College essays Step-by-step guide Application timeline and checklist What colleges look for Choosing a topic Outlining your essay Writing about yourself Style and tone Standing out Example essays Common App examples Writing the introduction Writing the conclusion Revising your essay Word count Writing ...
Unrelated elements of your personal life.In most cases, you should not mention your significant other in the essay. You might mention a spouse if you need to reference your children or a turning point in your life, but these personal details do not fit most essays. Any information that seem...
Once you’ve written your personal statement, step away from it. There was a time when we used to rely on pencil and paper to write down all of our ideas and information (including first-draft college essays). Now, we mainly rely on screens, so our eyes grow tired, causing us to mis...
That’ what we call powerful writing about yourself. Focus on Your Talents and Interests When you’re writing a personal essay for admissions or for a college course, you can’t focus on great experiences. If you’re like most other young people, you still haven’t changed the world, but...
Let's look at a few of the most common scenarios where you have to write about yourself. Personal Essays Personal essays aren't just for high school. A personal essay typically reflects some aspect of your life that you are sharing for a specific purpose. Many college applications or schol...
Many high school courses and college admissions applications require a student to draft a personal essay. The topic of many of these essays involves explaining a student’s personal accomplishments. For some people, this is a long list that cannot be condensed into a few sentences. Writing a an...
Sarah WoodFeb. 20, 2025 Is College Worth the Cost? Confidence in the value of education has declined, but having a degree often still has economic and community benefits. Sarah WoodFeb. 20, 2025 Create an Account Create a free account to save articles, sign up for newsletters and more. ...
One last bonus tip: Start writing your personal statement and other college essays well before your admission deadlines. Getting a head start will ensure you have plenty of time to pick a topic that means a lot to you, find an interesting way to draw the reader in, and ...
The hardest part about writing your college essays is getting started. Decide Where to Start If you have one essay that's due earlier than the others, start there. Otherwise, start with the essay for your top choice school. I would also recommendstarting with a longer personal statement befor...
College admissions essays allow you to showcase your personality and set yourself apart from other applicants. Colleges will either provide you with a prompt (which may be specific to your major) or you will be asked to write a personal statement that is more open-ended. ...