Supplemental Essay

Supplemental Essay Southwestern University Assistant Director of Admission Rebecca Rother recommends having two people review your essay. The first should be someone “who knows you super well, such as a parent, best friend, close teacher, etc. Answer the questionâ€"this sounds obvious, but it can be easy to forget. Just get startedâ€"the hardest part is the first part. Starting early is key to writing a college essay, so you should get started the summer before your senior year. If you can get your essay finished during this summer, you’ll have plenty of time to adjust it or rewrite it, as well as to get started on other essays, as well. Plus you’ll be in a position to apply for early decision deadlines by the winter, which is always a good idea. You do not want to inadvertently offend your reader, so you need to also curb your use of “taboo” language. Your essay should be one that only you could write- it needs to reflect who you are. Better to impress admission with your personal qualities. Nobody is going to learn anything of value from you if you fill your essay with complaints, excuses and self-loathing. One thing you absolutely should DO is read your essay out loud to yourself. To see if your voice and your personality are really on that piece of paper. Are you in that essay or does it just sound like it could be anyone else? Before you start writing, DO look at what the question is asking for and prepare yourself to respond appropriately. When you are thinking about your answer, ask yourself repeatedly if you are answering what the question is asking for. Stay focused on the essay promptâ€"for example, a question about an experience outside the classroom that shaped who you are. Make what you write about what you learned from the experience, not the exact details or context of the story. Remember this is more of a written job interview than a first date in paragraph form. Another way to get critical distance from your essay is to get criticism. And I don’t mean a slash-and-burn review like you might get from an unreasonable reality-TV competition judge. I’m talking about constructive feedback from trusted friends, family, or mentors. So for now, how do you create a college application essay, personal essay, common app essay, or whatever you need to write to get in? These tips will get you most of the way thereâ€"you’ll just have to come up with the exact words. That means most schools will want to make sure you know how to put an essay together before they offer you admission. It’s a lot of work for you to write, it’s a lot of work for them to read and evaluate, but it really is for your own good. After three years of high school, you would probably be glad never to write an essay again. When you read it yourself and actually hear your words, you are more inclined to identify areas where your writing doesn’t flow well or where you start to stray from your message. Don’t bore the reader; that is key to your success. The topic of your essay does not really matter, as long as you avoid the over-used topics- i.e. scoring the winning goal, my summer of community service. Other topics that might be considered “inappropriate” touch on Sex, Religion and Politics. Because personal essays are about you, you may find yourself on a roll re-living your memories. Your personal reflections are the key to keeping the reader invested, but don’t let them carry you away. If you plan on going to college, however, you’re in for some bad news. Essay writing is one of the more important things you need to get out of your high school experience, because you can’t get through college without it. Over the years, students who tell me they absolutely love to write have said they struggle with the application essay. So if you’ve been biting your nails or tearing your hair out even a little, you’re not alone.