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How to Write a College Essay | A Complete Guide & Examples

The college essay can make or break your application. It’s your chance to provide personal context, communicate your values and qualities, and set yourself apart from other students.

A standout essay has a few key ingredients:

To achieve this, it’s crucial to give yourself enough time for brainstorming, writing, revision, and feedback.

In this comprehensive guide, we walk you through every step in the process of writing a college admissions essay.

Table of contents

Why do you need a standout essay, start organizing early, choose a unique topic, outline your essay, start with a memorable introduction, write like an artist, craft a strong conclusion, revise and receive feedback, frequently asked questions.

While most of your application lists your academic achievements, your college admissions essay is your opportunity to share who you are and why you’d be a good addition to the university.

Your college admissions essay accounts for about 25% of your application’s total weight一and may account for even more with some colleges making the SAT and ACT tests optional. The college admissions essay may be the deciding factor in your application, especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurriculars.

What do colleges look for in an essay?

Admissions officers want to understand your background, personality, and values to get a fuller picture of you beyond your test scores and grades. Here’s what colleges look for in an essay :

It’s a good idea to start organizing your college application timeline in the summer of your junior year to make your application process easier. This will give you ample time for essay brainstorming, writing, revision, and feedback.

While timelines will vary for each student, aim to spend at least 1–3 weeks brainstorming and writing your first draft and at least 2–4 weeks revising across multiple drafts. Remember to leave enough time for breaks in between each writing and editing stage.

Create an essay tracker sheet

If you’re applying to multiple schools, you will have to juggle writing several essays for each one. We recommend using an essay tracker spreadsheet to help you visualize and organize the following:

You can build your own essay tracker using our free Google Sheets template.

College essay tracker template

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Ideally, you should start brainstorming college essay topics the summer before your senior year. Keep in mind that it’s easier to write a standout essay with a unique topic.

If you want to write about a common essay topic, such as a sports injury or volunteer work overseas, think carefully about how you can make it unique and personal. You’ll need to demonstrate deep insight and write your story in an original way to differentiate it from similar essays.

What makes a good topic?

Brainstorming questions

You should do a comprehensive brainstorm before choosing your topic. Here are a few questions to get started:

How to identify your topic

Here are two strategies for identifying a topic that demonstrates your values:

After choosing your topic, organize your ideas in an essay outline , which will help keep you focused while writing. Unlike a five-paragraph academic essay, there’s no set structure for a college admissions essay. You can take a more creative approach, using storytelling techniques to shape your essay.

Two common approaches are to structure your essay as a series of vignettes or as a single narrative.

Vignettes structure

The vignette, or montage, structure weaves together several stories united by a common theme. Each story should demonstrate one of your values or qualities and conclude with an insight or future outlook.

This structure gives the admissions officer glimpses into your personality, background, and identity, and shows how your qualities appear in different areas of your life.

Topic: Museum with a “five senses” exhibit of my experiences

Single story structure

The single story, or narrative, structure uses a chronological narrative to show a student’s character development over time. Some narrative essays detail moments in a relatively brief event, while others narrate a longer journey spanning months or years.

Single story essays are effective if you have overcome a significant challenge or want to demonstrate personal development.

Topic: Sports injury helps me learn to be a better student and person

Brainstorm creative insights or story arcs

Regardless of your essay’s structure, try to craft a surprising story arc or original insights, especially if you’re writing about a common topic.

Never exaggerate or fabricate facts about yourself to seem interesting. However, try finding connections in your life that deviate from cliché storylines and lessons.

Admissions officers read thousands of essays each year, and they typically spend only a few minutes reading each one. To get your message across, your introduction , or hook, needs to grab the reader’s attention and compel them to read more..

Avoid starting your introduction with a famous quote, cliché, or reference to the essay itself (“While I sat down to write this essay…”).

While you can sometimes use dialogue or a meaningful quotation from a close family member or friend, make sure it encapsulates your essay’s overall theme.

Find an original, creative way of starting your essay using the following two methods.

