Written by a college admissions expert, Write Your Way into College: College Admissions Essay is designed to guide you through the most anxiety-producing part of the college application process-the personal essay. The essay is your chance to stand out from other applicants and let admissions representatives know why you'd be an asset to their school. This book provides all the practice, review, and strategies you need to write a great application essay!
This Comprehensive Book Includes:
The opportunity to write TWO full-length college admissions essays online and have them instantly scored
Expert essay scoring technology based on 20 years of research
Strategies for finding your perfect essay-writing voice
Help selecting an essay topic that stands out from the crowd
Step-by-step instruction for how to plan and write your essay
Common essay mistakes to avoid
Sample essays with expert evaluation
Introduction xi
Chapter 1 What Is a Great Essay, And Why Is It So Important? 1
Greater Admissions Competition 2
Increasing Importance of the Essay 3
You're in the Driver's Seat 4
What is a Great Essay? 4
Who is Your Audience? 7
What Not to Write 8
Chapter 2 Choosing Your Story-The Reverse Approach 11
Why You Need to Brainstorm 11
Find Your Voice and Find Your Story: Journaling 12
Your Personal Inventory 15
Show, Don't Tell 23
Right Brain Triggers 23
Great Essays: Some Final Thoughts 24
Chapter 3 Selecting and Working With a Topic 27
Common Application Topics 28
Demonstrated Interest Topics 34
Quotation Prompts 38
Short Answer Prompts 38
Recycling Essays 39
Making the Choice 40
Chapter 4 The Writing Process 43
Narrow Your Focus 43
Plan First, Write Second 44
Creating an Essay Outline 45
Add Depth with Details 46
Great Starts: The Introduction 49
The Meat of the Essay: Effective and Organized Body Paragraphs 51
Strong Finishes: How to Conclude 52
Watch What You Read 55
Chapter 5 Essay Writing Workshop-Part One 57
Get Concise 57
Be Precise 61
Be Accurate 62
Stay Active 66
Eliminate Ambiguity 67
Don't Offend 69
Opening your Thesaurus-Think Twice 70
Chapter 6 Essay Writing Workshop-Part Two 73
Grammar Check: A Warning 73
Subject/Verb Agreement 74
Run-on Sentences and Fragments 75
Apostrophe Misuse 76
Comma Misuse 78
Accidental Shifts 79
Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers 81
Unclear Pronoun References 81
Spelling 82
Chapter 7 Finalizing And Submitting the Essay 89
Revising 90
Editing 91
Proofreading 94
Considerations for Electronic and Paper Submissions 95
Chapter 8 Putting It All Together: What Works, And What Doesn't 97
Essay One 98
Essay Two 101
Essay Three 104
Essay Four 107
Essay Five 109
Essay Six 112
Essay Seven 115
Essay Eight 118
Appendix A College Admissions Resources 121
Online Resources 121
Books 122
Appendix B Colleges That Accept The Common Application 125
Additional Online Practice 131
Overview
Written by a college admissions expert, Write Your Way into College: College Admissions Essay is designed to guide you through the most anxiety-producing part of the college application process-the personal essay. The essay is your chance to stand out from other applicants and let admissions representatives know why you'd be an asset to their school. This book provides all the practice, review, and strategies you need to write a great ...