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How to Write an Essay: 10 Easy Steps

Writing is the ax that breaks the frozen sea within us.-- Franz Kafka

Why is writing an essay so

frustrating?

Learning how to write an essay can be amaddening, exasperating process, but it doesn'thave to be. If you know the steps and understandwhat to do, writing can be easy and even fun.

This site, "How To Write an Essay: 10 Easy

Steps," offers a ten-step process that teachesstudents how to write an essay. Links to thewriting steps are found on the left, and additionalwriting resources are located across the top.

Learning how to write an essay doesn't have to

involve so much trial and error.

Brief Overview of the 10 Essay Writing Steps

Below are brief summaries of each of the ten steps to writing an essay. Select the links for moreinfo on any particular step, or use the blue navigation bar on the left to proceed through thewriting steps.How To Write an Essay can be viewed sequentially, as if going through ten

sequential steps in an essay writing process, or can be explored by individual topic.

1. Research: Begin the essay writing process by researching your topic, making yourself anexpert. Utilize the internet, the academic databases, and the library. Take notes and immerseyourself in the words of great thinkers.

2. Analysis: Now that you have a good knowledge base, start analyzing the arguments of theessays you're reading. Clearly define the claims, write out the reasons, the evidence. Look forweaknesses of logic, and also strengths. Learning how to write an essay begins by learning howto analyze essays written by others.

3. Brainstorming: Your essay will require insightof your own, genuine essay-writing brilliance.Ask yourself a dozen questions and answer them.Meditate with a pen in your hand. Take walksand think and think until you come up withoriginal insights to write about.
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4. Thesis: Pick your best idea and pin it down in a clear assertion that you can write your entireessay around. Your thesis is your main point, summed up in a concise sentence that lets thereader know where you're going, and why. It's practically impossible to write a good essaywithout a clear thesis.

5. Outline: Sketch out your essay before straightway writing it out. Use one-line sentences todescribe paragraphs, and bullet points to describe what each paragraph will contain. Play withthe essay's order. Map out the structure of your argument, and make sure each paragraph isunified.

6. Introduction: Now sit down and write the essay. The introduction should grab the reader'sattention, set up the issue, and lead in to your thesis. Your intro is merely a buildup of the issue, astage of bringing your reader into the essay's argument.

(Note: The title and first paragraph are probably the most important elements in your essay.

This is an essay-writing point that doesn't always sink in within the context of the classroom. In

the first paragraph you either hook the reader's interest or lose it. Of course your teacher, who'sgetting paid to teach you how to write an essay, will read the essay you've written regardless,

but in the real world, readers make up their minds about whether or not to read your essay by

glancing at the title alone.)

7. Paragraphs: Each individual paragraph should be focused on a single idea that supports yourthesis. Begin paragraphs with topic sentences, support assertions with evidence, and expoundyour ideas in the clearest, most sensible wayyou can. Speak to your reader as if he or shewere sitting in front of you. In other words,instead of writing the essay, try talkingthe

essay.

8. Conclusion: Gracefully exit your essay bymaking a quick wrap-up sentence, and then endon some memorable thought, perhaps aquotation, or an interesting twist of logic, orsome call to action. Is there something youwant the reader to walk away and do? Let him or her know exactly what.

9. MLA Style: Format your essay according to the correct guidelines for citation. All borrowedideas and quotations should be correctly cited in the body of your text, followed up with a Works

Cited (references) page listing the details of your sources.

10. Language: You're not done writing your essay until you've polished your language bycorrecting the grammar, making sentences flow, incoporating rhythm, emphasis, adjusting theformality, giving it a level-headed tone, and making other intuitive edits. Proofread until it readsjust how you want it to sound. Writing an essay can be tedious, but you don't want to bungle thehours of conceptual work you've put into writing your essay by leaving a few slippy misppallingsand pourly wordedd phrazies..
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You're done. Great job. Now move over Ernest Hemingway a new writer is coming of age!(Of course Hemingway was a fiction writer, not an essay writer, but he probably knew how towrite an essay just as well.

