How to Write an Application Essay

The importance of an application essay

Application essays and their variations (e.g., personal statements, statements of purposes, personal essays, writing samples, and short essays) are becoming an increasingly common part of college applications. Whether you are a high school senior preparing to take the next step in your education and career or a bachelor’s degree holder looking to continue your career in academia with a master’s degree, application essays will no doubt be a significant part of the stress you will face in composing all the elements of your application.

Application essays are an important component of any petition to get a coveted spot in a program, and they are the component of an application that can make up for any deficits, such as a lower GPA, a lack of extracurricular activity, or a lack of worldly experience. According to college data (https://www.collegedata.com/resources/getting-in/what-do-colleges-look-for-in-students), an outstanding essay can often be the decider between whether an applicant is accepted or rejected. According to the 2019 National Association for College Admission Counseling survey, the application essay is the fifth most important factor of the admissions process (https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2018-07-09/what-admissions-officers-think-of-3-common-college-essay-topics#:~:text=That's%20where%20the%20college%20essay,own%20story%20to%20admissions%20officials.&text=It%20ranked%20as%20the%20fifth,for%20College%20Admission%20Counseling%20survey).

In a time when writing and communication skills are becoming increasingly, a good application essay will go a long way in persuading an admissions panel of your deservingness of a spot in their program. This article will give you some essential tips and tricks to convince an admissions committee that you are the right candidate for them.

As a seasoned editor, I have reviewed thousands of application essays, and very few of them have stood out to me. However, the good ones all had one thing in common: a unique story. Think of yourself as a product, the university admissions committee as the buyer, and your application essay as your marketing strategy. The most basic tenet of marketing is to advertise a strong, unique, and powerful story that allows a product to create differentiation from other products in the market.

In writing an application essay, you should look to do the same thing. Your application essay should clearly demonstrate the kind of person you are, your personality, your experiences, your attributes and maybe some potential flaws, and your passion. This last point is the most important; no one will buy something that looks like it was put together in a garage. Take bottled water for example. Water is all the same; it’s just the packaging and the money poured into marketing that’s different.

Therefore, writing a good application essay to appropriately package all your best traits is vital.

Essential elements of a good essay

Before we break down this article according to the parts of an application essay, let us discuss the essential elements of a good application essay. A good application essay will discuss

an applicant’s short- and long-term goals

give an overview of the applicant’s personality

demonstrate the applicant’s strengths

explain the applicant’s desire to apply to a certain school

demonstrate the applicant’s suitability for a specific program

express the applicant’s passion for the subject of study.

An application essay will be specific, detailed, clear, and structurally organized. Furthermore, the applicant should clearly demonstrate not only their strengths and abilities but also what they intend to do with these strengths. Here are some themes of successful application essays:

Some applicants like to discuss a traumatic event that has occurred and how this traumatic event relates to their future goals. Many discuss the passing of a loved one, a tragic accident, or an ordeal.

In North America, many applicants like to highlight their positions of marginality. For example, many immigrant applicants like to discuss how their experiences as a minority have informed their decisions to pursue a post-secondary degree or their career choices. Other applicants to highlight their positions of marginality also like to discuss societal wrongdoings and injustices that have been perpetrated against them and their ideas for solving such issues. Aspiring lawyers and politicians often fall into this category.

Often, applicants like to discuss moments of inspiration that have informed their ideal careers. These applicants describe the first time they fall in love with a subject matter or realize they were meant to pursue specific research or fields. For example, some applicants have even discussed how their childhood love for Lego inspired their desire to become architects or engineers.

Still, other applicants have more practical reasons for pursuing a college degree, and these reasons, while mundane, could be the most applicable or true to your experiences. For example, some applicants discuss how they require a specific nursing degree to achieve a higher position at work, or some mothers explain that they wish to fulfill their potential and provide for their children by acquiring a higher education.

Hardworking and talented applicants might demonstrate their achievements. For example, some applicants might discuss the effort they put into a specific coding competition they traveled to Tokyo for. Others might highlight their piano certifications or their role in an official orchestra. Others might discuss their athletic achievements, such as winning national volleyball games. Highlighting an achievement is a great idea, as outstanding scholastic or extracurricular talent is always welcomed on campuses.

Applications can also pertain specifically to the school. Some applicants discuss how their dream has been tied to specific institutions or continuing specific legacies. For example, some applicants go for this route to explain how their parents or grandparents might have received their education at said school, and so, they wish to do the same.

In pondering the theme of your application, you can craft a unique and specific story suited to your special circumstances, as an outstanding application essay is always a unique one.

The introduction to an essay

You want to start off an application essay with a strong introductory paragraph that gives an idea of who you are. In this paragraph, you can give a brief introduction of yourself and your achievements, explain why you are pursuing this degree or program, or demonstrate why you have selected this school. Your application essay should reflect who you are as an individual.

