Three Deadly Mistakes When Writing an Admissions Essay
By: Jason Kay
Submitted: 2010-04-17 22:40:30 | Word Count: 511
When you are attempting to gain entry into a college or university you will have to write an admissions essay. This is an undertaking that should not be taken in stride. Your admissions essay has to convey to the admission board who is reviewing it why you would be an ideal candidate to attend their school and if your essay comes off the wrong way you can bet that the board will simply move on to the others.
While there a number of little mistakes that can be made when preparing your admissions essay, there are three in particular that are deadly and if you do not avoid them they will cost you. The three most lethal mistakes when writing your admissions essay are:
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1. Not Proofreading: This is the biggest no, no when it comes to writing and this no, no is amplified when it comes to your admissions essay. If you are not willing to proofread your admission essay many times over then you may as well hand in a blank piece of paper. Those who review your essay will immediately begin to discredit you if your essay is littered with syntax, grammatical, or spelling errors. If you are not good at proofreading and editing then find someone who is. If you are wondering how many time your easy should be reviewed, the answer is as many times as it takes to make it perfect.
2. Trying too Hard to Impress: If you are attempting to impress the admissions board it will usually come out in your essay. Your essay should be written on what you know and then see you using your own personal experiences within the essay. If you are trying to cover some ground shattering events that you have no idea about you may come off as pretentious. Remember that the admissions committee is looking to find out about you so you have to be sure that your essay conveys that.
3. Plagiarizing: There is never an excuse to copy or plagiarize other’s work. Many students think that if they simply copy from another student s essay from the past that they will not get caught. This is not true and if you plagiarize you risk handing something in that is either off topic or that will be abundantly clear that it is not portraying you in a true light. Plagiarism at any level is despicable and if you truly care about your future then you will not use with your admissions essay to begin the practice of it.
If you are at the point that you are preparing your admissions essay then there is little doubt that you have worked hard up to this point. While it may be tempting to attempt to take short cuts or to do a little brown nosing with your admissions essay, that kind of behavior can prove disastrous. Make your admission essay convey the real you and be honest and forthright throughout. Just as with many things in life, honesty is the best policy when it comes to your admissions essay.