Option 1: Start with an intriguing hook

Begin your essay with an unexpected statement to pique the reader’s curiosity and compel them to carefully read your essay. A mysterious introduction disarms the reader’s expectations and introduces questions that can only be answered by reading more.

Option 2: Start with vivid imagery

Illustrate a clear, detailed image to immediately transport your reader into your memory. You can start in the middle of an important scene or describe an object that conveys your essay’s theme.

A college application essay allows you to be creative in your style and tone. As you draft your essay, try to use interesting language to enliven your story and stand out .

Show, don’t tell

“Tell” in writing means to simply state a fact: “I am a basketball player.” “ Show ” in writing means to use details, examples, and vivid imagery to help the reader easily visualize your memory: “My heart races as I set up to shoot一two seconds, one second一and score a three-pointer!”

First, reflect on every detail of a specific image or scene to recall the most memorable aspects.

Be vulnerable to create an emotional response

You don’t have to share a huge secret or traumatic story, but you should dig deep to express your honest feelings, thoughts, and experiences to evoke an emotional response. Showing vulnerability demonstrates humility and maturity. However, don’t exaggerate to gain sympathy.

Use appropriate style and tone

Make sure your essay has the right style and tone by following these guidelines:

You should end your college essay with a deep insight or creative ending to leave the reader with a strong final impression. Your college admissions essay should avoid the following:

Here are two strategies to craft a strong conclusion.

Option 1: Full circle, sandwich structure

The full circle, or sandwich, structure concludes the essay with an image, idea, or story mentioned in the introduction. This strategy gives the reader a strong sense of closure.

In the example below, the essay concludes by returning to the “museum” metaphor that the writer opened with.

Option 2: Revealing your insight

You can use the conclusion to show the insight you gained as a result of the experiences you’ve described. Revealing your main message at the end creates suspense and keeps the takeaway at the forefront of your reader’s mind.

Revise your essay before submitting it to check its content, style, and grammar. Get feedback from no more than two or three people.

It’s normal to go through several rounds of revision, but take breaks between each editing stage.

Also check out our college essay examples to see what does and doesn’t work in an essay and the kinds of changes you can make to improve yours.

Respect the word count

Most schools specify a word count for each essay , and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit.

Remain under the specified word count limit to show you can write concisely and follow directions. However, don’t write too little, which may imply that you are unwilling or unable to write a thoughtful and developed essay.

Check your content, style, and grammar

Get feedback

Get feedback from 2–3 people who know you well, have good writing skills, and are familiar with college essays.

The checklist below helps you make sure your essay ticks all the boxes.

College admissions essay checklist

I’ve organized my essay prompts and created an essay writing schedule.

I’ve done a comprehensive brainstorm for essay topics.

I’ve selected a topic that’s meaningful to me and reveals something different from the rest of my application.

I’ve created an outline to guide my structure.

I’ve crafted an introduction containing vivid imagery or an intriguing hook that grabs the reader’s attention.

I’ve written my essay in a way that shows instead of telling.

I’ve shown positive traits and values in my essay.

I’ve demonstrated self-reflection and insight in my essay.

I’ve used appropriate style and tone .

I’ve concluded with an insight or a creative ending.

I’ve revised my essay , checking my overall message, flow, clarity, and grammar.

I’ve respected the word count , remaining within 10% of the upper word limit.

Congratulations!

It looks like your essay ticks all the boxes. A second pair of eyes can help you take it to the next level – Scribbr's essay coaches can help.

Colleges want to be able to differentiate students who seem similar on paper. In the college application essay , they’re looking for a way to understand each applicant’s unique personality and experiences.

Your college essay accounts for about 25% of your application’s weight. It may be the deciding factor in whether you’re accepted, especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurricular track records.

A standout college essay has several key ingredients:

While timelines will differ depending on the student, plan on spending at least 1–3 weeks brainstorming and writing the first draft of your college admissions essay , and at least 2–4 weeks revising across multiple drafts. Don’t forget to save enough time for breaks between each writing and editing stage.

You should already begin thinking about your essay the summer before your senior year so that you have plenty of time to try out different topics and get feedback on what works.

