What Should Be Included in an Application Essay

Early deadlines for college admissions for next fall are already starting to show up on the calendar, so now's the time to write and polish that application essay. Of course, the problem is that the guidelines for most applications are vague and tell you nothing about what you should write. In the end, the best advice, is to be yourself, only better.

Know your audience

Whenever you are writing, knowing your audience is an important part of choosing the way to write. For example, Ivy League schools are likely to expect more formal language than your state college. Your local community college may be even more relaxed. Just like you wouldn't necessarily talk to your parents and teachers the same way you talk to a good friend, think about who will be reading your application statement.

Make it interesting

There is a temptation when we write college application essays to write the same thing everyone else is writing. After all, if it worked for them, then it must be right. Right? Wrong. The admissions staff reading your essay has to read dozens of these, maybe even hundreds or thousands. Make yours stand out. Tell a story about yourself that is unlike anyone else, be funny and be sincere.

Anecdotes or other uniquely personal inclusions in the application essay are more likely to help you stand out from the crowd.

Skip the big words

Avoid the temptation to grab the thesaurus and use words that you think you know what they mean. Keeping it simple will help make sure you don't use the wrong word and end up looking like a complete fool. It also is gives the admissions office a better idea of who you are. Unless you walk around every day using words like ubiquitous, skip it in the application essay. If you had to grab a thesaurus or dictionary to write the essay, chances are you'll either look pretentious or the person evaluating your application will have to grab a dictionary to figure out what you meant. Never make it harder on the person doing the work for you!

Answer the question

If the instructions asked you to answer a question, like "Why would you be a good student for ABC University?", make sure you answer that question in your application essay. Unless the question asked, don't try to include your entire life story. It won't fit in the word count and it probably doesn't tell them what they wanted to know anyway. Approach this like any other exam and be sure to answer the question.

Stay within the word count

Do this partially out of respect for the person reading the essay. The longer these essays are, the more time it takes them before they can make a decision and move on. More importantly, virtually every word processing program has a word count function. Don't risk getting a rejection letter because you wrote a little too much.