An essay can have many purposes, but the basic structure is the same no matter what.You may be writing an essay to argue for a particular point of view or to explain thesteps necessary to complete a task.

Either way, your essay will have the same basic format.

If you follow a few simple steps, you will find that the essay almost writes itself. Youwill be responsible only for supplying ideas, which are the important part of the essayanyway.

Don't let the thought of putting pen to paper daunt you.

Get started!

These simple steps will guide you through the essay writing process:

Decide on your topic.

Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas.

Write your thesis statement.

Write the body.

o Write the main points.

o Write the subpoints.

o Elaborate on the subpoints.

Write the introduction. Write the conclusion.

Add the finishing touches.

Choose a Topic for Your Essay
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Topic is Assigned | Topic is Not Assigned

Topic Has Been AssignedYou may have no choice as to your topic. If this is the case, you still may not beready to jump to the next step.

Think about the type of paper you are expected to produce. Should it be a generaloverview, or a specific analysis of the topic? If it should be an overview, then youare probably ready to move to the next step. If it should be a specific analysis,make sure your topic is fairly specific. If it is too general, you must choose anarrower subtopic to discuss.

For example, the topic "KENYA" is a general one. If your objective is to write anoverview, this topic is suitable. If your objective is to write a specific analysis,this topic is too general. You must narrow it to something like "Politics in Kenya"or "Kenya's Culture."

Once you have determined that your topic will be suitable, you can move on.

Topic Has Not Been Assigned

If you have not been assigned a topic, then the whole world lies before you.Sometimes that seems to make the task of starting even more intimidating.Actually, this means that you are free to choose a topic of interest to you, whichwill often make your essay a stronger one.

Define Your Purpose

The first thing you must do is think about the purpose of the essay you mustwrite. Is your purpose to persuade people to believe as you do, to explain to

people how to complete a particular task, to educate people about some person,place, thing or idea, or something else entirely? Whatever topic you choose mustfit that purpose.
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Brainstorm Subjects of Interest

Once you have determined the purpose of your essay, write down some subjectsthat interest you. No matter what the purpose of your essay is, an endless number

of topics will be suitable.

If you have trouble thinking of subjects, start by looking around you. Is thereanything in your surroundings that interests you? Think about your life. Whatoccupies most of your time? That might make for a good topic. Don't evaluate thesubjects yet; just write down anything that springs to mind.

Evaluate Each Potential Topic

If you can think of at least a few topics that would be appropriate, you must

simply consider each one individually. Think about how you feel about that topic.If you must educate, be sure it is a subject about which you are particularly well-informed. If you must persuade, be sure it is a subject about which you are atleast moderately passionate. Of course, the most important factor in choosing atopic is the number of ideas you have about that topic.

Even if none of the subjects you thought of seem particularly appealing, try justchoosing one to work with. It may turn out to be a better topic than you at firstthought.

Before you are ready to move on in the essay-writing process, look one moretime at the topic you have selected. Think about the type of paper you areexpected to produce. Should it be a general overview, or a specific analysis of thetopic? If it should be an overview, then you are probably ready to move to thenext step. If it should be a specific analysis, make sure your topic is fairlyspecific. If it is too general, you must choose a narrower subtopic to discuss.

For example, the topic "KENYA" is a general one. If your objective is to write anoverview, this topic is suitable. If your objective is to write a specific analysis,this topic is too general. You must narrow it to something like "Politics in Kenya"

or "Kenya's Culture."

Once you have determined that your topic will be suitable, you can move on.


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which your information can be divided.

6. From each of your main ideas, draw three or four lines out into the page.

7. At the end of each of these lines, draw another circle or horizontal line or

whatever you drew in the center of the page.8. In each shape or on each line, write the facts or information that support that

main idea.

When you have finished, you have the basic structure for your essay and are ready tocontinue.

Outline1. Begin your outline by writing your topic at the top of the page.2. Next, write the Roman numerals I, II, and III, spread apart down the left side of

the page.