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit to write a developed and thoughtful essay.

You should aim to stay under the specified word count limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, don’t write too little, as it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a detailed and insightful narrative about yourself.

If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

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2023-2024 Common App Essay Prompts

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We are pleased to announce that the Common App essay prompts will remain the same for 2023-2024.

It’s not just for the sake of consistency that we have chosen to keep the essay prompts the same for the upcoming application year. Our past research has shown that overall satisfaction with the prompts exceeded 95% across our constituent groups - students, counselors, advisors, teachers, and member colleges. Moving forward, we want to learn more about who is choosing certain prompts to see if there are any noteworthy differences among student populations.

We know some schools are beginning to have conversations with juniors and transfer students about their college options. As we’ve always said, this is not a call for students to begin writing. We hope that by sharing the prompts now, students will have the time they need to reflect on their own personal stories and begin thinking about what they want to share with colleges. As you assist students with their planning, feel free to share our Common App Ready resource on approaching the essay (in English and Spanish ). You can also visit our YouTube channel to view our breakdown of all 7 Common App essay prompts . 

"Moving forward, we want to learn more about who is choosing certain prompts to see if there are any noteworthy differences among student populations." Meredith Lombardi, Director, Education and Training, Common App

Students who are ready to start exploring the application can create their Common App account prior to August 1. With account rollover , we will retain any responses to questions on the Common App tab, including the personal essay.

Below is the full set of essay prompts for 2023-2024.

We will retain the optional community disruption question within the Writing section. Additionally, we are closely following the Supreme Court case on the use of race in admissions. Depending on the outcome, we stand ready to create resources that will help students speak about their lived experiences.

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7 STEPS TO WRITE AN ESSAY FOR COLLEGE APPLICATION

Writing a strong essay for a college application is crucial as it can make or break your chances of getting into the college of your dreams. You can master the art of writing a college essay by carefully reading this guide from start to finish.

A well-written essay gives you the opportunity to showcase your personality, strengths, and achievements. It’s a chance to tell your story and demonstrate why you are a good fit for the school. It can set you apart from other applicants with similar grades and test scores. 

Admissions officers read thousands of essays every year, which means that it’s hard to convince them to give you a chance until you really showcase what you are capable of. If you want to write a 1000 word essay for college admission then this guide is for you. 

Table of Contents

Importance of a College Admission Essay

Writing a strong essay demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively and think critically. It’s your chance to demonstrate the skills that you possess that are essential for success in college and beyond. It shows that you are capable of organizing your thoughts, presenting them clearly, and making persuasive arguments.

Writing a great college admission essay will show the admission officers that you are more deserving to get a spot in their college than anyone else. Therefore, a well-crafted essay can show that you have unique experiences and perspectives that will contribute to the school community. Hence increasing your chances of getting admission to your dream college. 

Our experts can write a college admission essay in 1 hour or even less, all thanks to their decades of experience and the streamlined process. EssayZoo ib far the most trusted college admission website and they can help you with year essays. 

Writing college application essays is not an easy task and it becomes even more challenging if you are doing it for the first time. Carefully follow the following steps if you want to learn how to write a 2-page essay for college admission in one hour. 

What is a College Application Essay?

A college application essay, also known as a personal statement, is a written piece of work that is required by many colleges and universities as part of their admission process. It is an opportunity for applicants to showcase their writing skills, highlight their unique personality traits and experiences, and convey why they are the best fit for the institution they are applying to. 

The essay typically ranges in length from 250 to 650 words and may require applicants to respond to specific prompts or questions. A well-crafted college application essay can set an applicant apart from others with similar academic credentials and increase their chances of being admitted into their desired program.

Following are the 7 Steps to Writing a College Application Essay:

7 Steps to Writing a Great College Admission Essay

A college admission essay is an opportunity for you to showcase your personality, skills, and experiences. Your essay is your chance to stand out from the crowd and convince the admissions committee that you’re the right fit for their school. 

