Tips and Tricks: How to Format your Admission Essay
The Most Important Tips and Tricks on How to Format Your Admission Essay in a Great Way
The hardest things about essays are the idea creation and the writing itself. Then you have editing and formatting which do not have less importance. If you have your paper written, but you do not format it accurately, your writing process can be assumed to be completely spoilt. The first thing that comes to the reader’s sight is the format of the paper so do spend some time to make your essay seem perfectly edited and formatted.
When it comes to admission essays, it is hardly possible to find a general formula for admission essay formatting, but it is attainable, nevertheless. Students always exaggerate and want to act due to the requirements strictly. And when there are no strong requirements, they start to panic worrying that they can do something wrong and will not be accepted then.
Applying to a college or university, you should remember that you make the first impression on the selection committee with your admission essay. You may be worrying about the essay’s length, the font, the margins, the file format and so on. For now, stop worrying and take our ideas into consideration instead.
The Top Ten Tips for You to Follow
Formatting does not require any additional tools but some knowledge that will be helpful. The tips and tricks we propose to you to do a great job are the following:
- Learn the basics. You can find some relevant information either in books or on the Internet. There is a variety of websites offering general requirements. This tip is used mainly when there are no specific requirements for your paper.
- If you have your admission essay in a definite style, the formatting way may change and vary.
- Check the college’s or university’s application instructions. This will allow you to forget about your fear to do something wrong and will show the clear picture of what the selection committee expects from you.
- Look for samples, if there are any. Convince yourself that your essay stands out but NOT when it comes to formatting.
- Check the spelling, words order, etc. Forgetting about it or thinking this is useless are the most common mistakes students make.
- Choose a standard font (required in most of the cases) - Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1-inch margins.
- You had better avoid bold formatting and italics. The readers (the selection committee) have its own views on what to emphasize.
- Let your paragraphs, each carrying different message or arguments, be delineated properly.
- Do not trust the Web when checking your essay for mistakes. The machines cannot understand the context and your message completely so they may give you wrong pieces of advice.
- Last but not least, do NOT use templates as the admission essay requires your originality and authenticity, rather than copying a common essay’s structure.
What Are the Other Requirements of the Admission Type of Essay You May Have Forgotten about?
Let us remind you about some general and vital things when writing your admission essay. The requirements vary from college to college, from university to university. But some things remain common. For an admission essay, it is normal to write approximately 500-600 words, not more. The language should exclude slang, clipping, abbreviation, etc. The subject should be personal and demonstrate your skills or life circumstances. Therefore, try to describe them well to become a more desirable candidate.
The style of your writing is not to help you show your extra creativity. You should not write a novel full of metaphors because the style of an admission essay is very formal and strict. But your creativity nevertheless should not be limited as it is a precious thing the admission board will appreciate. Use it when creating the content, not when formatting an essay. Remember that not every person is able to tell a great story in 500 words. But every person does have some story to tell, and an admission essay is your chance to do it beautifully.
Let Your Essay Be Special
Do not start your essay with the trivial things. Your essay must sum up the most important things you have done or learnt in your life. So, never describe your family relations, your childhood stories and so on when they cannot show how you developed your personality. Have you ever played any musical instrument? Well, it is great, but almost everybody did the same.
Make the selection committee remember your personality by telling about some of your special characteristics. Do not forget to engage the reader with a hook the same way you do it in simple essays. But starting with a question will not be the best way for an admission essay.
Telling a little about something special and personal does not make matters worse. You may also describe your interests and passions going back to your childhood. This way the admission officers tend to trust you more, and they see what kind of a person you are now, under which circumstances you have formed yourself as a person. Maybe, there is something from the childhood influencing you these days? Feel free to describe that.
And do not try to seem an absolutely ideal person, there is no such person on the Earth. And the admission essay is not about that. It has more to do with reflecting on your life and your experiences. It is the best way to conclude who you are now and what your plans for developing yourself in the future are.
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