3. Next to each Roman numeral, write the main ideas that you have about yourtopic, or the main points that you want to make.

o If you are trying to persuade, you want to write your best arguments.

o

If you are trying to explain a process, you want to write the steps thatshould be followed.You will probably need to group these into categories.If you have trouble grouping the steps into categories, try usingBeginning, Middle, and End.

o If you are trying to inform, you want to write the major categories intowhich your information can be divided.

4. Under each Roman numeral, write A, B, and C down the left side of the page.

5. Next to each letter, write the facts or information that support that main idea.

When you have finished, you have the basic structure for your essay and are ready tocontinue.


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Compose a Thesis Statement

Now that you have decided, at least tentatively, what information you plan to present

in your essay, you are ready to write your thesis statement.

The thesis statement tells the reader what the essay will be about, and what point you,

the author, will be making. You know what the essay will be about. That was your

topic. Now you must look at your outline or diagram and decide what point you will

be making. What do the main ideas and supporting ideas that you listed say about your

topic?

Your thesis statement will have two parts.

The first part states the topic.o Kenya's Culture

o Building a Model Train Set

o Public Transportation

The second part states the point of the essay.

o has a rich and varied history

o takes time and patience

o can solve some of our city's most persistent and pressing problems

Or in the second part you could simply list the three main ideas you will discuss.

o has a long history, blends traditions from several other cultures, andprovides a rich heritage.

o requires an investment in time, patience, and materials.

o helps with traffic congestion, resource management, and the city budget.

Once you have formulated a thesis statement that fits this pattern and with which youare comfortable, you are ready to continue.


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Write the Body Paragraphs

In the body of the essay, all the preparation up to this point comes to fruition. Thetopic you have chosen must now be explained, described, or argued.

Each main idea that you wrote down in your diagram or outline will become one of thebody paragraphs. If you had three or four main ideas, you will have three or four bodyparagraphs.

Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure.

1. Start by writing down one of your main ideas, in sentence form.

If your main idea is "reduces freeway congestion," you might say this:Public transportation reduces freeway congestion.

2. Next, write down each of your supporting points for that main idea, but leavefour or five lines in between each point.

3. In the space under each point, write down some elaboration for that point.Elaboration can be further description or explanation or discussion.

Supporting PointCommuters appreciate the cost savings of taking public transportation rather

than driving.ElaborationLess driving time means less maintenance expense, such as oil changes.Of course, less driving time means savings on gasoline as well.In many cases, these savings amount to more than the cost of riding publictransportation.

4. If you wish, include a summary sentence for each paragraph.This is not generally needed, however, and such sentences have a tendency tosound stilted, so be cautious about using them.

Once you have fleshed out each of your body paragraphs, one for each main point, youare ready to continue.


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Write the Introduction and Conclusion

Your essay lacks only two paragraphs now: the introduction and the conclusion. Theseparagraphs will give the reader a point of entry to and a point of exit from your essay.

Introduction

The introduction should be designed to attract the reader's attention and give her anidea of the essay's focus.

1. Begin with an attention grabber.

The attention grabber you use is up to you, but here are some ideas:

o Startling informationThis information must be true and verifiable, and it doesn't need to betotally new to your readers. It could simply be a pertinent fact thatexplicitly illustrates the point you wish to make.If you use a piece of startling information, follow it with a sentence ortwo ofelaboration.

o Anecdote

An anecdote is a story that illustrates a point.Be sure your anecdote is short, to the point, and relevant to your topic.This can be a very effective opener for your essay, but use it carefully.

o DialogueAn appropriate dialogue does not have to identify the speakers, but thereader must understand the point you are trying to convey. Use only twoor three exchanges between speakers to make your point.Follow dialogue with a sentence or two ofelaboration.

o

Summary InformationA few sentences explaining your topic in general terms can lead thereader gently to your thesis. Each sentence should become graduallymore specific, until you reach your thesis.

2. If the attention grabber was only a sentence or two, add one or two moresentences that will lead the reader from your opening to your thesis statement.
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3. Finish the paragraph with your thesis statement.