Following are seven steps to writing a perfect college application essay:

The first step in writing a great college admission essay is understanding the prompt. Take time to read and analyze the prompt carefully. Make sure you understand what the essay question is asking you to do before you actually start writing your college admission essay.

Pro Tips for Understanding the Essay Prompt

Once you understand the prompt, it’s time to brainstorm ideas. Think about your experiences, achievements, goals, and challenges that have shaped who you are today. Write down everything that comes to mind, even if it seems irrelevant at first.

Tips for Generating and Selecting the Right Ideas While Brainstorming

After brainstorming ideas, create an outline for your essay. This will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that your essay flows logically from one idea to the next.

Note: Use the STAR Method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when creating your admission essay outline to organize your thoughts and make them more compelling.

Your introduction should grab the reader’s attention AKA “the hook”, to make them want to keep reading. Start with an interesting quote or by asking a thought-provoking question that relates to your topic.

Provide some background information on your topic and transition smoothly into your thesis statement, which should clearly state your main point or argument. Keep it short and concise.

Provide evidence to support your thesis statement. Use examples from your personal experiences or academic achievements to illustrate your points. Here are some proven working tips on how to create the essay body paragraphs for your college admission application.

Once you’ve written a draft of your essay, take time to edit and revise it carefully. Check for grammar and spelling errors, as well as clarity and coherence of ideas.

Finally, get feedback on your essay from others such as teachers or friends who can provide constructive criticism on how well it meets its purpose of convincing admissions committees why they should accept you into their school.

Top Benefits of Getting Feedback About Your Admission Essay

By following these seven steps, you can write a compelling college admission essay that showcases who you are as a person and why you’re the right fit for your school.

How Long Should a College Application Essay Be

Wondering how many words should a college application essay be? The length of a college application essay can vary depending on the specific requirements of the school or program to which you are applying. In general, most colleges and universities will provide guidelines or word limits for their application essays.

The Common Application, used by many schools, recommends a limit of 650 words or 2 pages . This is typically equivalent to about two pages that are double-spaced with standard margins and font size.

Experts essay writers from EssayZoo can write a college essay in just 1 hour . Therefore if you want a 5 paragraph essay in an hour then you must consult our expert right now. 

However, some schools may have different requirements or no specific word limit at all. In these cases, it’s still important to be mindful of the reader’s time and attention span – aim to write a clear and concise essay that effectively communicates your ideas without unnecessary fluff or repetition.

Remember that the most important thing is to follow the guidelines provided by each individual school and ensure that your essay showcases your unique personality, experiences, and qualifications in a way that will make you stand out as a strong candidate for admission.

By following these seven steps – brainstorming, outlining, selecting a topic, writing a draft, revising and editing, getting feedback, and proofreading – you’ll be well on your way to crafting an essay that showcases your unique personality and sets you apart from other applicants. 

Remember to stay true to yourself and your experiences, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. With hard work and determination, you can create an essay that stands out in the crowded field of college admissions. Good luck!

If essay writing is not your strong point and you are rapidly reaching the submission deadline for your college admission essay, then this is not the time to panic. Order right now and get an excellent college admission essay in just 1 hour. 

Write My College Admission Essay – Essay Zoo

writing essay for college application

Looking for an online college admission essay for sale ? Well, your search ends here because EssayZoo is providing. You are at the right place, all thanks to our experience along with our streamlined process our experts can write a 3-page essay in 1 hour without breaking a sweat. We have been helping students with their essays for more than a decade which makes EssayZoo one of the most reliable online essay-writing services on the internet. 

Need help writing college application essay? EssayZoo is the biggest online library of pre-written essays and therefore guarantees that you will get a plagiarism-free custom college admission essay delivered to your inbox in the time that we commit while you place an order . 

Once you place your order, our experts will craft a college admission essay that will be based on all your requirements. Our experts have helped hundreds of students get admission in their dream college for more than a decade if you also want to make your dream a reality then contact our experts and they will write an essay in 1 hour for you. 

EssayZoo is the most reliable and trustworthy online essay-writing website. Their experienced essay writing experts can write a plagiarism-free custom 3-page essay for you in just 1 hour without breaking a sweat. Place your order right now and say hello to good grades while enjoying your time. 

