College Essay Mistakes

College Essay Mistakes Remember, this essay is about you, so use words you normally use. Sometimes creating an outline for your essay can help you get started. It will also help you organize your thoughts and develop a framework. Self-exploration can be fun, but don't procrastinate on the actual writing. You don't want to rush or be up against a tight deadline; it will affect your work. Our mind is created to recall things in stories. You want to be memorable to the counselors who read your app. Sometimes, a sense of humor doesn’t hurt, if it’s applicable to your subject and/or that moment in your life. Stick to what you know and your true personality will shine through. Don't use big words just for the sake of using big words. She has a BA in English from Skidmore College and an MFA from the Warren Wilson Program for Writers, where she studied poetry. Before earning her graduate degree, she attended the New York Summer Writers Institute, The Breadloaf Writers Conference, and the Five Powers of Poetry Conference for Teachers. You want to make sure you've used proper spelling, grammar and punctuation, so ask an expert to proofread your essay. The point of this essay is to show who you are, not who you wish you were. Essays should have a thesis that is clear to you and to the reader. Your thesis should indicate where you’re going and what you’re trying to communicate from the outset. Feel free to tell us about a time you stumbled, and what happened next. Don’t be afraid to reveal yourself in your writing. The body is for your main points and narrative. The outline is not for writing perfect sentences but rather for putting your ideas in the right sequence. Make sure you arrange your thoughts so that they make sense and lead one into the other. Writers live by the rule of “in medias res,” or starting in the middle. The conclusion finishes off the whole essay by nodding towards what came before without being repetitive and summarizing the takeaway. Take a notebook and write a page or two on each of your possible subjects. Where were the ideas pouring out and where were they feeling stuck? Let this exercise be the compass that points you in the direction of your topic. A natural understanding of narrative structure â€" not the prefabricated “academic paper” structure â€" and a great story to tell. Don’t worry so much that other people may have “better” stories than you. Everyone’s life is full of story, narrative, and it’s up to you to tell these stories in compelling ways. Formatting and presentation cannot replace substance, but they can certainly enhance the value of an already well-written essay. Tell us something different from what we’ll read on your list of extracurricular activities or transcript. I don’t think that originality should come at the expense of honesty. If you’re worried that your essay topic is a bit run-of-the-mill, you have two options. The first is to find another topic that feels authentic to you. The second is to find a unique angle within the topic. is a published poet and a high school English teacher.