<p>Basically, my CommonApp essay had an excellent story/theme. However, I was struggling with my syntax, which really hindered the overall effect of my essay. So, I had my friend, who is an excellent writer, glance over my essay, and he marked it up with many changes. I utilized most of the changes he suggested, with drastically altered the flow and effectiveness of my essay. It is not like he influenced my essay's message or theme, but he changed the wording quite a bit. Reading my revised essay, I feel 100 times more confident in it and I am happy with the results. However, I have a question. Does altering my essay based off of what my friend suggested count as plagiarism? Is it a bad thing to do?</p>
<p>Is it still your essay? If it is, then it’s fine. If it’s an essay your friend wrote on a topic that’s your idea, then it’s dishonest to submit it as your own.</p>
<p>When I read it, it still sounded like the essay I originally wrote. It just appeared clearer and more sophisticated.</p>
<p>i got my teacher to edit mine for grammar since I’m terrible at it, I see no difference. not plagiarism in the slightest, stop worrying :)</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with using an editor to work on your statement. There are lots of good ones out there (I can suggest one if you’d like) and using one doesn’t count as a plagarism, so i doubt using your friend’s suggestions would. If it’s still yours, it’s still yours.</p>