More than a million high school seniors use the Common Application to apply to colleges each year. You can submit one application through this online system to numerous colleges. In one part of this application, it requires you to write an essay. The Common App announces its prompts every year, and it is important for you to write an essay on one of these prompts.
Read ahead to learn about a few do’s and don’ts that you should consider when writing your Common App essay.
✅ BE ORIGINAL
Unlike most of the essays you’ve written for school, the Common App essay is unique. You must present your identity instead of dissecting a work of literature or a historical incident like you usually do in school. As a result, your words should sound like they were written by you.
❌OVERUSING THE THESAURUS
You’re not attempting to win over the admissions committee! You’re attempting to make them appreciate you by demonstrating who you are. Using large words may indicate that you are using them improperly, and this will be obvious. Even if you do know how to use them, employing the large, 25-cent words can make you look snobbish and too formal, just keep it simple.
✅PROOFREAD
In a rush to finish the essay, it’s common to merely skim your work rather than edit and review it thoroughly. This kind of thinking may cause one to overlook minor errors. The errors you may have missed can often be made up for by having another person read your document.
❌GHOST WRITING YOUR ESSAY
You might be tempted to delegate essay writing to someone else. This occurs when a teacher, advisor, or parent “edits” your essay, it frequently starts out innocently. They are writing it for you if they are putting their pen to your paper, their fingers to your computer, or making edits in your Google Doc. Before you know it, your distinctive voice is gone.
✅CHOOSE YOUR STORY BEFORE YOU CHOOSE YOUR PROMPT
Don’t just start writing at the first writing prompt you read. You’ll know which prompt will work best once you’ve decided on which narrative you really want to tell. Almost any tale can be accommodated by any of the common app prompt possibilities.
How can Rostrum Education help?
Our team of counsellors at Rostrum Education work with each student individually. We will guide you through the entire essay writing process, after which we will evaluate it and give you a few suggestions based on which you can write multiple better drafts. We help with college specific essays also. Contact us for a free consultation session today!
