Freshman Admission Essays

Freshman Admission Essays GUIDELINES Take TIME … time to explore ideas, think about your many choices, and time to write and re-write. You can complete your application form in an hour or two. Writing your major essay and several auxiliary ones takes many hours. If your write a comical, ironical, or satirical essay, be sure that you show a serious or thoughtful side of yourself as well. Hiring another person to write the college application essay does a great disservice to both the student and the college admission officials. Further, personal characteristics are not reflected in a student’s transcripts, test scores or resumes. Having someone else write these essays, no matter how “customized,” reflects nothing about the student â€" except their willingness to take the easy way out. Those that support this kind of site may argue that they are providing a service to students, but the truth is they are doing them an incredible disservice. Yes, writing an essay can be difficult and stressful, but students will benefit by learning to work through challenges and to take pride in their work. The article, written by Alan Fogg, asserts that any kind of essay, ranging from term papers to college admission essays, could be customized for students. He espouses the positive aspects of using such a service, such as having time to spend with friends, writing a paper that will be appreciated by teachers, or just removing the stress writing an essay. It contradicts the NACAC’s “Principles of Good Practice” and certainly sends the wrong message to students. Hiring someone to write a student’s essay for him.her immoral and unfair to others. They know you so well that they can “read between the lines,” that is, they can infer what is not written from reading the words on the page. They already know your life story, or much of it at least. A college admissions representative does not have that luxury. Actually, you should not write about anything that already appears in detail somewhere else in your application. Don’t rely on your parents or your best friend to be the only people who provide feedback on your essay. The essay should be a personal journey of getting to know yourself better. This process should not only be revealing to a college admissions representative, but to you as well. We write to discover, and the college essay should be a lens through which you can see yourself a bit more clearly. TYPICAL ESSAYS REQUIRED MAJOR ESSAY , YOUR ACADEMIC INTEREST, YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVITY, and WHY THIS UNIVERSITY THE BEST FOR YOU The most important element in each essay you write is YOU! It is YOU that the admission’s committee is trying to evaluate. Therefore, what better way to communicate the very essence of you than by writing an original and truly impressive college essay. Don’t fill your essay with every single personal accomplishment. You want to highlight yourself without sounding like a braggart. Don’t brag about your GPA or your standardized test scores. Real people read your words, and your words must reflect a real person, not a dictionary. Don’t attempt to be funny when you have never written a funny essay in your life. If possible, use ANECDOTES, or examples, when you write your essay. When you write about a person that influenced your life, tell a real story. If you have participated in a meaningful community service project, make it come to life with specific examples. Although it is not long compared to some papers you have written by now, your essay must possess a depth of self-understanding that your high school research papers probably do not. Be sure to give yourself enough time to write a meaningful essay. Do it yourself, but feel free to ask a friend who loves writing or English to read your essay and provide feedback. As a matter of fact, it’s best to ask a few different people. Everyone has an opinion, but if you hear the same critique from a number of individuals, then you should probably take their advice into consideration. Be sure to spell out in clear language what you are trying to say. The National Association for College Admission Counseling posted an article on their website promoting the use of an online essay writing service.