How do you write a Common App Essay?

<p>Hi! I actually have an essay idea, but have no clue how to go about writing it!</p>

<p>Anywhere I can get sample essays? Should I look at the threads on CC, buy a book?</p>

<p>It's short, so I don't want to wastespace. Since I have a "story", should I first tell the story and then say what I've learned/gained from it?</p>

<p>Any help would be great! Thanks!</p>

<p>My advice is just take a day and write. Anything that comes to mind about the topic, write it down. It doesn’t matter if it’s the worst thing anyone’s ever written. Write your story, write what you learned, mish-mashed, out of order, it doesn’t matter the first time around. During this stage, you just want to get your ideas out. Make sure you’re over the word limit. Then save it and leave the essay alone for a day or two. Don’t even look at it. Then come back and open the essay up. Read through it, and try and get an idea of where it’s going. Open another file and RE-WRITE the essay, with the old one side-by-side with the new one. Make it more cohesive this time around. Again, make sure you’re over the word limit by the time you’re done rewriting. Repeat. Once you start to feel more confident with your essay, cut it down to within the word limit and have someone else read it over. Just make sure you’re not thinking about it all the time, because then it makes it harder to see mistakes.</p>

<p>Also, DON’T buy a book. You don’t want to have the “sure-fire way to write a killer essay” running around in your brain, influencing the way you think. Because these essays are about hearing <em>your</em> voice, the voice of a unique person out in the world, not the voice of someone who’s looking for a formulaic way of entering college. This way, you get your perspective, with no false formulas.</p>

<p>God luck!</p>

<p>That’s exactly what I did for my essay. I wrote a bit about me (my story of how I got intersted into computers, even talked a bit about my family) and then I went on to tell what my passion for Computer Languages, how I created a website, etc.</p>

<p>Don’t worry, the beginning is always the most difficult part. Work hard on your essay, make it as perfect as possible.</p>

<p>Tim</p>

<p>Wow, thanks. I’ll do this later today. I was trying to write it from scratch so it sounded good, but that clearly wasn’t working</p>