Countdown to college: Eight great tips for writing an admissions essay

BY KIM SUTTON

Knight Ridder Newspapers

An essay can be the deciding factor in whether to move your college application from the "maybe" pile to the "accepted" pile. Anyone is capable of writing a good essay, and here are eight tips to help you get it from decent to great:

1. Write from an outline. A good technique for starting your essay is to sit down for 10 minutes and just write about whatever comes to your mind on your topic. When you finish, go over what you wrote and pick out the stuff you want to use to start your outline.

2. Hook the reader at the beginning and end. Try creative opening techniques such as an anecdote, a quote or a surprising statement. Present a central idea that the rest of the essay will prove. If you introduced a specific thought in the beginning, tie it up in the last paragraph, which should leave the reader satisfied.

3. Demonstrate mastery of the English language. The readers want to make sure you are ready for college writing. Present your story in a unique way, but don't lose the substance by trying too hard to impress them.

4. Let them see the real you. The essay provides the college with something that your test scores and GPA can't: an insight into your personality. If you're funny, be funny, but if you're not, don't try to be, because it won't come out right.

5. Get to the "why." The most important part of the essay and what the reader is most interested in is the "who cares" aspect. The reader wants to know why you wrote about what you did, why the reader should be interested in what you have to say and why you feel the way you feel.

6. Select your words carefully. Choose words that convey action and appeal to the five senses. Try not to repeat the same word many times. Don't use a thesaurus, though. You don't need to use huge words that you normally wouldn't use.

7. Proofread, rewrite, revise. A good essay most likely will not come out in your first draft. You must revise and edit many times. Get a teacher to read your essay. Reading your essay out loud will also help you recognize funny wording and awkward sentences.

8. Do it yourself. Don't plagiarize, period. This is the first rule in writing. Another thing you probably shouldn't do is get a book on how to write an essay because your essay could end up sounding too much like the ones in those books.

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SOURCES: "The Princeton Review College Essays That Made a Difference"; "The Essay: An Opportunity, Not an Ordeal," by Carol Wheatly.

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Kim Sutton is a senior at Burleson High School in Burleson, Texas.

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