Writing the Admission's Essay
Writing your admissions essays is a important, long and intensive process - ten to twelve drafts over a two-month period are fairly common. It is necessary to put in this hard work to come up with an essay that is uniquely yourself, and a compelling read which convinces the admissions committee that you are right for their school. This is a great opportunity to look inside yourself and be rewarded by a better understanding of who you are and what you want.

What's the purpose of this essay?
The Admission essay is the only part of your application packet over which you have full control.

One purpose, obviously, is to give a sample of your writing. Colleges place a premium on strong writing skills. They look for a mastery of the mechanics of writing (grammar, syntax, and organization) as well as for fluency and originality. Your essay gives a taste of the maturity of your thinking and writing, and of your readiness for a competitive program.
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A second purpose is to enable you to share something of yourself that may not be reflected in your academic record or in your recommendations.
How to get started:

You want to get personal and tell about more than grades and test scores
Think about your strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself "How am I different from my friends and other classmates?"

Read all the questions to see if there are overlaps or similarities.
Reflect about yourself as a person with unique attributes.

What are your values? How were they acquired? Have they changed in recent years?
Can you recall an event that typifies how you feel about the topic in the essay question?
Have you met a person or read a book that has had a profound impact on your values and opinions?
Has a teacher changed your way of looking at life? Inspired you? What made her/him special? How did you change?
What do you look for in a friend? How do your friends describe you?

Is there something someone once said to you that you've never forgotten? What does this tell others about you?

What has been the greatest tragedy of your life? The biggest void you've ever felt? Your greatest fear? Your proudest moment?
  Write, Review, Edit, Re-write, Re-review….and on again! 3 drafts at least before you settle for     the finished essay.

Ideas on how to get inspired:
Old Photos - record any feelings you remember when you look at these.
Write to a new friend (or pretend to!). What do you want your friend to know about you?
Interview family/friends about stories involving you - what do family/friends like or dislike about you?
Adjectives describe you. Think of anecdotes that will show how the adjectives are manifest in your life.

Tips on what you should do:

Write an essay that only you could honestly write.

Tell the truth.

Convey a positive message overall.

Be specific about why you're interested in the college. Go beyond "Your college will help me realize my academic potential".
Strive for depth, not breadth. Focus on one event or idea rather than many.
Write what you know or experienced firsthand.
Write about something you feel strongly about.
Write about other people as well as about yourself.
Be forceful and express opinions, but don't insult or offend.
Provide 'closure' - a sense that you've come full circle by the end of your essay. Use the final sentences to end any suspense and to answer any questions posed.
Use analogies (metaphors and similes) to convey your message, BUT don't overdo it!
Use more short sentences than long ones. Delete any unnecessary words or ideas and check spellings on all that remains.
Use logical paragraph breaks to give a visual break to the reader, and to indicate change in a train of thought or idea.
Keep Your Focus Narrow and Personal
Put your name and the page number on each page.
Use fonts with serifs (stems at the tops and bottoms of the letters) such as Times New Roman.
Use a readable point size (11 or 12 points).
Make copies of everything, just in case.
 
Don't do
Force it to be too funny, too sad, too cute.
Be redundant.
Don't try to prove anything about how great you are, how smart you are, or how accomplished you are.
Try to guess what you think the admissions panel wants to hear from you.
Don't waste your essay explaining deficiencies in your application, like low grades or test scores.
Don't Write a Resume
Don't write about popular TV shows, movies, musicians or actors, and please don't bring up any Dr. Seuss book.
Avoid whining, complaining, sarcasm, aggressiveness.
Don't repeat the question in the beginning of the essay.
Don't end the essay with a quote.
Don't use slang or buzz words/phrases.
Avoid waffle words. (Examples: clearly, obviously, somewhat, rather, perhaps, I believe, moreover, however)
Avoid SAT-type words. A plethora of periphrasis may seem supercilious. See?
There's no excuse for spelling errors.
You had better get the name of the school right! For example, the University of Pennsylvania is not the same institution if you write Pennsylvania University.
Don't write the essay in longhand unless that is requested of you.
Don't repeat information that is provided somewhere else in the application.
 
The Essay Writing Process
Boot up your computer and let's get to it. To write a college essay, use the exact same three-step process you'd use to write an essay for class, first pre-write, then draft, and finally, edit. This process will help you identify a focus for your essay, and gather the details you'll need to support it.

Pre-writing
To begin, you must first collect and organize potential ideas for your essay's focus. Since all essay questions are attempts to learn about you, begin with YOU.

  Brainstorm
Set a timer for 15 minutes and make a list of your strengths and outstanding characteristics. Focus on strengths of personality, not things you've done. For example, you are responsible (not an "Eagle Scout") or committed (not "played basketball"). If you keep drifting toward events rather than characteristics, make a second list of the things you've done, places you've been, accomplishments you're proud of; use them for the activities section of your application.
 
Discover Your Strengths
Do a little research about yourself: ask parents, friends, and teachers what your strengths are.
 
Create a "Self-Outline"
Now, next to each trait, list five or six pieces of evidence from your life -- things you've been or done -- that prove your point.
 
Find Patterns and Connections
Look for patterns in the material you've brainstormed. Group similar ideas and events together. For example, does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? Was basketball about sports or about friendships? When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?


 
Drafting
Now it's time to get down to the actual writing. Write your essay in three basic parts: introduction, body, and conclusion.
The introduction gives your reader an idea of your essay's content. It can shrink when you need to be concise. One vivid sentence might do: "The favorite science project was a complete failure."
The body presents the evidence that supports your main idea. Use narration and incident to show rather than tell.
The conclusion can be brief as well, a few sentences to nail down the meaning of the events and incidents you've described.
 
An application essay doesn't need to read like an essay about The Bluest Eye or the Congress of Vienna, but thinking in terms of these three traditional parts is a good way to organize your main points.

There are three basic essay styles you should consider:
 
 
Standard Essay
  Take two or three points from your self-outline, give a paragraph to each, and make sure you provide plenty of evidence. Choose things not apparent from the rest of your application or "light up" some of the activities and experiences listed there.
 
Less-Is-More Essay
  In this format, you focus on a single interesting point about yourself. It works well for brief essays of a paragraph or half a page.
 
Narrative Essay
  A narrative essay tells a short and vivid story. Omit the introduction, write one or two narrative paragraphs that grab and engage the reader's attention, then explain what this little tale reveals about you.
 
Editing
When you have a good final draft, it's time to make final improvements to your draft, find and correct any errors, and get someone else to give you feedback. Remember, you are your best editor. No one can speak for you; your own words and ideas are your best bet.
 
Let It Cool
Take a break from your work and come back to it in a few days. Does your main idea come across clearly? Do you prove your points with specific details? Is your essay easy to read aloud?

Feedback Time
Have someone you like and trust (but someone likely to tell you the truth) read your essay. Ask them to tell you what they think you're trying to convey. Did they get it right?

Edit Down
Your language should be simple, direct, and clear. This is a personal essay, not a term paper. Make every word count (e.g., if you wrote "in society today," consider changing that to "now")

Proofread Two More Times
Careless spelling or grammatical errors, awkward language, or fuzzy logic will make your essay memorable -- in a bad way.