Writing your admissions essay

You want to be positive, but you need to be honest and avoid hyperbole. If you played a sport for two years, don’t say that you did so for three. If your class selection has been broad or general, don’t say that you had a demanding course load.

Now you may be wondering what you should say if school has been an experience where you performed about average in a series of average classes. In this case, you can talk about your future plans, your excitement about being in a more demanding environment, as well as your interest in their school and programs.

Your essay should be a bit of talking yourself up, but it should be more focused on professional and educational goals. Don’t just tell a school how lucky they would be to have you. You want to sound like a budding professional, which means focused and goal oriented about school but also interested in the world beyond yourself.