Here are some questions you should consider:

Does your introduction have a good hook? Does the opening sentence draw the reader in? Is it powerful? Does it create a lasting and strong impression? Is the opening line unique?

Is the introduction clear? Did you leave any areas of vagueness? Do you clearly state what you are going to explain later on in the essay?

The body paragraphs

To write a very strong application essay, the body paragraphs should transition smoothly and effectively. In the body paragraphs of an application essay, you can go into the specifics of your story. Strong body paragraphs won’t meander; they’ll be direct, clear, and demonstrate a journey. In your body paragraphs, consider discussing the following:

It is important to discuss your dreams. Despite how lofty and out of this world some dreams can sound, the pitch is more important. You have to make your reader believe that you are not only passionate about your dream but that you’ll definitely achieve it. Furthermore, try to convince them that you can and will achieve your dreams by taking part in their specific program or university. Demonstrate to the admissions committee your short- and long-term goals, your five year plans if you have them, your projected career path, and the steps you are willing to take to achieve all of your goals.

By clearly showing that you have a solid and well-thought-out plan, you will convince the committee that your dreams are not just memes and that they should take a chance on you and devote their resources to you. Remember: universities are businesses. They want a return for their investment (even if you’ll be investing heavily into them). They don’t just want you to graduate with a degree; they want to attract talent. Think of all the celebrities who get honorary degrees.

By attracting these people to them, these universities increase in prestige. If you can convince them that you are going to be someone who can, say, solve the common cold, for example, then you will be a shoo-in.

In your body paragraphs, it is also a great idea to demonstrate your knowledge of your intended field or subject matter. For example, you should explain why you are qualified to study in a specific program. Your qualifications can include an emphasis on leadership projects you’ve under taken, high school research projects, volunteer work in a relevant field, or specific programs or camps you’ve participated in. For example, this could include Model United Nations, summer robotics camps, working at a McDonald’s.

As long as the examples are relevant and specific to your goals, including them in your essay is a great idea. Try not to reiterate your good grades or specific academic achievements, as these should be pretty obvious from your transcript.

An often overlooked part of an application essay is also the research aspect. This not only pertains to research that an applicant has engaged in but also the applicant’s research of an institution. Applicants will often apply to multiple different institutions to increase their chances of getting into one of them. However, this often creates a very general essay that reviewers can tell are general essays. Often, the only things changed about these essays are the institution names. One of the easiest and most fool-proof ways to avoid this error is to research the institution of choice and include specific key words or key people.

For example, you could recite the institution’s mandates back to them, or you could recite the institution’s motto and explain why that motto resonates with you. Another way you can highlight that you have chosen this specific institution (as all people, even admissions coordinators, like a little flattery) is by discussing the campus or facilities offered. You can highlight why the specific campus is well endowed, or you can even discuss the campus’s history. Who are some historical figures that have attended this institution?

What were some things that were invented as this institution? What are some major feats of research or some significant discoveries that have come out of this institution? Who are some central figures of this institution? Some applicants have mentioned the institutions’ founders and explained why their beliefs align with these founders. Others have discussed the institution’s specific architecture and talked about earthquakes or tragic events that have happened to the institution. Another easy way to show commitment and loyalty to a specific institution is simply by mentioning the names of some specific professors or the names of specific courses you’d like to take.

Applicants will often explain to admissions coordinators that they want to engage in specific research with an esteemed professor or talk about alumni they’d like to meet. Demonstrating that you have researched your options demonstrates your preparedness to take on a university course load and the work that entails, therefore convincing the admissions committee of your ability to excel and succeed with their resources.

Before we deal with the conclusion, there are some common mistakes that should be avoided. Here is a list of don’ts:

Don’t start your essay with a quote from a famous person. This trope is an illness that affects many bad essays.

Don’t use common clichés, such as the book metaphor. Avoid stating “I’m ready to start the next chapter of my life.” This cliché has murdered not only many good essays but many wedding speeches as well.

Don’t just give a list of your achievements. Explain your most important ones, and try to sound humble. No one wants to go to school with a bragger.

Perhaps the most important of them all, DO NOT submit an essay that is riddled with spelling or grammatical errors. If you can, get a peer or parent to help. Better yet, get an English teacher. And even better yet, enlist the help of a professional editor who knows their stuff. No matter how good your story is, none of it matters if you don’t catch their error in your spelling of “you’re” versus “your” or “should have” instead of “should of,” which are errors I see all too often.

Conclusion paragraph

Lastly, you want to finish with a strong conclusion. A good conclusion should always reiterate the primary points of the essay and highlight your story once again. Avoid statements like “thank you for reading my essay” or “I appreciate your time.” These filler sentences aren’t necessary. Try to end off on a hopeful note or concrete statement that concludes your story. To truly write a good application essay, take special note of the advice above, and try to get the essay read by as many people as possible. Preparation will get you in the door.