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Category: Essay Writing Tips

  • Avoid This When Writing a College Application Essay

    College application essays
    image source: http://www.schools.com

    Applications to colleges are time-consuming, but the essay writing part is the most vexing for most students. Your application should present you in a positive light. It should be well-drafted to get you a place in that college you always wanted to attend.  All you have to do is avoid most of these college application mistakes:

      1.  Forgetting to read instructions

    Before you start filling out your application, read the instructions carefully and attentively. Most colleges have different sections for local and international students. Fill out the correct information for each of the questions asked. You can go through the form after completion to make sure that all the questions are answered correctly.

    2.   Prolonging your essay

    Most college application essays will give a maximum number of words they need on the essay. Do not exceed it. Try to get rid of irrelevant details, poor ideas, oversharing, and clichés. Be concise, avoid repetitions and unnecessary words.

    On the other hand, do not write too little. The admission office gave a word limit because they believe you have as much to say on their question. Avoid being vague, too, and include enough details.

    3. Repetitions

    Avoid repeating the same point in each paragraph of your essay. Do not also apply the same thought across all essays on the application form. Tell something new. Make each essay original and unique.

       4. Keep the essay professional

    Your essay should answer the question asked. Use the right tone and avoid sounding like a privileged snob. Your reason to attend a certain college, for example, should not be because your whole family has been attending the college.

    Your essay should not sound materialistic or self-interested. You want to go to college because you want a good degree that will lead to a great salary. However, do not overemphasize this point in the essay. Saying you want to attend the college because you know several lawyers who are earning good money because they attended the said college may deny you the opportunity.

    5. Failure to proofread

    Do not hit submit before you proofread. You can use the spell-check tool, but you still have to go through your essay again to check the mistakes left out by the tool. You may write a great essay, but if you fail to proofread, the college admin will focus on your mistakes and not the essay’s content. Spelling mistakes only show you lack attention to detail. Ask a friend to help you edit your essay for mistakes you may have left out.

    6. Starting late

    Do not wait until the last minute to start your essay. College application essays need a lot of time to write. Make it your best work. Starting early will give you time to proofread. It will also give you time to ask others to review it for you.  If you manage to submit your essay early enough, you can confirm with the college whether they have received it or not.

    The worst mistake you could make is addressing the wrong school. It’s good to apply to different colleges, but make sure when you send out the forms, it’s to the right school. Make sure you also spell the school’s name correctly.

  • 3 Easy Tips on How to Edit Your Own Essay

    Editing your essay
    Editing ensures the reader focuses on what you have to say and not your errors.

    “That’s the magic of revisions – every cut is necessary, and every cut hurts, but something new always grows.”  Kelly Barnhill

    Editing is tiring, but the best editors revise. It’s a necessary pain that makes written work better. It helps you clarify, deepen, and strengthen your arguments more objectively. It also helps you express them in a powerful, coherent manner. When you edit, you ensure the reader focuses on what you have to say and not your errors.

    Newspaper and magazine editors ensure that the reader does not get bored, distracted, annoyed, or confused with content. You have to do the same with your essay. Anticipate the responses of your reader/ teacher- what they will feel or think as they read your essay.  These steps will help you edit your essay with ease.

         1. Distance yourself from the essay

    Give yourself time after you finish writing your essay before you can edit it. You can give yourself an hour, a day, or a week depending on the time you have before you hand in your essay. This will make your paper look fresh to your eyes and will not be so familiar. I would recommend printing out the essay and marking up mistakes as you read, but you can also edit from your computer. Make sure you are in a quiet environment with no distractions, as these may affect your editing concentration.

           2.  Edit  your essay

    Check that you have the full essay structure: introduction, body, and conclusion. Make sure your essay content covers everything your assignment requires of you. Your introduction should clearly state your intentions. Paragraphs should have clear topic sentences, with each explaining a point. Your conclusion should answer the question by summing up your argument. All your points should have supporting evidence and relate to the topic. Read your essay aloud to hear how the sentences sound. Your ears will pick out errors your eyes missed.  After this, read your essay backward from the last sentence to catch awkward words and phrases. Ensure you have written with the correct style and that your sources are correctly cited.

            3. Proofread your essay

    In this final stage of your editing process, focus on grammatical, punctuation, and spelling mistakes. You can use grammar and spellcheckers available online, but you should not rely on them entirely. Check each of the errors individually. You could decide to start with spelling, punctuation, and then grammar. It will be a lot easier to catch the errors this way. Read slowly to hear how different words in your essay sound together. Read each sentence individually, starting from the first one and again from the last one, to help you identify the errors.

    Note down the most recurring errors in your essay to make it easier for you to edit them easily in the future. Eliminate words or sentences that seem wrong, although you cannot pinpoint the mistake. Make sure that your essay flows. One point should lead to another, and if it distorts the flow, get rid of it. You can have a friend or teacher go through your essay and pinpoint mistakes you have left out.

    Have any pointers to add to the above? A method that works for you during editing? Share with us. You can also entrust our proofreading and essay writing services to score a good grade on your essay.