Conclusion

The conclusion brings closure to the reader, summing up your points or providing afinal perspective on your topic.

All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences which do not need to followany set formula. Simply review the main points (being careful not to restate themexactly) or briefly describe your feelings about the topic. Even an anecdote can endyour essay in a useful way.

The introduction and conclusion complete the paragraphs of your essay.Don't stop just yet! One more step remains before your essay is trulyfinished.

Add the Finishing Touches

You have now completed all of the paragraphs of your essay. Before you can considerthis a finished product, however, you must give some thought to the formatting of your

paper.

Check the order of your paragraphs.

Look at your paragraphs. Which one is the strongest? You might want to start with thestrongest paragraph, end with the second strongest, and put the weakest in the middle.

Whatever order you decide on, be sure it makes sense. If your paper is describing aprocess, you will probably need to stick to the order in which the steps must becompleted.

Check the instructions for the assignment.

When you prepare a final draft, you must be sure to follow all of the instructions you
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have been given.

Are your margins correct? Have you titled it as directed?

What other information (name, date, etc.) must you include?

Did you double-space your lines?

Check your writing.

Nothing can substitute for revision of your work. By reviewing what you have done,you can improve weak points that otherwise would be missed. Read and reread your

paper.

Does it make logical sense?Leave it for a few hours and then read it again. Does it still make logical sense?

Do the sentences flow smoothly from one another?If not, try to add some words and phrases to help connect them. Transitionwords, such as "therefore" or "however," sometimes help. Also, you might referin one sentence to a thought in the previous sentence. This is especially usefulwhen you move from one paragraph to another.

Have you run a spell checker or a grammar checker?These aids cannot catch every error, but they might catch errors that you havemissed.

Once you have checked your work and perfected your formatting,your essay is finished.

Congratulations!

Use this Sample Basic Essay as a Model


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The essay below demonstrates the principles of writing a basic essay. The differentparts of the essay have been labeled. The thesis statement is in bold, the topicsentences are in italics, and each main point is underlined. When you write your ownessay, of course, you will not need to mark these parts of the essay unless your teacherhas asked you to do so. They are marked here just so that you can more easily identifythem.

"A dog is man's best friend." That common saying may contain some truth, but dogsare not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, acat is their best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellenthousepets as they are good companions, they are civilized members of the

household, and they are easy to care for.

In the first place, people enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are affectionate.

They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin. Who can resista purring cat? If they're not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. Theylove to chase balls and feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. Theyespecially enjoy playing when their owners are participating in the game. Contrary to

popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using rewards and punishments, just like with adog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior or perform tricks. Cats will evenfetch!

In the second place, cats are civilized members of the household. Unlike dogs, cats donot bark or make other loud noises. Most cats don't even meow very often. Theygenerally lead a quiet existence. Cats also don't often have "accidents." Mother catstrain their kittens to use the litter box, and most cats will use it without fail from thattime on. Even stray cats usually understand the concept when shown the box and willuse it regularly. Cats do have claws, and owners must make provision for this. A tallscratching post in a favorite cat area of the house will often keep the cat content toleave the furniture alone. As a last resort, of course, cats can be declawed.

Lastly, one of the most attractive features of cats as housepets is their ease of care.Cats do not have to be walked. They get plenty of exercise in the house as they play,and they do their business in the litter box. Cleaning a litter box is a quick, painless

procedure. Cats also take care of their own grooming. Bathing a cat is almost nevernecessary because under ordinary circumstances cats clean themselves. Cats are more

particular about personal cleanliness than people are. In addition, cats can be lefthome alone for a few hours without fear. Unlike some pets, most cats will not destroythe furnishings when left alone. They are content to go about their usual activitiesuntil their owners return.


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Cats are low maintenance, civilized companions. People who have small livingquarters or less time for pet care should appreciate these characteristics of cats.However, many people who have plenty of space and time still opt to have a cat

because they love the cat personality. In many ways, cats are the ideal housepet.

