THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ESSAY: INFORMATION, STRATEGIES, AND TIPS

Created by: Adrienne CochranPresented by: Cheryl Rosenbaum

What do Florida Colleges and Universities Require?Essays Required Essays Not Required

Florida A & M University of Florida New College of Florida Florida State University FAU Honors College University of Central

Florida (essays are strongly recommended)

Florida Gulf Coast University

University of South Florida

University of West Florida

Florida International University

Florida Atlantic University

University of North Florida

All universities who utilize The Common Application require admission essays.

Purposes of the Admissions Essay This is your opportunity to:

Introduce yourself to the people who are trying to decide whether or not to invite you to their campus.

Imagine it is a face-to-face interview. The most important thing is to BE YOURSELF! Show that you are an effective communicator (e.g.

literate and engaging). Provide information to support /explain the rest of

your application. Differentiate yourself from other students with

similar applications.Remember that you only get ONE chance to

make a good impression!

What Admission Committees Look For A student with potential for

growth An individual who will contribute

to the quality of life for other students

A personality that will fit in on their campus

Individuals who are sincere and are themselves

Choosing the Best Subject for You Do not use your essay to restate

information that is already in your application or to list every accomplishment, activity, award, or personal quality.

Examine the prompt carefully so you know exactly what is required.

Keep an open mind. Focus on aspects of your life that you are

passionate about, that describe who you are as a person, that are relevant to your future goals, and that show you will be a successful college student.

Things to Keep in Mind as You Begin Write with a focus and a clear voice. Pay attention to clarity of thought, organization, and sentence

structure. This also includes things such as tense consistency, use of

active voice, etc. Engage the reader.

Your narrative should have a conversational, yet appropriate, tone.

Illuminate your ideas with details, examples, and anecdotes. You need to include concrete examples.

Avoid sounding like a thesaurus. Nothing is more awkward or turns readers off more than the

use of pompous or inappropriate words. Imagine you are having a conversation with the reader.

Keep it within the assigned word count. Check to see if you have addressed ALL the requirements of the

prompt.

Reading Between the Lines Your words form the reader’s initial impression of you. The reader will read between the lines to form an

opinion of whether or not you will be a good fit for their college

Qualities they are looking for: Enthusiasm Intelligence Uniqueness Scholarship (not $) Ability to communicate The fit for this college (do some research)

Writing the Essay Your essay should grad the reader’s attention. The purpose of

the opening is to identify you as a unique individual and to introduce the topic and the tone of the essay.

Elaborate on the situation established in the opening/introduction.

Consider details: What subtext about you is revealed by your choice of specifics?

Consider diction: What does your choice of words say about you?

The conclusion does not need to be a summary or restatement. Some ideas: Make a final dramatic point. Reveal an insight gained from the ideas presented in the body of your

essay. Connect yourself to the college or system of colleges Leave the reader with a provocative, final point about you. Create an open-ended invitation to get to know you better.

In Closing Do not be afraid to pat yourself on the

back, but do not gloat and avoid pomposity.

If you address a negative topic or issue, do your best to link it to a positive outcome or insight.

Choose one facet of an experience, and polish it for a single effect on the reader.