There are many steps in applying to college.

Transcripts and recommendation letters help prove the type of student you are, and past awards help show your extracurricular interests.

But you may think, how can you show off your personality and academic interests?

That’s where the college application essay comes into play. Students face a specific writing prompt and must answer accordingly. While it seems simple, don’t be fooled. Use these tips on how to write a great college application essay to make your essay stand out and avoid unnecessary mistakes.

Be Personal

Start your college application essay with something personal. Colleges and universities use application essays to see your writing skills and understand a bit about your personality and character. While test scores and transcripts do much to show grades and student conduct, the writing portion of your application shows your traits.

Therefore, read the instructions carefully. Each writing prompt is unique to that college, so don’t use a cookie-cutter template for all your applications. Instead, personalize each application essay.

Admissions officers can see when students put thought and creativity into their essays compared to those who write plain, basic information. Take note of the page and word limits.

Make sure to answer the specific prompt. If it helps, create an outline to organize your essay so that your words don’t confuse the reader. You’ll write stronger, better sentences with an outline than if you’re going off the top of your head.

Avoid Cliches

Still, writing an effective college application essay takes some skill. While this is your reflection, it’s best to avoid cliches. Anyone can write about their big sports game or musical performance. That may seem personal to you, but admissions officers see dozens of essays like these.

Choose a topic unique to you that would also make an admissions officer consider you for future enrollment. Keep in mind that the goal is to write an outstanding essay that attracts readership. With that said, many students think they should include jokes, puns, or humorous anecdotes.

Don’t be cute. While it’s OK to be creative, you don’t want to sabotage your essay with something crude or inappropriate. If you’re even a little hesitant on a certain phrase or sentence, remove it. It may help to have someone read this over to give you a second opinion.

Read It Over

Of course, one of the most important steps for how to write a great college application essay is editing and revising your work. Remember that writing is a skill in itself. Even professional authors need to reread their work and get a second opinion. Submitting a college essay means refining these writing skills to produce top-notch work.

The first step in the editing and revising process is to read your work out loud. You’ll catch simple grammatical and syntax mistakes you otherwise would have missed. Afterward, have someone else read it. This may be a teacher, parent, or friend. Even a college admissions consultant will read over your essay to ensure it fits a school’s application requirements.

It never hurts to have multiple people read your college essays. They’ll let you know about things that sound off or need reworking. Ultimately, don’t be shy about asking for help. You want to submit something you’re proud of, so it helps to have people read over your essay and give you feedback.

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