Successful Harvard Application

Successful Harvard Application Next, use a few detailed examples to show the skills you have, such as leadership, rather than using lots of different ones. In the conclusion, make a statement on your main theme without repeating yourself. If you can tell a story in response to the prompt or question, do so. Telling a story will be much more engaging or interesting than just listing a bunch of reasons why you want to go to college. Admissions officers are often looking for students who can engage their audience, and the more interesting your essay is, the more an admissions officer will want to read it. Finally, the most critical key to writing an essay is to write many drafts. Virtually no one can write a great essay the first time out, so the key to success is relentless editing and refinement. Agood essay coachcan help, andmany students applying to selective universities use coachesto brainstorm and revise their essays. DON’T try to sound “academic” or give the “what they want to hear.” DO write what only you can write. Don’t focus on a negative event or a struggle without spending more time on what you learned or gain from it? Don’t write about a person without spending 2/3 of the essay focusing on how that person shaped youâ€"specifically. Each essay should focus on different qualities and events, and should help you become 3-D for the admissions officers. If you use a thesaurus to find words rather than trust the words you know and use every day, you will not sound like yourself. What’s more, you might use a few big words incorrectly, which will never impress an admissions officer. Colleges are not looking for the next Ernest Hemingway or Toni Morrison. Especially if you put the wrong colleges name on the essay! DON’T use too many exclamation points- you want to seem passionate about something, but exclamation points are informal, and too many can seem overly frivolous. The more you enjoy your subject matter the easier it will be to write the essay. Colleges look at the personality of each student as well as their qualifications. This is your chance to show them who you are, not just what you’ve done! Don’t be afraid to ask for help on wording and style either, just make sure that your voice is always the one being heard, not your proofreader’s. Colleges can tell when you weren’t thinking about them specifically as you wrote your essay and were just casting a really wide net. You will sound smart when you use your own words and your own voice to tell a genuine story that shows who you are. Get too much help.There is a fine line between asking someone you trust to review your essay and getting too much help. When your mom, dad, teacher or tutor starts giving you words to use or edits too much, your voice disappears. If your schedule and ours permit, we invite you to come to the Writing Center. (“I am… I was… I have been…”) DO use active, interesting details. DON’T just talk about why the school is a good fit for you. DO talk about what you plan to contribute to the school, and why you are the perfect candidate for it! DON’T send it off without having someone else read it first! I read and review essays for a living and my students tell me the insight is invaluable. DO make sure that your own personality shines through. 2) Make sure you know what you want the college to know about you before you decide what story to tell. Read the prompt before, during and after you write your draft, then ask someone else to tell you whether or not you responded to it. This mistake shows that you don’t care enough to proofread your application. Admissions committees might forgive a typo, but they don’t like to hear that you wish you were going to school somewhere else. There aren’t too many things you can do to ensure rejection, but plagiarism, also known as cheating, is one of them. Come back the next day with a fresh eye and go over it. You will be able to streamline your line of thought that way so you can fit into word counts. Do tell a great story that communicates some unique qualities you offer a college. Do tell a specific story that grabs the reader’s attention.