uploaded essays they like. The good news is that a good essay doesn’t really have to be that great. Everyone is different, but for my oldest the difference between a really boring essay and a pretty good (at least for a techie boy) one was finding the right lead. It showed his self-deprecating humor, and proclaimed “I’m a computer geek” without actually saying it in so many words.</p>
<p>Based on nngmm’s recommendation, I checked Bauld’s book out of the library today for my son. It’s a great little book; an easy, quick read with excellent suggestions and examples. I particularly liked the section where he included a number of college essays and included the reactions of 4 college admissions officers to the essays.</p>
<p>I think the Bauld book is really the best, hands down. I’ve finished reading about ten application or essay books, and of them, Bauld had the best advice and was the most interesting.</p>
<p>Do you have any really good personal narratives or essays that you’ve written in high school. That can make a great starting place for your paper. Another thought is what makes you unique - what’s really interesting about you. Think about your audience, who you are, and where you want to go. Match that story or experience with the essay question. Good luck!</p>
<p>A question re: essay … how much does it really matter anyway??? I get the impression that as long as you don’t have obvious grammatical or spelling errors and you answer the question they are asking, you should be fine. I mean, do they really care that much how clever or creative you are? Not everyone is cut out to be a creative writer! But everyone should know how to answer a question about yourself in a clear, well written paragraph.</p>
<p>9 times out of 10 I don’t think essays sway an application either way, and I’ve heard a few admissions officers admit it, but occasionally a great essay will tip an application over the edge, or a terrible one tip it the other way. I’ve only read a handful of essays that I thought were so stellar, I would have taken the applicant just based on the essay.</p>
<p>Depends on what you mean by “fine.” The essay serves two main purposes. 1. It tells the adcom something important about you that cannot be determined from the other stuff on the app. 2. It’s a demonstration of your skill at formal writing.</p>
<p>And by far, the more important of these two functions is the first one. They’ll probably forgive minor writing mistakes or deficiencies in style provided you illuminate some aspect of your character, some episode from your life, or some philosophical musings that lets them peek behind the stats and get a better idea of who you really are.</p>
<p>I think if you can come up with a user name like “tomjonesistheman”, you’ve got an interesting essay in you!</p>
<p>When my D was a senior in HS, her college counselor had us all (including parents) review several sets of real but anonymous applications, including essays. They ran the gamut, from super high achieving to not so much. What stood out about the essays was the sincerity, especially the lack of it. Clumsy but honest is far more appealing than most attempts at trying to impress. The truly well written essay will always stand out, but if you’re feeling insecure about your abilities, the best way to go is to be honest— about who you are, your topic, your interests. Don’t worry about being boring. Surprisingly, the ones that attempted passion, quirkiness, etc. were the boring ones because no matter how hard you try, you can’t disguise effort without sincerity as anything but. And I bet admissions officer get a million of those.</p>
<p>Nice, thanks for the responses! And haha, I don’t see how a username like tomjonesistheman shows that I can write an interesting essay…
It was an entirely random username…
Like you know how a lot of forms and sample applications use the common name “Tom Jones” ? ahaha…</p>