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08 May , 2021

Are You Making These Mistakes in Your Essay?

Most typical mistakes in a college essay

Starting a new chapter of your life by entering college is always frustrating. Especially, when you almost physically feel the load of responsibility. To earn a place in a college of your dream you need to work hard - and make a good self-representation for an admission committee. How? By sending them a flawless college essay. This is one of the most essential part of the file.

Do you want to be sure your essay is unique and appealing? Check the most typical mistakes you might make in an essay!

writing essay for college application

Long writing. Of course, you want to highlight all the best qualities and part you have. But let's be honest, admission committee is usually flooded with the applications. They simply have no time for a long read!

Not using help. The thought "I write my essay myself" seems quite proud... And at the same time, it's a bit stupid. If you have not done it before or read a couple of examples on the Internet, that won't help you to reach the ideal result.

Not following the proper format. A professional essay writer can make the job done fast and easy, because he knows the template, follow the plan and had already made hundreds of unique and remarkable pieces or writing.

Mentioning wrong things. Essay is not a composition where you can express whatever you want. It requires time, ideas and an interesting story.

If you're not sure that you will be able to make an ideal job yourself, think about essay writing service. That's how everything would be ready for you, whenever you need it.

Getting professional essay help

We can name dozens of reasons why getting assistance in writing an essay for college admission is better than spending countless hours in front of your PC doing research and reading different tips and recommendations.

First, it saves your time. Essay help allows you not to worry about the deadline and devote your time to whatever desired.

Second, you are getting a perfect result. Without any breakdowns, sleepless nights, thousands of drafts! Sounds like a good idea!

Third, best essay writing service isn't that expensive. There's no need to be one of the Rockfellers to pay for it.

Fourth, it's a professional attitude. Essay rewriter might check your work and correct it.

Still in doubt? Imagine how many people are typing in the search box "write my essay for me" to get into the college you want to be admitted! Be the first in this race

Tips for successful essay

What should you do to make your piece of writing outstanding and remarkable? We can give several recommendations. First, don't rely on your own skills only. Second, remember about strong parts. And third, be confident in a positive result when ordering a writing help!

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  1. How to Write a College Essay

    Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a College Application Essay 1. Explore essay prompts and select a topic. 2. Start your college essay outline before jumping in. 3. Write the essay and leave time for multiple drafts.

  2. How to Write a College Essay

    The college essay can make or break your application. It’s your chance to provide personal context, communicate your values and qualities, and set yourself apart from other students. A standout essay has a few key ingredients: A unique, personal topic A compelling, well-structured narrative A clear, creative writing style

  3. 2023-2024 Common App Essay Prompts

    We are pleased to announce that the Common App essay prompts will remain the same for 2023-2024. It’s not just for the sake of consistency that we have chosen to keep the essay prompts the same for the upcoming application year. Our past research has shown that overall satisfaction with the prompts exceeded 95% across our …

  4. College-Admission Essays: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid …

    I help high-school seniors write their college-admission essays. Here are the 4 most common mistakes to avoid. Judy Walters. Students should avoid these mistakes: not proofreading their essays, not focusing on their achievements, writing about an experience from the distant past, and thinking their essay ideas are completely original.

  5. 7 STEPS TO WRITE AN ESSAY FOR COLLEGE APPLICATION

    Writing college application essays is not an easy task and it becomes even more challenging if you are doing it for the first time. Carefully follow the following steps if you want to learn how to write a 2-page essay for college admission in one hour. What is a College Application Essay?

  6. Latest College Essays topics

    Essay Writing Course. 9. 1556. February 1, 2023. Personal Statement - University of St Andrews (for American students) common-and-coalition-application , st-andrews-university. 7. 4116. January 16, 2023.

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    A professional essay writer can make the job done fast and easy, because he knows the template, follow the plan and had already made hundreds of unique and remarkable pieces or writing. Mentioning wrong things. Essay is not a composition where you can express whatever you want. It requires time, ideas and an interesting story.

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