Tips for Writing Compelling Common Application Essays

It will help if you remain well aware of this crucial fact: each year, through the Common Application, over a million high school seniors apply for college enrollment at their dream colleges and courses of their choice. The advantage of this online system is that it enables you to submit one application to multiple schools, providing you with the opportunity of a lifetime to fill out everything once—including a personal statement. If you are armed with the tips for writing the Compelling Common Application Essays, you double your admission chances. We have accumulated these tips for writing compelling common application essays.

Through the Common App Essays, the colleges get to know more about you as a person and the things that are important to you, thus helping them evaluate your candidature. Therefore, to tell your story, you should use this space to reveal different or multiple facets of your personality. You should do your best to craft your college application essay that appeals to the Admissions Committee for a decision in your favour. Here, it’s essential to explain what the Common App Essay implies before digging deeper into the biggest expert tips for crafting a memorable personal statement and related essays that will matter the most.

What is the Common App Essay All About?

The Common App Essay prompts and instructions can be found by navigating to the “Common App” tab on your Common App account and clicking on “Writing” to do the needful. As a result, you will get to choose one of the seven prompts to respond to, and it needs to be kept in mind that your essay must be between 250 and 650 words long only.

Therefore, it is highly important and instrumental in the long run as you get the chance to delve deeper into your interests, experiences, passions, and interests, where you have the liberty to discuss anything you want, provided the prompt chosen by you addresses your topic. There are no set rules for how you tell your story.

The Common Application Essay must be submitted to all colleges that ask for it. It’s another thing that some may require one or more supplemental essays to be submitted by you. Remain abreast of some of the notable tips regarding making a college essay more convincing. Get the Tips for Writing the Compelling Common Application Essay and increase your enrollment chances.

Top Seven Common Application Essay Tips:

Here are some of the finest tips that admissions officers, higher education administrators, education consultants, and college admissions advisors seek from individual approaches to finding the worth of the candidates for enrollment:

1. Mistaking a rare topic for a compelling topic

It is the general assumption of the students that their Common Application Essay must have such a unique topic that any other student should have written it. It is indeed a complete myth, and that needs to be busted without any reservations. It’s not just about the topic. But it would help if you showcased why it’s important to you and clearly state who you are as an individual and as a student. Asking yourself a series of questions like “Have you experienced a turning point in your life” or “Are you passionate enough to pursue a particular subject?” will help identify the potential essay topics. Make your essay exciting and inspiring enough, not only for you but also for those who read it.

2. Pick the best essay prompt

As no men are created equal, so are the Common Application Essay prompts. Not all of them are made equal or are meant to be the same. Out of these prompts, some will work better for you than others; there is no doubt about it. Therefore, you need to trust your instincts and the version you want to present to the schools that should evaluate you as a candidate.

Out of the seven prompts, choose the two or three that look more appealing to you. It’s not wise to jump on the first prompt you read and start writing. You may come across such questions where you are supposed to ask yourself multiple questions like “specific achievements” or “giving insight into hardship you faced and overcame.” These are some of the most probable questions you might have to reply to in the Common App Essays while you are applying to Oxford University. Therefore, you should plan things accordingly.

3. Use the space wisely

It has been generally observed that students adopt one of the two ways with the Common Application Essay: they either trim it down after writing too much or resort to writing too little, resulting in sounding superficial and generic. Ideally, 500 words are considered a sweet spot’ by the admissions officers. But there is no need to stress if you write an essay closer to 430 or 620 words that you may honestly feel proud of.

4. Don’t forget to fill your story with details

When it comes to the Common Application Essay writing service, details play a pivotal role in tilting the balance in your favour. And, several experts suggest anchoring your essay in a single anecdote or story. It would help if you made every effort to think of a story that often reflects your personality. Everyone dreams of pursuing their education at Cambridge University or similar institutions of repute. If you too aspire to be a part of Cambridge University, consider the Cambridge College application process which is slightly different from the rest. It would help if you, therefore, crafted your Common Application Essay for Cambridge College differently.

