Colleage Essay

HOW TO WRITE THE ESSAY THAT WILL
      GUARANTEE ADMISSION TO THE
      COLLEGE OF YOUR CHOICE
      I"m kidding, of course, since no one can tell you how to write such a
      thing. In fact, you should not imagine that your essay, by itself, will
      blow open the doors to the college of your choice. Nevertheless, it is an
      important part of your application and, perhaps, the most important piece
      of writing you will ever create. So here are a few words about how to
      construct the best essay that you can.
      Your written work so far has, for the most part, been confined to school
      assignments. You have addressed subjects that may or may not have been of
      interest to you and your audience has consisted of the teachers who
      assigned the topics. So you have never had to confront the question that
      writers in the real world must ask themselves constantly: Who wants to
      read this stuff? or, more precisely, Who would PAY to read this stuff?
      Once you face this question, the rules begin to change. You are no longer
      guaranteed readership, and whatever you write must compete for space with
      the writings of many other people.
      I assume you can see the analogy to the college essay. Here also you have
      readers, college admissions officers, who read dozens of essays a week. If
      your effort is to make an impression it must be different in some way (one
      hopes favorably) to get the attention that will enhance your chances of
      admission.
      College application essay topics fall into three categories:
      Broad "tell us about yourself" questions.
      More specific "tell us about yourself" questions that involve a favorite
      book, a beloved teacher, a significant experience, a life goal.
      Creative questions: "You have just completed your 300 page autobiography.
      Please submit page 217."
      Regardless of how the...