Sat Test

Applying for admission to colleges and universities can be a long and arduous process. There are so many forms to fill out and paperwork to track down to send to the universities and then there is The Essay. Some admission boards call it something else ~but it’s an essay all same and the subject matter? You. All about you. You 101. It’s designed to give the college admission board a better look at you, how you write, what kind of person you are and what your achievements have been.

Most schools will tell you exactly what they want you talk about. Some want you to tell them what you’ve learned about yourself during your time in school. Some want to know what your achievements are, how they’ve helped shape and form the person you’ve become. Depending upon how many colleges you’re applying to, you may have to write a series of essays, or adapt one essay to fit each college’s requirements.

If you don’t feel comfortable writing an essay and don’t have a lot of experience with doing so, don’t panic. There is a lot of help out there for you to use in order to fine tune your essay writing skills.

Your first stop, of course, should be the College Board website where they will give you free essay writing tips and have you write an essay. You’ve probably already taken the SAT and so you know what is involved in good writng. If you haven’t taken the SAT, then you better log on to the College Board and register to take the next exam in October.

There are other places to find help on writing your essays. If you google College Essay, you’ll come up with more over two million results. TWO MILLION! Naturally you’ll have to sift through the results to come up with the best nuggets of helpful sites.

As you’re planning to write your essay, here are some ideas from ClassBrain.com to help you on your way with ideas.

• What are your major accomplishments, and why do you consider them accomplishments? Do not limit yourself to accomplishments you have been formally recognized for since the most interesting essays often are based on accomplishments that may have been trite at the time but become crucial when placed in the context of your life.
  
• Does any attribute, quality, or skill distinguish you from everyone else? How did you develop this attribute?
  
• Consider your favorite books, movies, works of art, etc. Have these influenced your life in a meaningful way? Why are they your favorites?
  
• What was the most difficult time in your life, and why? How did your perspective on life change as a result of the difficulty?
  
• Have you ever struggled mightily for something and succeeded? What made you successful?
  
• Have you ever struggled mightily for something and failed? How did you respond?
  
• Of everything in the world, what would you most like to be doing right now? Where would you most like to be? Who, of everyone living and dead, would you most like to be with? These questions should help you realize what you love most.
  
• Have you experienced a moment of epiphany, as if your eyes were opened to something you were previously blind to?
  
• What is your strongest, most unwavering personality trait? Do you maintain strong beliefs or adhere to a philosophy? How would your friends characterize you? What would they write about if they were writing your admissions essay for you?
  
• What have you done outside of the classroom that demonstrates qualities sought after by universities? Of these, which means the most to you?
  
• What are your most important extracurricular or community activities? What made you join these activities? What made you continue to contribute to them?
  
• What are your dreams of the future? When you look back on your life in thirty years, what would it take for you to consider your life successful? What people, things, and accomplishments do you need? How does this particular university fit into your plans for the future?
  

You might try writing on some of these topics and then revise, revise, revise. Have someone you trust proofread your work. If you’ve got a good relationship with your English teacher at school, ask her or him to read it and give you some feedback. The more eyes that see your work, the better chance you have of turning in an exceptional essay that will be a quality piece of writing and an asset to your admission packet.