5. Channel your authentic voice

Unlike most common essays you might have written for school, the Common Application Essay primarily focuses on showcasing your identity instead of analyzing a piece of literature or historical event. The words used by you should give the impression that they came from you—not a dictionary or an English teacher. And it would help if you also refrained from using clichés that might make your essay vague. If you are willing to pursue your education at Harvard University, no one can stop you, provided you draft your Common Application Essay meticulously that fulfills its exclusive needs.

It is high time you keep those application tips in mind to enter the prestigious Harvard University colleges. That is why you should seek guidance from reputed and expert academic content agencies for the best possible support in educational writing services to ease your enrollment.

6. Ensure to get feedback

Before your final submission of the Common Application Essay, don’t forget to show that to someone who may offer feedback and give you back with editing and proofreading. Experts suggest that you should lead your essay to one who is a good writer and to one who knows you well. All recommendations from the experts convey the same message: it should be your top priority to get feedback on your Common Application Essay. So, keep this crucial aspect in mind.

7. Don’t neglect the supplemental essays

In addition to the Common Application Essay, supplemental essays besides short answers are also required by lots of competitive universities. As there are chances of rejection if a great Common Application Essay carries a weak supplemental essay combination that could reflect poorly on your application and jeopardize your selection, try seeking expert guidance.

8. Take a plunge right in

It has been widely experienced that a book is judged by reading its first or two sentences. A college essay is in no way different. The well-known author of How to Succeed in High School and Prep for College, Phyllis Zimbler Miller, says “Frequently, the initial paragraphs remain weak as if the writer winds up writing the meaty part of that particular essay. You need to start with the meaty part right off the bat”. After writing the first draft, chopping off the first paragraph may help you see how it reads. You will feel that more significant changes may give you the intuition that it’s an excellent place to start robustly.

Toeing almost the same line Lindsey Conger, an independent college counsellor at MoonPrep.com feels and acknowledges the vital role of the first paragraph and suggests starting with an anecdote, particularly one where you can induce the reader to feel as if they are part of the action. In her inimitable style, she says, “I recommend you throw your reader right into the middle of the story.”

9. Connect to the world

Though it’s an accepted fact and no one can rule out that it would be just fine to talk about yourself, you should strive to connect to the world at large to bring your essay to the next level. Benjamin Calderalli, the co-founder of Princeton College Consulting, elucidates, “What often elevates an essay is that the writer can place their unique story and insights better in the historical, cultural, philosophical, and intellectual context. Ask the question: what is an important and authentic context for my story?

Whether it’s an idea that frames the entire essay or finds its way through telling details, it often separates good from great”. In a glaring example, one student structured his entire essay within the context of shopping at Sam’s Club (Walmart), but managed to bring in Darwin’s Theory, make literature references, and try hard to demonstrate his personal growth.

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10. Use humour without any re-think

Sometimes something expressed in a lighter vein can relieve the admissions associates who are overburdened in perusing the earnest essays. To attract the reader, humour or a semi-sensational statement should be used, says Brian Galvin, chief academic officer for Varsity Tutors. For example, one of his most intriguing lines is, “When I was three, I was abducted by aliens. My life has never been the same.” Who on earth would not like to go through that essay? He feels that the perfect amount of humour should not go beyond two sentences.

Make sure not to make your essay a stand-up routine. Always keep in mind that it is your essay that has the potential to be used by you as an essential tool through which you can communicate the wholesome and most compelling version of yourself. Galvin suggests that after a quick bit of humour, make a deep foray into your interests. He says this alien opening might “make a deep foray into a student’s deep interest in astrophysics or aerospace engineering. Go through the Tips for Writing Compelling Common Application Essays.

Conclusion – Tips for Writing the Compelling Common Application Essay

It is high time you make sure not to let this happen that your essays don’t balance to bask in the glory after getting selected for the college of your dreams. Always focus on presenting something unique and exemplary while you are on the verge of drafting the Common Application Essay besides supplementary and other related essays that must appeal to the Admission Committee. Let them feel your worth to ascertain they consider your candidature for your bright future by assuring your enrollment in the dream course in the prestigious institution you strive to enter.

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