7 Easy Tips To Help You Start and Create a Bright College Essay
Sometimes we all find ourselves unable to cough up a couple of words. The worst time for such a state is when you have to submit a ton of essays. Or one essay. Still, the most important point is that you don’t have even the smallest sparkle of inspiration.
You may start trying contrasting guides on how to start a college essay. Or you may strictly follow random instructions. Whatever you try — this is great and you’re doing an amazing job. But if you’re looking for extra college essay ideas, here are 7 tips that will make your writing brighter:
- Your introduction should grab the reader’s attention and keep it!
- Write as an essay, not an article!
- Be genuine and interesting!
- Understand that they want to see what your thought is
- Don’t be afraid to play with words
- Use arguments and examples
- Correct your grammar!
- Start from a different angle!
- Explain your points clearly and logically!
- Leave your reader with a lasting impression of your content!
- Don’t forget the Serial position effect
- Avoid repeating the same things
- Don’t bring new thoughts to the conclusion
- Condense your thoughts
Before we head to the tips, there are some recommendations everyone could use.
Either it’s an essay for applying to college or an essay for a job application, the first recommendation is to read the instructions. There is always a college essay outline. For the first time, you might panic and “run” through the text. Even without anxiety (which is adequate, if it’s there), you won’t grapple all the details in one go. Breath in, breathe out, and read it again. The third time reading must consolidate what you’ve read.
If you have writer’s block, try a simple exercise to break it. What you need to do is to take a draft and start writing down whatever comes to your mind. The only restriction you have here is the number of characters or words. Five minutes of this mindflow usually leads to the subconscious creation of ideas.
There are many more exercises that will help you start a college essay or an essay for a job application. Yet, if time is not favorable right now and you need college essay ideas urgently, then the mindflow will do.
And now we go to the tips!
- Your introduction should grab the reader’s attention and keep it!
The best college essays are those which “shine bright like a diamond”. Imagine yourself as a journalist writing a text on a hot topic. A hundred other journalists have already written the same thing! Then how to start a college application essay, if a large number of people do the same task?
Sure thing, your introduction shouldn’t scream yellow journalism. Yet, it should be vivid and demonstrate that you have a lot to say but can do it in a concise and clear manner. Try writing something simple and even blank. Then replace “pale” standard words with something expressive or even acute. - Write as an essay, not an article!
College essay structure isn’t that complicated. You need to create an intro, write body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Sounds similar to journalistic or scientific articles. Yet, the essay is a flexible genre and requires a personal approach.
If we turn to history and etymology, the word “essay” came to us from Latin. It used to sound “exagium”, which means the presentation of a case with your perspective. The main goal of writing this kind of paper is to depict how you personally see the point. How you perceive a fact, watching it through the colorful prism of your experience.
Of course, there are countless types of college essays. Descriptive, persuasive, narrative, and so on. Yet, even with personal essay formats, the basic structure and purpose remain the same.
If you still don’t see clearly what to do, try finding samples. Samples of high school application essays are all over the Internet and you can use them to gain inspiration. - Be genuine and interesting!
Easier said than done. And this advice sounds blank, isn’t it? How would you personally change it, so it grabs attention?
Understand that they want to see what you think
The main point of this paper is to show what YOU think. If you’re struggling to decide what motivates your essay, there is an answer. Motivation helps you express what you believe and reflect on a topic. Whatever your point is, it’s valid.
Don’t be afraid to play with words
Take off your everyday social armor and let the unfeigned out. Write down whatever comes to your mind and work with it a bit until it sounds like something a genius would say.
Use arguments and examples
Back the text up with arguments. Do it as if you are decorating a simple balcony with ornate forging with flowers. Give examples like you decorate a flat cake with simple yet detailed drawings. Tell them a saturated story from your life that depicts a point clearly. - Correct your grammar!
This is one of the principal things while writing a paper. Major mistakes in grammar can “outshine” your ideas, even if they are brilliant.
Yet, no need to tremble over every letter in nervous attempts to create the best college essays possible. At first, write the whole thing and correct typos and errors afterward. It’s better to reread what you’ve written multiple times.
And read some instructions on how to format a college essay. It should be in the college essay outline. - Start from a different angle
For instance, if you don’t know how to start an essay about yourself, start with things you adore. Aesthetics of snowy mountains, reading classics in an empty café, playing the kalimba quietly at midnight… No need to spam “I am” in every sentence. Depict contrasting objects you cherish or activities that make you happy. This is a simple example, of course. Yet, the main point is, there are many things that can describe you. And you don’t even need to use the words “I” and “me” sometimes.
- Explain your points clearly and logically!
Of course, this depends on what types of college essays you got to write. Some of them allow a literary approach and some require clarity and structured flow of ideas. Either way, it’s better to never give ambiguous answers. There is always one main idea in an essay, and everything revolves around it.
College essay word limit is useful here. Knowing that you have this restriction, you’ll have to choose words carefully.
Arguments should flow like a river. With every millimeter of progress, it gains more and more width of thoughts. But the river cannot stop at the mountain and suddenly flow again somewhere in the forest. This way, it’s obligatory to keep track of your thoughts. - Leave your reader with a lasting impression of your content!
If you follow the instructions and advice and read more college essay ideas, your readers will get the impression for sure. Yet, there are some things we should consider.
Don’t forget the Serial position effect
Usually, people pay more attention to what they read at the beginning and at the end. This is how our mind works. And this is why creating a bright intro is so important. It’s like meeting a new person: your first small talk depends on what you think of each other, having only a speck of information.
Avoid repeating the same things
Everything depends on what type of essay you are working on. And if it’s a high school paper or an essay for a job application. In any case, avoid repeating things with the same words in the end. No need to retell a story you’ve already told.
Don’t bring new thoughts to the conclusion
Even if you are far from the college essay word limit! In the summary you give a brief formula of your point. New ideas require reasoning in the body text. And if the explanation isn’t there, then it counts as a mistake in logic.
Condense your thoughts
Any conclusion is a saturated thought that you’ve described with your bright stories, acute anecdotes, or clear instances. But it should be clear and minimalistic.
Before We Part Ways
Doing research on how to write successful college essays is not a thing everyone would do. It’s great that you’ve decided to give your emotional resources on this. And don’t think that everyone knows how to do stuff. It takes a lot of practice.
Whatever motivates your essay, we hope that it will turn out fantastic. And may the success be with you!