Better Writing With Gail Shister

Better Writing With Gail Shister Think of 1-2 word responses and write a few options down. As you plan your essay, you definitely want to keep the length requirement in mind. I always knew that I would want to pursue a future in science, but the exciting world of research where the discoveries are limitless has captured my heart. Living on the Notre Dame campus with other REU students, UND athletes, and other summer school students was a whole other experience that prepared me for the world beyond high school. For 9 weeks, I worked, played and bonded with the other students, and had the opportunity to live the life of an independent college student. Sometimes students pick the hardest challenge they’ve been through and try to make it sound worse than it actually was. Many applicants attempt to do too much with their essays and then struggle to edit them down to 650 words. Realize the purpose of the personal statement is not to tell your life story or to give an exhaustive overview of all of your accomplishments. Let your list of extracurricular activities, academic record, letters of recommendation, and supplemental essays and materials show your range of accomplishments. The personal statement is not the place for long lists or catalogs of achievement. Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. The reason that teachers don’t assign a number of pages anymore is because it’s too easy to manipulate pages. When students used to write on typewriters, it was common for teachers to assign essays in number of pages. With the adoption of computers in the classroom, teachers switched from pages to work count because it was too easy for the computers to manipulate the font size and page size. Tons of students write doctor/lawyer/engineer essays; if you want to stand out you need to say a few things that others don’t tend to say. If a student is still very much struggling through the challenges they describe, the admissions reader may wonder if the student is ready for college. The part of your application you’re likely to spend the most time on. College courses have high writing standards, and most professors who assign essays have lofty expectations for those essays. Instructors can be rather difficult to please and their reputation is well-known on campus, striking fear into the hearts of students who are committed to getting good grades. ShutterstockOn its face, this perhaps doesn't seem surprising, but it is troubling for a number of reasons. The practices may raise a hidden barrier to a college education for underprivileged students. According to the Washington Post, the tracking services have become particularly popular among schools operating on tight budgets. A lot of students think that the title of their essay needs to be something profound, thematic, and influential but it’s almost impossible to write freely with something like that looming over your head. Simplify the process by asking yourself “what is my essay about? Yes â€" always use the appropriate terminology as this will get you marks, but before you use a term always be sure you know its meaning and how to use it correctly! Asking someone to read your finished essay will allow them to point out any confusions, inappropriate words or sentences that they feel could be made shorter. While I won’t say you should never write about these topics, if you do decide to write about one of these topics, the degree of difficulty goes way up. Essentially you have to be one of the best “soccer” essays or “mission trip” essays among the hundreds the admission officer has likely read. So it makes it much more difficult to stand out. This has led to some schools placing an increased emphasis recruiting out-of-state students who may pay a higher tuition. Those students are more likely to be consistent contributors to the school's revenue, even if they aren't the best fit at the school based solely on their academic background. And it can be off-putting to readers, particularly to those who don’t share your religious beliefs . In most cases, we suggest writing your essay before you lock in a title. It’s much more likely that something will come to mind after you’re done writing. But of course I’d say that; I’m the College Essay Guy. The personal statement is likely to be words long and many of the colleges you’re applying to will require it. Many students will try to include complicated sentences and long words to make their paper sound more academic. The reader should never have to go through a sentence more than twice to find out its meaning.