May 09, · The 1st two college essay example drafts are written in response to the prompt: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. For her final essay in her college essay examples, Shania recognized her challenges with the initial prompt and pivoted to Nov 23, · In this post, we’ll talk about how to write the first draft of a winning college application essay. How Long Should the College Essay Drafting Process Take? We recommend giving yourself at least a month to craft your personal statement. For most students, this is the main essay on the Common Application. To get advice on those specific The sample rough draft on the right shows you an example of just how much more work a rough draft can need, even a really solid first draft. Take a look at this example with notes a student wrote on her rough draft. Once you complete your own rough draft, you will want to engage in a revision and editing process that involves feedback, time
12 College Essay Examples From Top Universities () — Shemmassian Academic Consulting
By the time senior year rolls around, you have already done most of what it takes to get into college. Years of grades, extracurricular activities, and test scores have already stacked up to give admissions officers a sense of your interests and talents. So then why should essays be a big deal, if all of this information about you already exists?
Essays are extremely important because they tie the whole application together. Your essay is one of the few places in the application where you get to show your values and personality to the selection committee. And that takes a lot of careful planning. We recommend giving yourself at least a month to craft your personal statement. For most students, this is the main essay on the Common Application.
Students using a different application portal can still follow these general drafting guidelines. For school-specific essays, we recommend starting at least two weeks before the deadline. The drafting process requires a little less soul-searching and a bit more research, college essay draft example. We have students start essays early so that they have time to marinate.
You will come up with college essay draft example ideas between drafts, and words that sounded great at first will stick college essay draft example if you read the essay several days or weeks later. These timeline suggestions are on the low end. Starting even college essay draft example never hurt a student.
How can that be? A lot of undergraduate scholarships are based on your college application only. In the rest of this article, we recommend one approach to building a first draft. This is not necessarily how you have to start. If you use this method, then you can be sure no important step is falling through the cracks. First, read the prompt. In some cases, you have only one choice. In others, you will be given multiple questions from which to choose. If you have options, college essay draft example, read them all before narrowing in on one prompt over another.
Once you have identified a prompt that speaks to you, annotate it. First, underline key words or phrases. By underlining the key parts of the passage, you get a sense of what kinds of answers go well with this essay prompt.
For instance, students who annotated this prompt would know that they should be looking for obstacles, college essay draft example, challenges, setbacks, or failures in their past. Next, number the specific requests that the prompt makes. This avoids the common mistake of responding to some but not all of the questions posed. You can see how we break down the same example prompt below:. Student who annotated this prompt would know that the essay should accomplish three things:.
This whole process only takes a few minutes, but it will help you stay on-topic when it actually comes time to write. Next, write without stopping for minutes. This gets your creative juices flowing and helps you to uncover ideas you would not have considered otherwise, college essay draft example. There are only two rules for a free write:. There will probably be something that surprises you. Put a star next to it. If you find a part that really resonates with you, star that as well.
Eye-catching details and stories that grab your attention usually make for good essay material. Most successful essays follow this story arch:. If you can fill in [A], [B], and [C] with your own story of how you grew, then you probably have a good essay topic on your hands.
Whenever you find one of these growth moments, star it. By now, you should have an annotated prompt and a free write with a bunch of stars on it. Does anything jump out at you? Is there one essay idea that is more appealing than the others? If no, try the same process with a different prompt. All you have to do is tell a story that answers the questions you numbered in the prompt.
Whenever possible, try to answer these questions with stories from your life, college essay draft example. Give examples. Be specific. All you have to do is answer one question: Are you the hero of your story? At the end of the day, you need to be the main character. Otherwise, colleges and universities will not have enough information about you to make an informed admissions decision.
Read this draft a second time. This time, answer this question: Did you respond to all parts of the prompt? Make sure you answer each question presented.
For the example, this looks like:. If your essay addresses every question in the prompt, then you just completed a great first draft essay. You have now officially completed a first draft of your essay. Rest assured that you are on your way to an application that lets your values and personality shine.
After getting to this point, set the essay aside for a few days or weeks. We recommend reading this over at least two more times before you declare that it college essay draft example finished. Each time you read, you will likely catch something that needs improving. Your next step will be to edit and proofread. For tips on how to perfect your essay, see our post of 11 Tips for Proofreading and Editing Your College Essay.
Good luck! You can find additional help by reading these related articles:. Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances?
Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. Learn more about how our Applications Program can help your chances of admission. Veronica Wickline November 23, 6 min read 12th GradeCollege EssaysEssay TipsGrades.
How Long Should the College Essay Drafting Process Take? Analyze the Prompt College essay draft example, read the prompt.
Student who annotated this prompt would know that the essay should accomplish three things: Let the reader know when they faced a challenge, setback, or failure. Describe how it affected them. Share what they learned from the experience. Free Write Next, write without stopping for minutes. There are only two rules for a free write: First, stay on topic. Most successful essays follow this story arch: At first I was [A: trait]. Then something important happened: [B: event].
Because of [B: event], I am no longer [A: trait]. Now, I am [C: trait], college essay draft example. Pen Your First Draft By now, you should have an annotated prompt and a free write with a bunch of stars on it. For the example, this looks like: 1 Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure.
What Should I Do Next? Learn more about College Apps. Want more college admissions tips? We'll send you information to help you throughout the college admissions process. Loved the article? Share it! Veronica Wickline Blogger at CollegeVine, college essay draft example. Short bio.
Veronica is an alumna of Harvard College, where she earned her A. in History and Classics. After college essay draft example, she joined CollegeVine serving as the Curriculum Development Manager. She currently lives in Cambridge, MA and is writing her debut novel.
Other articles by Veronica. What Does It Really Take to Get Into Stanford?
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Apr 24, · No college application is complete without the personal essay, which can be daunting for many students to write. But a few simple tips, some introspection and Oct 22, · —Argumentative Essay Examples, Skyline College. Thesis Statement. Your thesis statement comes at the end of your introduction. Here’s the thesis statement from the Skyline College example above. It states the main point of the essay, which the author intends to make a case for Nov 23, · In this post, we’ll talk about how to write the first draft of a winning college application essay. How Long Should the College Essay Drafting Process Take? We recommend giving yourself at least a month to craft your personal statement. For most students, this is the main essay on the Common Application. To get advice on those specific
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