College essays show how personal experiences formed your beliefs and personality.
The Common Application process is limited to a consortium of colleges and universities that use a holistic process for admitting students, including an untimed essay. Colleges that use the Common Application require the essay in addition to a recommendation, and competition among applicants shows who stands out and who falls in with the rest of the crowd. A college application essay is one of the few times that someone has to pay attention to your words, so make them count. The best essays give the reader a personal experience with you, leaving them excited to meet you, and admit you into their college.
Thesis
The Common Application essay needs a succinct topic or thesis. A thesis is a single point or main idea that embodies your essay. College admissions allow students to choose from a few topics in the hopes that they will prove their creativity and desires on paper. So, students really do have full control of the college admission essay. This is to gauge values, preferences, mental processes, depth of knowledge, creativity and sense of humor.
Topics
Generally, essays need to show a student's preferences and interests, such as if a student enjoys learning about the poet Allen Ginsberg or exploring histories of the Cold War to repainting classic styles of Leonardo DaVinci. Colleges also look for students' values, as in what matters to the students, and how they perceive their choices. The essay also reflects thought processes, showing how a student thinks. Is the student spontaneous? Methodical? Careful? Someone who studies information very hard before making a decision? Once a student chooses a topic, he should take several days to weeks to think about the topic and brainstorm all the ideas and experiences attached to his statement.
Writing the Essay
Make yourself come alive to the reader through examples and evidence. The goal is to introduce yourself to the reader through personal accounts, experience and tastes. Friends and family supply insight on who you are, so using events that mean something to you as well as invite others to join in, open up the perspective on your personality and history. Common Application essays need to include details, not general statements. For example, "I love theme parks" is not specific enough nor does it say anything about you. If applying as a major in architecture, describe the roller-coasters, flume rides, giant 3-D spinning cars and amphitheaters with stadium seating around a 50,000-gallon water tank fit for a killer whale. How do these examples excite you? How do they play to your strengths?
Example Structure
Generally, most college professors ask for an example structure, or argumentative essay. This type of essay needs an introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. The essay starts with the main argument, then three pieces of support evidence and then a conclusion stating what the essay has shown to the reader. The introduction includes the thesis as well as interesting background and knowledge. Often, students use a quote to introduce their essay; it should be a quote that means something to you but also not an overused expression. You have to excite the reader to read more about you in the introduction, then draw him to your main idea, the thesis. In the next three paragraphs, or body, support the single point with the examples you chose to support your topic. When wrapping up your essay, reiterate your final points.
Formatting, Spelling and Grammar
Students need to format exactly to the guidelines specified in the Common Application essay rules. Don't lose points because you used the wrong font or forgot to double space. In addition, spell-check does not catch all errors, so allow others to read your essay before submitting it. Give it to your teachers, family and friends, and let them critique what parts sound funny or too confusing and find any mistakes that the word processing program did not.
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