Need help with the essay portion of our College Application? Here are some simple tips!
- Pick your topic carefully. Write about something that matters to you. It could be an experience, a person, a book – anything that has had an impact on your life. We hope to get to know you through your essay. Remember, it’s always easier to write about something that matters to you.
- Remember to reflect! We care about the experiences you have had that have shaped you into the unique person you are. Be sure to do more than tell us what happened; remember to reflect on how the experience has affected you, how it has changed you, what you have learned, and how you have grown.
- Start early and revise often. College essays are different from other writing assignments. They should reflect your best work. Begin early, allowing yourself enough time to think, change your mind, draft, and rewrite.
- If you have trouble starting your essay, just take a few deep breaths, relax, and prewrite: write all your thoughts down. Don’t judge yourself or your writing. After about ten minutes of this, sit back and look at what you wrote. Can you use any of it in your essay?
- The next step is to plan. What are you going to write about and where should each topic fall in your essay? Be sure to make space in your essay for reflection (remember #2).
- Then go ahead and write your essay. Give yourself a few days to do this.
- Read your draft out loud. Do you repeat yourself? If so, remove the repetition. Does the organization make sense? Did you answer the prompt? Is your essay long enough? Does every sentence in your essay have a purpose?
- Once you have made these larger changes, go ahead and look at grammar, punctuation, and spelling. At Albertus Magnus College, we value quality writing, so do your best. If you aren’t confident about correcting your own grammar and punctuation, ask for a teacher, guidance counselor, tutor, or friend for help.
- Use your own words – we want to get to know the real, authentic you. Please use your own words so we can get to know your voice. Sometimes students get nervous and use someone else’s words in their essay. Maybe they copy and paste from the internet. Please don’t do this – it’s stealing (called “plagiarism”) to take others’ words and pass them off as your own. We won’t be able to accept you into our college if you commit plagiarism in your application essay. Keep in mind that it’s you we want to get to know!
- Good writers need good readers. Remember, you are writing an essay that will be read with care and attention by our admissions department. Before you decide your essay is finished, please take the time to have readers look over your essay and tell you what they think. Maybe they have suggestions about your essay’s topic. Maybe they have a question that should be answered in the essay. Listen carefully to their feedback, and then make the changes you think are necessary.
Natalie Devaull-Robichaud is an Associate Professor of English and Director of the Academic Success Center and Writing program at Albertus Magnus College. She received her B.A. at the University of Michigan and her M.F.A. at Sarah Lawrence College. Natalie Devaull-Robichaud has appeared in several publications and is a member of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs and the Jane Austen Society of North America.