9 Tips For Crafting A Successful College Essay

9 Tips For Crafting A Successful College Essay So the good news is that you don’t need to worry about your 32 or your essay. I would not recommend that your daughter retest just to improve her 8. There is a very strong chance that the UCs will have dropped the essay by next year. Given the strength of your son’s other scores â€" especially for UCSD â€" I would not worry about his 7. This doesn't mean that you should overemphasize how something absolutely changed your life, especially if it really didn't. Instead, try to be as specific and honest as you can about how the experience affected you, what it taught you, or what you got out of it. Above all, make sure that you have zero grammar or spelling errors. Suggest that they seek essay advice from teachers who know them well. In other words, when all else is equal between competing applicants, a compelling essay can make the difference. Focus on using clear, simple language that effectively explains a point or evokes a feeling. To do so, avoid the urge to use fancy-sounding synonyms when you don't really know what they mean. Contractions are fine; slang, generally, is not. I really doubt that the 6 would impact her, but I also don’t see the need to report her ACT. Thank you for drawing our attention to Stanford’s change. We’ve updated our list to reflect that the essay is now completely optional at Stanford. I’m fairly certain that Dartmouth does not require Writing. In fact, they no longer even talk of recommending it. The “essay” has become increasing important and is now becoming the determining factor for admissions as well as merit aid money. Last but not least, if you're planning on taking the SAT one last time, check out our ultimate guide to studying for the SAT and make sure you're as prepared as possible. Financial aid may be available to those who qualify. The information on this site is for informational and research purposes only and is not an assurance of financial aid. Our websites do not provide, nor are they intended to provide, a comprehensive list of all schools in the United States located in a specific geographic area or that offer a particular program of study. By providing information or agreeing to be contacted by a Sponsored School, you are in no way obligated to apply to or enroll with the school. At some point, you might even need to rewrite the whole essay. Even though it's annoying, starting over is sometimes the best way to get an essay that you're really proud of. A powerful, well-written essay can also tip the balance for a marginal applicant. If there really is no word limit, you can call the school to try to get some guidance. If it's a writing sample of your graded academic work, the length either doesn't matter or there should be some loose page guidelines. If you can truly get your point across well beneath the word limit, it's probably fine. Brevity is not necessarily a bad thing in writing just so long as you are clear, cogent, and communicate what you want to. If you have to copy-paste it into a text box, your essay might get cut off and you'll have to trim down anyways. College essay prompts usually provide the word limit right in the prompt or in the instructions. This is an offer for educational opportunities that may lead to employment and not an offer for nor a guarantee of employment. Students should consult with a representative from the school they select to learn more about career opportunities in that field. Program outcomes vary according to each institution’s specific program curriculum. Typos indicate carelessness, which will hurt your cause with admissions officers. A lot of prompts deal with how you solve problems or how you cope with failure.