General Essay Writing Tips

Updated on Friday 22 July 2011

This article contains three parts:

1. Step One: Brainstorming2. Step Two: Selecting a Topic

3. Step Three: Writing the Essay

Step One: Brainstorming

The most important part of your essay is the subject matter. You should expect to devote about1-2 weeks simply to brainstorming ideas. To begin brainstorming a subject idea consider thefollowing points. From brainstorming, you may find a subject you had not considered at first.

1. What are your major accomplishments, and why do you consider them accomplishments?

Do not limit yourself to accomplishments you have been formally recognized for sincethe most interesting essays often are based on accomplishments that may have been triteat the time but become crucial when placed in the context of your life.

2. Does any attribute, quality, or skill distinguish you from everyone else? How did youdevelop this attribute?Consider your favorite books, movies, works of art, etc. Have these influenced your lifein a meaningful way? Why are they your favorites?

3. What was the most difficult time in your life, and why? How did your perspective on lifechange as a result of the difficulty?

4. Have you ever struggled mightily for something and succeeded? What made yousuccessful?

5. Have you ever struggled mightily for something and failed? How did you respond?

6. Of everything in the world, what would you most like to be doing right now? Wherewould you most like to be? Who, of everyone living and dead, would you most like to bewith? These questions should help you realize what you love most.


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7. Have you experienced a moment of epiphany, as if your eyes were opened to somethingyou were previously blind to?

8. What is your strongest, most unwavering personality trait? Do you maintain strongbeliefs or adhere to a philosophy?

9. How would your friends characterize you? What would they write about if they werewriting your admissions essay for you?

10. What have you done outside of the classroom that demonstrates qualities sought after byuniversities? Of these, which means the most to you?

11. What are your most important extracurricular or community activities? What made youjoin these activities? What made you continue to contribute to them?

12. What are your dreams of the future? When you look back on your life in thirty years,what would it take for you to consider your life successful? What people, things, andaccomplishments do you need? How does this particular university fit into your plans for

the future?

If these questions cannot cure your writer's block, consider the following exercises:

1 - Ask for help from Parents, Friends or Colleagues

If you cannot characterize yourself and your personality traits do not automatically leap to mind,ask your friends to write a list of your five most salient personality traits. Ask your friends whythey chose the ones they did. If an image of your personality begins to emerge, consider lifeexperiences that could illustrate the particular traits.

2 - Consider your childhood

While admissions officers are not interested in reading about your childhood and are moreinterested in the last 2-4 years of your life, you might consider events of your childhood thatinspired the interests you have today. Interests that began in childhood may be the most definingparts of your life, even if you recently lost interest. For instance, if you were interested in mathsince an early age and now want to study medicine, you might incorporate this into your medicalschool admissions essay. Analyze the reasons for your interests and how they were shaped fromyour upbringing.

3 - Consider your role models

Many applicants do not have role models and were never greatly influenced by just one or twopeople. However, for those of you who have role models and actually aspire to become like

certain people, you may want to incorporate a discussion of that person and the traits youadmired into your application essay.

4 - Read Sample Admission Essays

Before you sat down to write a poem, you would certainly read past poets. Before writing a bookof philosophy, you would consider past philosophers. In the same way, we recommend readingsample admissions essays to understand what topics other applicants chose.


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5 - Goal determination

Life is short. Why do you want spend 2-6 years of your life at a particular college, graduateschool, or professional school? How is the degree necessary to the fulfillment of your goals?When considering goals, think broadly. Few people would be satisfied with just a career. Howelse will your education fit your needs and lead you to a fulfilling life?

If after reading this entire page you do not have an idea for your essay, do not be surprised.Coming up with an idea is difficult and requires time. Actually consider the questions andexercises above. Without a topic you feel passionate about, without one that brings out thedefining aspects of you personality, you risk falling into the trap of sounding like the 90 percentof applicants who will write boring admissions essays. The only way to write a unique essay is tohave experiences that support whatever topic you come up with. Whatever you do, don't let theessay stress you out. Have fun with the brainstorming process. You might discover somethingabout yourself you never consciously realized.

