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College Essays & Resumes

How to best represent you.
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Preparing to write your college essay

College essays are a crucial component of your application. They provide you with an opportunity to be authentic and share your interests, values, experiences and passions. You want the admissions counselors to view you as an ideal candidate.

Now is your chance to shine! Start writing!

Remember, if you experience writer's block, we can help! Schedule your free appointment with our college planning team.

A Guide to Starting Your College Essays

Once you have narrowed down your college selection, it's time to get serious about how to stand out among the other applicants applying to the schools you are most interested in attending.
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Choose a Theme


When writing your college essay, steer clear of simply listing your activities and accomplishments. Instead, share something about yourself that isn’t clear from the rest of your application. Consider your strongest personal traits, interests, values, and goals. Choose one of these qualities to focus on and make it the theme of your essay.

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Be Clear, Concise & Direct


Clearly establish the theme of your essay in the first paragraph. Begin with a compelling opening sentence to capture the reader's attention. Avoid awkward phrasing; for example, instead of saying, “it was really very important to me – and my parents too - that…,” you can say, “it was imperative that I…” Keep your essay around 500 words, unless the application specifies a different length.

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Make Your Story Unique


Many students write about similar topics in their college essays: family, loss, vacations, sports, and career goals. Your job is to make your essay unique. One of the best ways to do this is to use imagery and sensory details.

For example, instead of, "The culture of Paris made an impact on me." try, "My outlook on life shifted as I sat, lost in a whirlwind of language, mesmerized by the Eiffel Tower while sampling a warm banana-Nutella crepe." Be creative. Your essay will surely stand out.

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Use Your Voice


Don’t let nerves overwhelm you. The college essay may be your only chance to showcase your personality to the admissions office. Avoid writing it like a research paper; let your voice shine through.

If you have a witty side, share your sense of humor with the reader, but be careful—what you find funny may not resonate with everyone. Conversely, consider adopting a slightly more serious tone if you're more reflective.

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Accentuate the Positive


Embrace your painful experiences as opportunities for growth, highlighting the valuable lessons learned and the positive transformations they have sparked in your life!

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Find Balance


Your college essay is an opportunity to highlight your best qualities. However, it’s important to stay modest. While your essay should showcase your strengths, you should avoid sounding boastful. 

When discussing an activity or experience, concentrate not on your accomplishments or skills but on what that experience or activity means.

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Type Your Essay


Typing your college essay is highly recommended, as it demonstrates professionalism and attention to detail. Only opt for handwritten submissions if your application specifically requires it.

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Proofread & Edit


Having a well-crafted essay or a captivating story is important, but neglecting to proofread could lead to your work being overlooked and ultimately rejected. Spelling errors are unacceptable, as careful proofreading demonstrates to the reader that you care about your writing and pay attention to detail. 

Before submitting your essay to colleges, it's a good idea to have someone you trust review it and offer feedback. Your English teacher is usually more than willing to help with this.

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Write Your Own Essay


College admission officers value authentic voices, so heartfelt essays can significantly impact your application. Keep in mind that these officers can usually detect essays not written by the student, often leading to immediate rejection.

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The Components of an Amazing College Essay

Here are key elements for writing a great college essay. Breaking the process into manageable steps makes it less overwhelming and allows you to focus on each component individually.
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The Opening Line

You can start your essay with a direct and captivating line. This approach hints at the writer's personality and makes us want to read more.

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The Introduction

Now that you've written the first sentence, you have the chance to continue your story. Write a few sentences that expand on your opening line, and consider how these subsequent lines contribute to the overall theme of your essay.

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The Body

This section of your essay provides an opportunity to elaborate on your identity and reinforce the points made in your introduction. Whatever you choose to share, make it concise and personal. Remember, your essay should not just repeat the information you included in your application.

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The Conclusion

Here, you restate the gist of your essay. 

 

Find Ten College Essay Tips to Help you WOW Admissions.

DOWNLOAD ESSAY TIPS >

Creating your high school resume

Formatting, Content, and Accuracy

Using these tips, high school students can write engaging resumes for college applications. The key to building an effective resume is simple fonts and clear organization of work experience.

Find some great tips in our free download for FORMATTING TIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL RESUMES. 

Name & Contact Information
Education
Work Experience
Skills
Extracurricular & Volunteer Activities
Honors & Awards

Review, Revise, and Edit

Your resume should be carefully edited and proofread. Ideally, you would review, revise, and edit. Once you have completed your edits, have a second set of eyes review your final version. Teachers, guidance counselors, or parents can give it the final review.

Don't depend on autocorrect from Microsoft Word and Google Docs. Double-checking for typos and grammar is worth the time. 

Check out Grammarly; it is a great resource for catching minor grammar mistakes.

 

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