How to Write a Good College Essay: Great Tips to Simplify the Process

Writing a personal essay for your college application is an overwhelming academic project because you need to stand out to impress every officer. It should show colleges who you are as a person. How to write a good college essay? Where to find a good college admissions essay help? Read this guide because it will teach every step of the process and give you a clear understanding of how to make every reader love your academic paper. 

Basic Information to Keep in Your Mind

Start with finding a strong topic to understand what your prompt is asking for and take enough time to brainstorm a list of possible options. There are many related topics to choose from. How to write a college essay and succeed? Highlight your unique voice and write many drafts in order to improve your English grammar, structure, and overall style. Don’t underestimate the significance of this written task. Make your paper as engaging and effective as possible and do a final check to ensure that everything is correct.

What Should Your College Essay Do?

All applicants need to submit this paper. A college essay should do the following:

• Breathe life into your application;
• Describe your genuine personality;
• Explain who you are beyond grades and test scores.

What makes you unique? Talk to your family, friends, or teachers to get a clear sense of your individuality, influences, set goals, experiences, lessons, etc. In a few words, mention why you’re a perfect fit. Feel free to use a suitable experience from your student life that goes beyond leadership roles and activities in your application. You may consult college essay ideas to get a more clear picture of what to write about. 

College Essay Writing: Basic Stages

Writing a winning application essay isn’t easy, but you can master this skill with some planning and time. Offer the story no one else will tell. You’re only a few steps away from your college admission:

• Get to know a given prompt;
• Brainstorm;
• Create an outline;
• Write your essay;
• Proofread;
• Tie up loose ends.

Get to Know Your Prompt

Read a prompt, which is a sentence or the question that you should answer in your admission essay. It suggests a few interesting ideas. They can range from trivial to personal, but they all seek to challenge and spark your insight and creativity. Think about them and let your thoughts flow. Determine what your paper needs to accomplish.

Brainstorm

Brainstorm possible ideas and relevant college application essay examples and get your creative juices to flow to address your essay prompt or question. This stage can be more tedious than the writing process. Your basic target is to flesh out all of your ideas to understand where your topic will go and determine the best place to focus on. Use these effective brainstorming strategies:

• Reflect (think about relevant events or experiences that can serve as strong examples and set aside some time for self-reflection);
• Write all thoughts down (focus on everything that comes to your mind);
• Narrow down your options (pick a few superb concepts and consider their benefits);
• Choose the best story to tell (ensure that you have supporting details to give an excellent demonstration of your achievements, traits, and abilities).

What is an Outline?

Map out everything you want to say in your essay. After brainstorming, you have interesting ideas in your mind, but it’s necessary to decide how you will tell readers about them. Create an effective outline to break them into sections. Shape its introduction, body, and conclusion.

You need to follow a natural progression to make your paper easy and coherent to read, and don’t forget to strategize. Decide how you will open it and identify its tone. Stick to your unique voice and writing style and plan the layout of your college essay in advance to avoid multiple changes and time losses.

Write a Brilliant Draft

Keep the main focus of your paper personal and narrow to avoid losing your readers’ attention and interest. Start with the main idea and follow it. Be specific and avoid using predictable, generic and clichéd phrases by developing it with detailed and vivid quotes, events, facts, reasons, and examples.

You should be yourself. That’s because admission officers read many application essays and they know the difference between original stories and recycled papers. Use humor where appropriate and be concise. This rule applies to all forms of admission writing, be it a scholarship essay, personal statement or app essay.

Proofread

The last step is proofreading and editing your finished college essay because even a single typo or error can indicate carelessness and ruin your chances. Give yourself some time before taking this step. Approach your piece of writing with a fresh perspective and allow your mind to focus on catching all mistakes. Don’t rely only on computer grammar and spelling checks. Don’t use any slang or abbreviate acronyms. Be sure you use the right format requirements. If it is MLA or APA citation format, follow all the rules.