Step Two - Selecting an Essay TopicHaving completed step one, you should now have a rough idea of the elements you wish toinclude in your essay, including your goals, important life experiences, research experience,diversifying features, spectacular nonacademic accomplishments, etc. You should also now havean idea of what impression you want to make on the admissions officers.

We should remark that at this stage, undergraduate applicants have a large advantage overgraduate school applicants. Whereas nobody questions a high school student's motivation toattend college, graduate and professional school applicants must directly address in their essaystheir desire to study their selected field.

You must now confront the underlying problem of the admissions essay. You must now considertopics that will allow you to synthesize your important personal characteristics and experiencesinto a coherent whole while simultaneously addressing your desire to attend a specific institution.While most admissions essays allow great latitude in topic selection, you must also be sure toanswer the questions that were asked of you. Leaving a lasting impression on someone whoreads 50-100 essays a day will not be easy, but we have compiled some guidelines to help youget started. With any luck, one or two topics, with small changes, will allow you to answerapplication questions for 5-7 different colleges, although admissions officers do appreciateessays that provide convincing evidence of how an applicant will fit into a particular academicenvironment. You should at least have read the college's webpage, admissions catalog, and havean understanding of the institution's strengths.

Consider the following questions before proceeding:

1. Have you selected a topic that describes something of personal importance in your life,with which you can use vivid personal experiences as supporting details?

2. Is your topic a gimmick? That is, do you plan to write your essay in iambic pentameter ormake it funny. You should be very, very careful if you are planning to do this. Werecommend strongly that you do not do this. Almost always, this is done poorly and is not


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appreciated by the admissions committee. Nothing is worse than not laughing or notbeing amused at something that was written to be funny or amusing.

3. Will your topic only repeat information listed elsewhere on your application? If so, pick anew topic. Don't mention GPAs or standardized test scores in your essay.

4. Can you offer vivid supporting paragraphs to your essay topic? If you cannot easily thinkof supporting paragraphs with concrete examples, you should probably choose a differentessay topic.

5. Can you fully answer the question asked of you? Can you address and elaborate on allpoints within the specified word limit, or will you end up writing a poor summary ofsomething that might be interesting as a report or research paper? If you plan on writingsomething technical for college admissions, make sure you truly can back up yourinterest in a topic and are not merely throwing around big scientific words. Unless youconvince the reader that you actually have the life experiences to back up your interest inneurobiology, the reader will assume you are trying to impress him/her with shallow

tactics. Also, be sure you can write to admissions officers and that you are not writingover their heads.

6. Can you keep the reader's interest from the first word. The entire essay must beinteresting, considering admissions officers will probably only spend a few minutesreading each essay.

7. Is your topic overdone? To ascertain this, peruse through old essays. However, mosttopics are overdone, and this is not a bad thing. A unique or convincing answer to aclassic topic can pay off big.

8. Will your topic turnoff a large number of people? If you write on how everyone should

worship your God, how wrong or right abortion is, or how you think the Republican orDemocratic Party is evil, you will not get into the college of your choice. The only thingworse than not writing a memorable essay is writing an essay that will be rememberednegatively. Stay away from specific religions, political doctrines, or controversialopinions. You can still write an essay about Nietzsche's influence on your life, butexpress understanding that not all intelligent people will agree with Nietzsche's claims.Emphasize instead Nietzsche's influence on your life, and not why you think he waswrong or right in his claims.

9. In this vein, if you are presenting a topic that is controversial, you must acknowledgecounter arguments without sounding arrogant.

10. Will an admissions officer remember your topic after a day of reading hundreds ofessays? What will the officer remember about your topic? What will the officerremember about you? What will your lasting impression be?

After evaluating your essay topics with the above criteria and asking for the free opinions of yourteachers or colleagues, and of your friends, you should have at least 1-2 interesting essay topics.Consider the following guidelines below.


