What about this institution makes you come to work every day? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this university? What are the current issues on campus? As a freshman, what can I expect the average class size to be? Are some classes held in large lecture setting—and if so, are there smaller seminar groups available? How available are the professors to students? Are tutorial services offered to all students? When students register for a class, do they usually get their first choice? Is class registration available on-line? Does your college have a career placement service that arranges for on and off campus interviews? Is the social life focused mainly on campus, or do students leave on weekends? Are activities the center of college life or do students go off campus for their social life? What is the most popular major and what percentage of the student body goes on to graduate school? Do students generally stay on campus during the weekends? How does college work differ from high school? What future plans does the administration have for the college? Is your location an asset or a liability? If you could move your campus to another setting, where would you most want it to be? Remember these questions are only a guide. You need to put them in your own words and tailor them to the appropriate school. Tips for a Great College Essay Why Write an Essay? The purpose of the essay is to convince admission officers never met), in less (whom you’ve than ten minutes, that you would be a good match for their colleges. At the most basic level, it allows admission officers to evaluate your communication and writing skills. In addition, the essay allows admission officers to discover more about you as a person – a side of you not shown by statistics like grades and The essay gives information about SAT’s. your history, attitudes, interests and creativity; it gives a sense of your values and goals. What admission officers are doing is creating a looking to see how you would fit in that community… community, what would you bring to that community and what sets you apart. How the Essay is Evaluated Is your writing mechanically sound? Is your writing style comfortable? Can you write a good sentence? Can you write a good paragraph? Do you address the question asked? Can you form a thesis? Can you discuss a theme? Is your argument logical? Can you get in and out of the essay with some finesse?
What about this institution makes you come to work every day? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this university? What are the current issues on campus? As a freshman, what can I expect the average class size to be? Are some classes held in large lecture setting—and if so, are there smaller seminar groups available? How available are the professors to students? Are tutorial services offered to all students? When students register for a class, do they usually get their first choice? Is class registration available on-line? Does your college have a career placement service that arranges for on and off campus interviews? Is the social life focused mainly on campus, or do students leave on weekends? Are activities the center of college life or do students go off campus for their social life? What is the most popular major and what percentage of the student body goes on to graduate school? Do students generally stay on campus during the weekends? How does college work differ from high school? What future plans does the administration have for the college? Is your location an asset or a liability? If you could move your campus to another setting, where would you most want it to be? Remember these questions are only a guide. You need to put them in your own words and tailor them to the appropriate school. Tips for a Great College Essay Why Write an Essay? The purpose of the essay is to convince admission officers (whom you’ve never met), in less than ten minutes, that you would be a good match for their colleges. At the most basic level, it allows admission officers to evaluate your communication and writing skills. In addition, the essay allows admission officers to discover more about you as a person – a side of you not shown by statistics like grades and SAT’s. The essay gives information about your history, attitudes, interests and creativity; it gives a sense of your values and goals. What admission officers are doing is creating a community… looking to see how you would fit in that community, what would you bring to that community and what sets you apart. How the Essay is Evaluated Is your writing mechanically sound? Is your writing style comfortable? Can you write a good sentence? Can you write a good paragraph? Do you address the question asked? Can you form a thesis? Can you discuss a theme? Is your argument logical? Can you get in and out of the essay with some finesse?