Admission essays can be a tad tricky. It is the portion in your college application form that requires you to practically “sell yourself/show your worth” to the university admission board. College applicants are required to talk about their previous experiences and goals and how they informed their choice of program, demonstrate their uniqueness and fit the school, and highlight how they can advance the missions and visions of the university if accepted. This might seem like a lot especially for people with little writing experience or inability to correlate their ideas in a convincing way. That is why we are here. We will show you how to write a convincing admission essay that will guarantee your acceptance in your dream school, with a sample.
What are College Admission Essay Prompts?
Remember earlier we stated that college applicants are required to talk about their experiences, goals, reason(s) for their choice of institution and program, etc. these are prompts. They serve as the building block of an essay. This, however, does not mean you should not include other relevant topics/ideas, aside from the prompt, in your essay. However, not all colleges give prompts. A situation like this is a chance for you to showcase your creativity and understanding of the admission board psychology.
Admission Essay Format
Colleges, especially foreign universities, receive tons of applications from local and international students for their programs. This means the admission board has tons of admission essays to read through. So how can you format your essay in a way that captures the attention and interest of the reader to urge them to read more? It’s pretty simple – An alluring introduction. A captivating introduction piques the interest of your reader to turn the pages of your essay.
Now, for the body of your essay, you’ll need to organize your thoughts and ideas in a confident and persuasive way. You can do this by following a logical pattern and building on the prompts in a comprehensive and engaging way.
You’ve started strong, why not finish strong? The concluding part of your essay is equally as important as the introduction; besides, it’s the last thing the admission officer will see, so you’ll need to leave a lasting impression.
ADMISSION ESSAY SAMPLE FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE SCHOOL
| PROMPT: Write about a time growth came from disappointment |
| I remember playing the careers game growing up in a rural Nigerian community. My friends and I will scream out our desired career path and make arguments on whose job was superior. We would yell – I want to be a doctor, I want to be an engineer, I want to be a pilot, etc. it was fun. Looking back, I can say my career interests mirrored those different professions because I was constantly changing what I wanted to become. But reminiscing now, I guess even if I had a career in mind, I probably wouldn’t have gone for it if my parents didn’t approve of it. Yes, African parents, especially Nigerian parents, see education as a ticket out of poverty. They’ll want you to go into departments that can make you enroll for their perceived top courses, and in my country, that’s the science department in high school. I didn’t object, after all, I didn’t have any clear career aspiration. But boy did I struggle with physics. Physics was my bane throughout secondary school and I never understood why I didn’t understand the subject when I excelled at mathematics but never have I loved a subject as I love economics. My obliviousness still continued till I finished high school. It was time to select a career path, and naturally, since I finished from the sciences, I was expected to go for a pure science field. My parents came through again and chose Medical Laboratory Science. No objections. I sat for the entrance exam, scaled through, was invited for the interview, and I was pretty sure I aced it, but my application was rejected. I was disappointed, not because I wanted to do the course, but I don’t like failing, but at the same time, I was happy with the outcome. At that time, I came to a realization that if I want to excel at my chosen career, it has to be something I love, and my love is economics. I sat for the college entrance examination again and put in economics as my most preferred course of study. My score came out as among the 47 students reported to score 250 and above in the college entrance examination that year, talk about the power of doing what one loves. I got accepted, on the merit list, to study economics in my chosen institution and it has been a joyous journey till I completed my first degree. Thanks to a reevaluation triggered by disappointment, I am on a path I derive so much fulfillment from, and I hope to continue this journey at the University of Manitoba, Canada. |
Useful tips to write an amazing college admission essay
- Understand your audience: to know what the admission board is looking for, you have to make guided research. Visit the university’s official website, note their mission and vision statements, follow their social media pages, read student comments, etc.
- Be yourself: irrespective of the prompt you’re given, the inspiration for your essay is yourself. Tell your story, let it flow, be truthful, be convincing, be yourself.
- Determine your goals: how do you want the admission board to perceive you? Many students write their essays to portray them in a certain way, some write to show their academic intelligence, some to highlight their unique skills, etc. If your transcripts already show your intelligence quotient, it is advised to write your essay in a way that shows another amazing part of your personality.
- Write a compelling first paragraph: admission officers have a lot of admission essays to read through which indicates they have a brief period of time to read your essay. The trick here is to get their attention with a compelling and engaging first paragraph to get them to read more.
- Have a logical flow: don’t jumble your ideas in your essay, build on each idea in a way that flows to what you want the admission officer to understand/ perceive about you.
- Start early: many people make the mistake of starting their essay just days before the deadline. Your admission essay needs proper planning and structuring in a way that satisfies the prompts and highlights your uniqueness to the admission board. This is not something you start writing a few days before the essay is due.
- Give an expert to proofread your work: you may feel very confident about what you’ve written but it’s very important you give a writing expert to proofread your work. They can help with better grammar construction and misspelled words. Academic hive has a team of experts who can help you with this service.
Best Admission Essay Consulting Service
Using the above tips and the sample essay, we believe you’re on the right path to writing that perfect admission essay. You can reach out to us at info@academichive.com for a review or click here to speak to our consultant for more inquires.
FAQs
- What Are University/College Admission Essays?
A university/college admission essay is an essay written by a prospective student applying to a higher institution, which aims at conveying the applicant’s personality and character to the admission board.
- How Long Are College Admission Essays?
Some schools stipulate the word length of your essay, but in a situation where it is not given, it is advised to use between 500 – 800 words.
- Do Colleges Check Admission Essays for Plagiarism?
Yes, colleges check your admission essay for plagiarism. According to the Los Angeles Times, more than one hundred universities and colleges check admission essays for plagiarism using the Turnitin software.
- Does Every Foreign University/Colleges Require Admission Essays?
Not every foreign university requires admission essays. Schools like the University of Alabama, California state university, the University of Missouri, and a few others in the United States do not require admission essays.
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