HOW TO WRITE THE ESSAY THAT WILL
GUARANTEE ADMISSION TO THE
COLLEGE OF YOUR CHOICE
Im 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
