Essay Writing Tips Jette Irgens Pathways Associate for the Writing, Reading, and Speaking Lab WARTBURG COLLEGE, IA

The College Essay What it Can Do: What it Cannot Do: Demonstrate your values Show off your writing skills Explain any gaps in your academic performance Give insight into your background Make you memorable What it Cannot Do: Replace a poor academic record Make an unqualified applicant qualified

College Essay Do’s and Don’ts

DO Start with a ‘hook’. Answer the Question Keep your focus narrow Yes, we want to know about you – but we also want to know that you can construct a strong essay based on a prompt of our choice. We can tell if you’re just re-using an essay from another college’s question. Keep your focus narrow Example: Celebrating a wedding in Italy versus your summer trip to Europe. PROOFREAD Have someone else proofread for you. Make sure to check for spelling, grammar, and context.

DO Make it personal – and be specific Example: “There are a lot of students out there who do not have the support of their families like I do. That is why I want to help others by becoming a social worker.” VERSUS Example: “My parents have always been there for me, especially when I started my first high school level Spanish class and suddenly felt like a fish out of water. It was so difficult for me to return to class each day and keep working hard to get a grasp on what was, for me, a very challenging subject. But my mother studied with me every night and learned right alongside me. I now recognize how a support system can impact a student’s ability to succeed; that is why I want to become a school-based social worker. ”

DON’T Don’t write a resume in paragraph form We can get that information from your other application documents. This is your chance to tell us something new. Don’t write what you think we want to hear – tell us about you. Don’t use weird margins, funny fonts, or obscure abbreviations.

DON’T Don’t mention College X in College Y’s essay Ex: “I’ve always wanted to attend Harvard”…in the essay for Yale. Don’t use slang or text message language.

Questions? Jette Irgens Pathways Associate for the Writing, Reading, and Speaking Lab Wartburg College, IA Jette.Irgens@wartburg.edu