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How to Write Application Essay

The document provides guidance on writing a college application essay, emphasizing the importance of understanding essay requirements, choosing a meaningful topic, and developing a clear thesis. It suggests techniques such as brainstorming with a topic tree, writing a trial run, and using vivid imagery to engage the reader. Key tips include ensuring uniqueness, following directions, and thoroughly editing the final essay.

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Cody Craig
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3 views

How to Write Application Essay

The document provides guidance on writing a college application essay, emphasizing the importance of understanding essay requirements, choosing a meaningful topic, and developing a clear thesis. It suggests techniques such as brainstorming with a topic tree, writing a trial run, and using vivid imagery to engage the reader. Key tips include ensuring uniqueness, following directions, and thoroughly editing the final essay.

Uploaded by

Cody Craig
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to write application essay

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When applying for college, most students have to write an application essay. Some schools ask
you to submit a personal essay as part of your application, while others require that you answer
specific prompts such as “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “Why do you want to
attend our school?” Still others may ask you to write about a book, movie, or another piece of
art. No matter what type of essay they expect from you, the process is the same: You need to
show them who you are as a person. In this blog post we will talk about how to write an
application essay and give some tips on how to do it well. Keep reading if you want advice on
how to write application essay for college successfully.

Know the requirements of your essay


This may sound obvious, but we often forget to do this. First and foremost, you need to
understand what the admissions board is looking for in your essay. If you don’t know what to
write about, you’re going to have a hard time getting your essay to the standard you want it to be
at. If you are applying to an artsy school, you may be asked to write about a piece of art and
discuss how it relates to you and your interests. If you are applying to a science-based school,
you may be asked what influences your interest in the field of science. If you are applying to a
business-related school, you may be asked to talk about your passion or what you have done in
relation to your business aspirations.

Come up with a topic


Once you have a general idea of what the essay prompt is asking you to discuss, start thinking
about a topic. Ideally, you will come up with a few topics and then pick the best one. If you only
have one idea, and it sounds a bit bland, you could always re-work it to make it better. We
recommend using a topic tree to help you come up with a topic. A topic tree is a diagram that has
various ideas and broad questions written down at the top. Then as you think of subtopics, you
write them farther down. This allows you to brainstorm ideas without getting stuck in the very
beginning stages. It also lets you expand on topics if you feel like you have more to say about a
specific subject.

Find your voice


The easiest way to write an application essay is to write about something you know. As long as
you stay away from generic topics and instead choose something meaningful, you’ll find the
process of writing your essay much easier. The best way to come up with topics is to think about
your passions, your hobbies, and the things that make you who you are. This may be as simple as
writing about your experience working in a local coffee shop or a more serious experience like
volunteering at a homeless shelter. Whatever you choose to write about, odds are that it will be
something you are passionate about. Passion is the key to writing a compelling application essay.
It’s what makes your essay stand out from all the others.

Develop a thesis
A thesis statement is the main point of your essay. It tells the reader what you are trying to
convey. It also helps you to focus your thoughts and keeps your ideas in line with the prompt you
are trying to answer. As you start writing your essay, take a moment to think about what you
want to say. What is the most important point you want the admissions board to take away from
your essay? What is the one idea that you want the reader to remember when they put down the
paper? If you can write down your thesis statement before you start writing your essay, you will
find the writing process to be a lot easier.

Write a trial run


While it might seem a bit silly, we recommend writing a trial run of your essay. The first thing
you need to do is research the school you are applying to, and make sure you know what they are
looking for in an essay. You should also know the format that they prefer their essays to be in.
After you know what you need to do, put a timer on for an hour and write your essay. Don’t
worry about editing or being perfect; just write. After you are done, read through it a few times.
You will find that the process of writing and then reading your essay will help you to better
understand what you need to do to make it the best essay possible.

Show, don’t tell


This is something that is important in almost every type of essay. You can definitely write an
application essay by telling the reader what you want them to know. However, it is far more
interesting to show them. This means that instead of saying “I am passionate about teaching kids
how to read,” you would say, “The first time I ever taught someone to read, I was five years
old.” If you can show the reader the experience or feeling that you are trying to convey, you are
going to grab their attention much better than if you were to simply tell them that you are
passionate about something.

Add some color


One of the best ways to make your essay stand out is to add some color. This means that you
want to be sure to add some interesting details or facts to your essay. If you find yourself writing
a bland sentence, then you can use something from your life to add some color to your essay. For
example, if you are writing about your favorite book and want to talk about how it relates to your
life, you could mention that the main character is an avid reader just like you and that you have
read the book many times. You can also add color to your essay by using imagery. You can use
imagery to help the reader to see what you have experienced first hand.

Tips to write an application essay successfully


There are a few key things that you need to remember when writing your application essay. First,
you have to make sure that it is unique. Every person, every school, and every essay writes their
essay in a slightly different way. They may not have used the same examples or topics, so try to
make it your own. Second, make sure that it follows the directions. You want to make sure that
you write the essay that the school has asked for. These directions are designed to get you
thinking about what you are most passionate about, what you want to study, and what you want
to do with your life. Finally, make sure that it is edited. You may be excited to finish your essay
and send it off, but you need to make sure that it is properly edited. You don’t want to send out
an essay that has mistakes, or it will reflect poorly on you.

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