How to Write the Common Application Essays 2017-2018
Application season is an extremely hot and busy period of time not only for high school students, but also for their parents and members of admission committee or even research paper writer. For that reason we decided to talk about writing for the Common Application and make a brief review of the points it offers. So let’s start!
Why the Common App?
First of all, it is one of the most convenient and the fastest ways (maybe, the most decisive factor) to introduce yourself to admission committees of various colleges. Writing the essay, you get an excellent opportunity to describe strong and weak sides of your personality, show what principles you follow in your everyday life. Remember that your essay will be read by the staff of different educational institutions, that’s why information you provide should be accessible for every program you apply.
Tips for Writing the Common App Essay
It may seem difficult to include everything you want to say with 650 word limit, but that’s not impossible, and you need to start with something. In any case you will not manage without brainstorming, as it greatly affects your final choice of the essay and helps to produce worthy ideas. While considering every topic you should ask yourself several simple questions before the final decision is made:
- Who are you? (Reflect on your personal traits)
- What brought you here? (Focus on your progress in a certain period of your life)
- What makes you unique? (It deals with the way you think, your interests and skills, everything that differs you from other people)
- What matters to me? (It’s your conclusion)
We recommend you to find answers to all of them within every single Common App essay, and you will feel what topic is close to your mind and heart. Nobody can argue that only this or that topic is correct, like it may be when you write a definition essay, just listen to your inner voice and then decide what topic you will work on. Besides, these essays don’t limit your creative skills, because it’s not typical 5-paragraph papers. You are free to choose the means, but your paragraphs and sentences must be logically built (pay attention to their length), link them in a complex structure that makes sense.
The essay should be a proof that your writing style includes excellent grammar, clearness and specific details. You should show, but not only tell, for doing that you have to enrich your vocabulary and improve word choice. Another thing you are recommended to do is to use Active Voice and avoid clichés. The latter point is excessive very often, do your best to fill the essay with original and fresh thoughts. In case you don’t what is an expository essay, all just-mentioned requirements are also applicable to it.
Some Reasoning for the Common App Essays
Unlike previous years the 2017-2018 cycle includes 7 prompts – 2 unchanged, 3 revised and 2 completely new. Without doubts each of them is worthy of student’s attention.
1. This is a winning lottery ticket for those who have passion for some activities, as they can also show their ‘evolution’ from the beginner and to the present state. Unusual skills and interests and their impact on your personality are effective ways to grab attention. Even if extreme hobbies are not your cup of tea, there are things, places and people that played a crucial role in the formation of your personality.
2. Such wording provides you with a chance to show how you cope with difficulties. All people have their own ups and downs, that’s why their stories of finding solutions vary so much.. In this essay you have to explain how you overcame this or that punch and what you learnt from the mistake. If big and serious failures haven’t taken place in your life (and that’s fine), you may discuss a few small issues.
3. It seems to us that most high school students didn’t face and participate in such severe protests; it’s not a cause for frustration. Try to recall a situation when you clearly understood the need for change, because some idea or model of behavior didn’t work well, and it couldn’t meet conditions. For example, you may consider any social issues that couldn’t walk by at high school such as being outcast or bulling.
4. People always have some problems, so finding solutions to them is an infinite process. As suggested in the very wording you can deal with the ethical dilemma or intellectual issue, but that’s far from being the full list of opportunities. We recommend you to write on a real and burning problem for you, as it characterizes you and your outlook in some specific way. Make focus on your person and not deepen into unnecessary details and facts.
5. If we have already talked about failures, it’s high time to discuss your achievements. The most essential thing for creating excellent content is to choose the right and appropriate event or accomplishment, and it doesn’t matter what format it had – formal or informal. Victory in the competition, social promotion or warm and emotional episodes from your family life – it’s up to you to decide.
6. Without doubts there is something you are keen on, and that thing makes you move and look for deeper knowledge about it. Don’t be shy and share it with audience in the essay. Here you can produce amazing and vivid descriptions thus showing your talent as a writer.
7. This is an open option for those who have what to say without any advice, but you are very much at risk. On the other hand, you demonstrate your confidence and individual taste. No guts, no glory? Right!
