Your college essay is important. It’s crucial to write the finest essay you can, even if you don’t intend to major in English. Make sure it is true because your essay serves as a reflection of who you are. Errors diminish the essay’s general quality and presentation, and you also want to make sure it flows smoothly. Essays with error reflect badly on you. For advice on how to edit and proofread your essay to produce your finest work, continue reading.
Why You Should Edit and Proofread
Your essay serves as a portrait of who you are and how you think. Colleges will catch on if you fail to take basic precautions like proofreading. Even a simple misspelling could have negative effects.
Another crucial ability to assist you in improving your college papers is editing. Typically, you won’t get the opportunity to revise your papers, so strive for perfection. Consider editing as a practice that will benefit you in your future career in addition to helping you create the finest college essay possible.
The Essay Writing and Editing Checklist
Writing
Is the topic or prompt assigned for the essay effectively addressed?
Make certain that your response to the essay prompt is relevant. For instance, one of the most common essay questions is:
Please tell us what you value most about X University and why.
Instead of writing a generic essay that could be used at any school, you need to speak to both your personality and Columbia’s requirements in this situation. For the Common App and Coalition Application, you can choose your own topic, but individual schools’ requirements are frequently more detailed.
Is the essay well-organised?
For academic purposes, your essay doesn’t have to be a five-paragraph essay (and generally shouldn’t), but it should have a logical flow. Is the flow smooth? Does it remain relevant?
Incorporate examples, stories, and supporting details.
Your essay comes to life with specifics, illustrations, and rhetorical questions. it is important to get the perfect hook to make your essay stand out.
Display your voice and character.
Do you have a distinct personality? Does your essay reflect who you are? Your essay must reflect who you are, since it is a reflection of yourself.
Using words you wouldn’t typically use, such as “utilise” in place of “use,” for instance, would make you seem artificial and unimpressive.
Does your essay demonstrate why you would make a strong applicant?
You should demonstrate that you fit with the school in addition to having a great GPA, exam results, and carefully chosen extracurriculars. Use details that relate you to the institution to demonstrate how your personality fits the campus and ensure that this is evident from your essay.
Do you stick to the topic?
Avoid going off subject or writing what you want to write instead of just staying on topic. The most pertinent part of an essay is answering the prompt in a way that is unique to you and favorable to the university.
Do you use an appropriate balance of short and long sentences?
To ensure that your essay reads well and flows, you should use a variety of sentence structures. By varying your sentence constructions, try to balance your essay. If you do not engage in this, your essay might sound stilted.
Editing
Are all the words spelled correctly?
If you miss any spelling errors, your essay will come across as careless when somebody reads it. Use different colored pens to go over your essay to find faults rather than depending solely on spell-check softwares.
Do you capitalise and punctuate correctly?
Once more, these mistakes are simple to spot. Be sure to stick to grammar guidelines, which are relevant to all of your writing, not just SAT writing.
Do you follow the word limit?
The following are some pointers for reducing word count:
- Eliminate instances where the same sentiment is repeated in different ways.
- Show, don’t tell.
- Remove superfluous adjectives and only sometimes use them.
- Eliminate redundant details.
- Reduce the length of run-on sentences by reading them aloud (if you run out of breath before finishing, the sentence is too long).
- Ensure that every sentence adds something to the essay.
Be mindful of sentence structure.
Are all of the sentences coherent? Are you using proper grammar? You can find awkward sentences by reading your work aloud. You may check to see if each sentence is correct by looking at the subject and verb.
Read it aloud.
Writers frequently discuss the “flow” of a piece, and reading a piece aloud is a fantastic way to evaluate its flow. Minor errors like using the same adjective twice in the same sentence or deleting a section of a sentence but forgetting to add its replacement become more noticeable when read aloud.
Deconstruct it!
This method does exactly what it says. Work from the end of the story to the beginning, dividing your material however you feel most comfortable: by words, sentences, or paragraphs. Smaller chunks often highlight grammatical errors and stylistic errors, hence, bigger portions are advised when checking for content coherence and plot pacing.
How can Rostrum help with your essays?
Rostrum offers many resources for students at any stage of the college applications process. You can approach our expert counsellors for help with interpreting a prompt if you are struggling with ideas, or for review of an essay you’ve already written. For school-specific essays, our counsellors provide input as to what specific admissions committees like to see. Contact us today for a free consultation.
