How To Write A Great Admission Essay

How To Write A Great Admission Essay I probably went through 20 ideas, narrowed them down to five, wrote drafts of five, and then picked one and edited and edited and edited until I finished. I wrote about the transition from independence to interdependence and my personal growth that was catalyzed by my parents’ divorce. I reflected on my early independence as a child and how that transitioned to me depending on other people, working together in teams, and leading people to accomplish important things in our community. One pitfall of extenuating circumstances essays is they tend towards hyperbole and overexageration. They discuss how they will bring a unique perspective to campus and how they seem themselves as a leader on the Forty Acres. They also touch on how their academic goals and beliefs have evolved over time, transitioning from “seeing education as a means to an end” to one where education is a value in itself. Before, I viewed education as a means to an end, a minor footnote in my transition to the professional world. A purposeful education produces change within and bettering the world around me. At Houston Endowment, I learned the ins and outs of the workings of a non-profit foundation. I felt that my decision to pursue finance came not from my own motivations, but pressures from friends, family, and society. They have strong statements throughout that they’re deserving of a space in admissions. This applicant provides balance and nuance to their issues at home and concrete ways that they’ve developed and matured over time. They also link their special circumstances into their proposed major, Public Relations. Her class rank was not exceptional, so the essay is one place where she can make up for that deficiency. Sophie's essay is strong because the focus is local. Many college applicants worry that they have nothing to say, that nothing significant has happened to them. Sophie shows us that one need not have climbed Mount Everest, experienced great personal tragedy or found a cure for cancer to write an effective essay. That said, the writing itself is mostly excellent. I became a full-time student, employee, and house mom. Instead of getting discouraged by my setback in calculus, I saw it as an opportunity to grow and reconsider my future. I realized that if math isn’t my strong suit, I probably won’t enjoy a career in banking. I feel like many of my friends want to go to business school, but don’t actually enjoy the work or have the skills required to be a successful student. I appreciate that this essay is very straightforward. They get right to the point why they are at their current university, what they hope to study at UT, and how their goals evolved over time. I have always aspired to something greater, something more challenging, something different. These aspirations, unfortunately, were not able to be experienced at UNT. My courses were stagnant, easy, “go with the flow”â€"â€"the exact opposite of what I needed. Most students around me, even those within the Honors College, did not study for major exams or complete their assignments on time. As someone who has never considered myself particularly schoolâ€"spirited, I did not feel the need to be connected to any larger community. At the time, I was taking care of my mother, a single parent, and coordinating her transfer to rehab for alcohol addiction. I became the head of household responsible for caring for my three younger sisters. I even had the privilege of personally speaking one-on-one with non-profit executives around Houston. To discuss why UT is a great fit and why you want to transfer often requires developing why you’re currently dissatisfied. Their reviewer can no doubt relate to their story of not knowing what they want as a high school student and how attending college gives them an idea of what they don’t prefer moving forward. It’s a balanced essay that focuses equally on where they’re coming from and how UT can help them explore their interests and achieve their long-term goals. Any time a transfer applicant is coming from a four-year university, its important to discuss tastefully why they don’t feel their current university is a good fit. I viewed my transition to college simply as a stepping stone to the next chapter of my life, a means to an end and not something inherently valuable. I clearly remember this student’s dramatic admissions decision. UT actually released almost all of their rejections and acceptances by early June, yet this applicant didn’t hear back until a week later. All of these schools are competitive, but Sophie's good high school record and strong SAT scores made her competitive at each. She also had strong extracurricular activities in music, dance and community service.