How to improve at writing essays?

College Essays
1

I still have some time until I have to write an essay for college, and I was wondering what are some good ways I can improve my writing to prepare for writing essays for colleges. Are there any websites that you can write for that would be a good experience, would reading certain books help, etc. Thank you for your time.

2

Are you having trouble writing about yourself? Or just with writing well in general? Or just looking for helpful resources to use to attack the essay(s)?

3

I just want to improve my writing in general which could come from resources that help “attack the essays.”

4

Each school has different prompts. For example, UChicago asks something like “So actually, where’s Waldo?” or “Find x.” So the way that you would attack those would be vastly different from a school that asks you “Why our school?”
If you are looking to improve your writing, I would try to answer some of the current prompts for wherever you think you could potentially apply and just get used to the first person style. I know that trips a lot of people up, so the more experience you get with that, the better.

5

thank you, I’ll take these suggestions to heart.

6

Many people have found Bauld’s book “on writing the college application essay” an excellent resource.

7

thank you

8

The main college essay is a personal narrative. Since you have time, a good way to prepare is to start journaling daily. This will not only help you gain insights about yourself but also help you find your voice and improve your writing overall.

Hope this helps. Good luck! : )

9

thank you, should I let someone read over the entries, or just improve them myself?

10

If you write 15 to 20 minutes daily, you will notice your writing weaknesses and start improving on them. More importantly, you will learn deeply about yourself.

11

Show not Tell. Simple but super effective.

These ADcoms will maybe spend 5-10 minutes at most on your essay. You need to make it engaging, in a unique way. The best way is to tell a story that showcases the qualities and lessons you’ve learned about yourself, rather than saying, “I used to be____”.

Here’s an exercise. Write a paragraph about yourself, and who you are, and what personalities and traits you have that you are proud of.

Then think of stories and achievements and times, that you can describe in the essay. And if someone were to hear that story, they’d describe you in a similar way to that “paragraph” you wrote about yourself.

12

Thank you for this advice, I’ll make sure to use it.