7 Easy Tips To Help You Start and Create a Bright College Essay

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.