When applying to many universities, a well-written admission essay is half the battle. It will demonstrate the strengths of the applicant and make the commission interested in them. A boring message full of clichés and empty phrases, on the contrary, will hopelessly ruin the reputation of a future student. The tips in this article will be helpful to you.
The purpose of the admission essay
An admission essay is a document that must demonstrate the applicant’s motivation, determination, and readiness to achieve success. The letter has an approximate structure, but the presentation format can be free.
The admission essay should convince the admissions committee that you have good potential and are a suitable candidate for a place in the faculty or department. But if applicants don’t know how to convince the admissions committee of this, it is better for them to get essay samples from EssayShark writers. You will see how to present yourself in the best possible way.
The structure of an admission essay
The admissions committees are very attentive to the epistolary genre. At the beginning of any essay, polite appeals to the addressee with a list of their academic degrees and titles are welcome. At the end of the essay, you must indicate the date and place of its writing.
Introduction
An admission essay needs a strong start. It is very important that your essay be simple, understandable, and engaging. Be sure to illustrate your interest with specific examples from life.
In your introduction, answer the following questions:
- Who are you?
- What did you do or intend to do to get into university?
- How do you see your future?
Formulate your thoughts clearly and weightily. Be sincere, don’t lie.
Main part
Here it is worth explaining why you chose this university. Convincingly tell the committee that you should study at it. Emphasize your character traits that may be useful in the course of training in your specialty or are especially valued by the university. In case you played sports professionally in high school, write about how it shaped your character.
You are a unique person, and you must show this to the admission committee. Keep the language and style in mind, but don’t overcomplicate the sentences.
Forget about colloquial turns, jokes, and jargon. The style of the admission essay should be neutral. Write about future plans, dreams, and goals. Don’t write in dry words: “I dream of becoming a journalist so that I can tell people the truth.” Mention stories and reporters that amaze you; give an example of an article you would like to write and explain why.
Conclusion
Write about your hopes for training. In an admission essay, you do not need to flatter the university or specific teachers. Your sincere desire to get an education here is enough.
Emphasize those aspects of the program that you think can help you become an excellent specialist. An admission essay should convince teachers that you will be useful and help the development of the university because the best graduates who have become highly qualified specialists are always a reason for pride. At the end of the essay, it is appropriate to thank the commission for the time spent reading your essay.
Important! Before submitting the paper, check the formal parts of the admission essay on the university website again.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, admission essays have become even more important, as many universities conducted entrance exams remotely.
For example, at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art of the University of West Bohemia, applicants submitted a portfolio of their work in electronic form. Admission essays, according to the university spokesman, could be submitted in text and even audio-visual form.
How to write an admission essay without mistakes
Applicants make mistakes when compiling admission essays and lose their chances of admission.
We talked with representatives of the admissions committees of different universities and collected the top mistakes that students make when writing an admission essay:
- One letter for all educational institutions. Each university has its own characteristics that you need to consider before applying. One university will evaluate your athletic achievements and the other – socially useful activities. Do not forget that teachers from different higher schools may be familiar with each other and, in informal conversations, share their impressions about the admission creations of applicants.
- Duplication of information. Do not repeat in an admission essay what you have already written in a resume or email to a particular teacher.
- Boring text. Your essay should be interesting. At the same time, do not overdo it with originality or emotions: the tone of the admission essay should not be boastful but respectful and restrained.
- Lack of structure. Keep in mind that structured text is always better perceived. Break the text into paragraphs, do not forget about the introduction, and put key ideas into it. It’s good to use a list and highlight important points in bold. Remember that teachers have dozens of admission essays to read, and your unfinished text canvas can be put aside and forgotten about.
- Lie. Ensure that everything written is true: it will be embarrassing if it turns out at an oral interview that you appropriated other people’s achievements or made up fables. No need to exaggerate: for example, if you do not speak French well, do not lie about the opposite. It is better to attach a recommendation from the teacher with whom you are learning this language.
- Volume. Too long text is tiring to read (see above about dozens of similar messages). Look through examples of admission essays and try to fit your paper into one A4 sheet. Pay attention to the formal requirements of the university when writing an essay (font, size, line spacing).
- Excessive modesty. Sometimes talented and smart people miss the chance to enter the university of their dreams because they are embarrassed to describe their own achievements or do not attach importance to their personal qualities. Healthy self-criticism is necessary, but in an admission essay, you need to correctly assess and present your abilities and achievements.
Use these tips, and you will have a perfect admission essay!