Ask other people to read and review your paper to ensure that your message is clear and its content contains no mistakes. Read it backward to improve its overall flow. Read it out loud to spot every error, check your paper for consistency, and pay attention to correct punctuation.

Perfect College Essay Example

An Ode to an Anglo Saxon Boast: Man’s Greatest Feat

Worlds-candle, peering through the frosted trees, woke me. The Matriarch of Arlington's words flowed into my ears like a strong gust into a hall, rustling all in its path as it tears down a tiny corridor. My task was assigned and God gleamed over the foreboding test before me. As I emerged from the enveloping masses of comfort-threads into the open air, the morning’s frost nipped at every inch of my body. I swiftly smote the freezing night by applying my woven-layers gifted to me by The Matriarch herself.

The frost now just a memory, I forged on—foreseeing my journey into the forest like lair of the cloth-consumer. Keenly gathering the plethora of regalia, merely a mortal task, took only minutes for a man of my scintillating stature to complete. With only a single palm, I threw even my accoutrements for sailing into a receptacle. Courageously grasping the coffer containing my garments as one grasps a mass of treasure, I soon encountered the next obstacle that stood obtrusive in my path, stairs. Those wretched things extended their lips just far enough to catch my heels as I descended into the unknown. The basket between my fists obstructed my view and forced me to navigate using only my remaining senses. But I tholed; for any normal thane, the task would be nearly inconceivable, but for a master in the arts of navigation, it was an elementary contest. I pranced down the two flights without a single hirple in my stride to the lair. As I reached the last step and leapt onto the cold ground, I stopped, for I was moving at too fast a pace. This dungeon required specific steps to keep the devourer happy or else it would foil your request for the passage of vesture through it.

As a ray of light shone lambently upon me, flicked on by a finger, God granted me the wisdom to continue. Suddenly, I stepped into the cavern, the fiend creaked and croaked condemning my proximity. As the groans increased, the Almighty guided me to touch the foul beast and turn its dial-eye near the edge of his flat face. As I turned it, the monster clicked and rumbled and water spewed from his mouth: he was now ready to be fed. I mightily mangled the food to fit and tossed it with a great heave, the rainments into his salivating mouth. The monster roared in upheaval as the mass of his meal wallowed in his throat without the proper digestive aid.

Harrowed by the screeching monster, I scrambled to find the elixir before his saliva overflowed, and he spurned the clothes out of his mouth. But fate made sure that elixir was within arm's reach, and as I poured the purple sweet-smelling fluid into the depths of the cloth-monster’s throat, his anger subsided. I then slammed his lid and raced back to the comfort of my resting-cave, securing my place as a revenant. I was pleased to report to The Matriarch herself that through the aid of God, I had subdued the cloth-cleanser, and cleaned my threaded-skin.

Now, worshiped by many and loved by all, I squander the depths of this lair with haste. Frequently tearing the jaws of the devourer’s mouth open only to whip Levis and LuLu’s into the depths of its stomach. Now, not only do I de-stain my own vesture, but shine my people’s attire as well. One may believe that a man so accomplished, so gallant, and so reputable in the conquering of this chilling monster does not need to seek another trial. But I forge on; the next task that stands onerous before me is not for The Matriarch but for my own glory. As foreign a task as it may be, a man so adept is well worthy of conquering it. College.

William Bedford '22
Boston College High School, Dorchester, Massachusetts

Tie up Loose Ends

Writing a winning college essay takes a lot of time and effort, and you should do your best to tie up all loose ends. What does it mean? Include your name and contact data because there’s nothing worse than submitting an application with no name or address. Make certain that the institution you’re applying to will receive it because you definitely don’t want your hard work to be wasted.

What if You Need Extra Help?

Application essay writing is an important process so that you may need expert assistance to increase your chances to succeed. Hire reputable and qualified online writers who will finish this task for you in no time.