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1. If you are planning on writing an essay on how you survived poverty in Russia, your mother'ssuicide, your father's kidnapping, or your immigration to America from Asia, you should becareful that your main goal is to address your own personal qualities. Just because something sador horrible has happened to you does not mean that you will be a good college or graduate schoolstudent. You don't want to be remembered as the pathetic applicant. You want to be remembered

as the applicant who showed impressive qualities under difficult circumstances. It is for thisreason that essays relating to this topic are considered among the best. Unless you only use thehorrible experience as a lens with which to magnify your own personal characteristics, you willnot write a good essay. Graduate and professional school applicants should generally steer clearof this topic altogether unless you can argue that your experience will make you a betterbusinessman, doctor, lawyer, or scholar.

2. Essays should fit in well with the rest of a candidate's application, explaining the unexplainedand steering clear of that which is already obvious. For example, if you have a 4.0 GPA and a1500 SAT, no one doubts your ability to do the academic work and addressing this topic wouldbe ridiculous. However, if you have an 850 SAT and a 3.9 GPA or a 1450 SAT and a 2.5 GPA,

you would be wise to incorporate in your essay an explanation for the apparent contradiction. Forexample, perhaps you were hospitalized or family concerns prevented your dedication toacademics; you would want to mention this in your essay. However, do not make your essay onegiant excuse. Simply give a quick, convincing explanation within the framework of your largeressay.

3. "Diversity" is the biggest buzzword of the 1990's. Every college, professional school, orgraduate school wants to increase diversity. For this reason, so many applicants are tempted todeclare what makes them diverse. However, simply saying you are a black, lesbian female willnot impress admissions officers in the least. While an essay incorporating this information wouldprobably be your best topic idea, you must finesse the issue by addressing your own personalqualities and how you overcame stigma, dealt with social ostracism, etc. If you are a rich studentfrom Beverly Hills whose father is an engineer and whose mother is a lawyer, but you happen tobe a minority, an essay about how you dealt with adversity would be unwise. You mustdemonstrate vividly your personal qualities, interests, motivations, etc. Address specifically howyour diversity will contribute to the realm of campus opinion, the academic environment, andsocial life.

4. Don't mention weaknesses unless you absolutely need to explain them away. You want tomake a positive first impression, and telling an admissions officer anything about drinking,drugs, partying, etc. undermines your goal. Why admit to weakness when you can insteadshowcase your strengths?

5. Be honest, but not for honesty's sake. Unless you are a truly excellent writer, your best, mostpassionate writing will be about events that actually occurred. While you might be tempted toinvent hardship, it is completely unnecessary. Write an essay about your life that demonstratesyour personality.

Step Three - Writing the Essay, Tips for Success


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Even seemingly boring topics can be made into exceptional admissions essays with aninnovative approach. In writing the essay you must bear in mind your two goals: to persuade theadmissions officer that you are extremely worthy of admission and to make the admissionsofficer aware that you are more than a GPA and a standardized score, that you are a real-life,intriguing personality.

Unfortunately, there is no surefire step-by-step method to writing a good essay. However, wehave compiled the following list of tips that you should find useful while writing youradmissions essay.

1 - Answer the question

You can follow the next 12 steps, but if you miss the question, you will not be admitted to anyinstitution.

2 - Be original

Even seemingly boring essay topics can sound interesting if creatively approached. If writing

about a gymnastics competition you trained for, do not start your essay: "I worked long hours formany weeks to train for XXX competition." Consider an opening like, "Every morning I awokeat 5:00 to sweat, tears, and blood as I trained on the uneven bars hoping to bring the stategymnastics trophy to my hometown."

3 - Be yourself

Admissions officers want to learn about you and your writing ability. Write about somethingmeaningful and describe your feelings, not necessarily your actions. If you do this, your essaywill be unique. Many people travel to foreign countries or win competitions, but your feelingsduring these events are unique to you. Unless a philosophy or societal problem has interested youintensely for years, stay away from grand themes that you have little personal experience with.

4 - Don't thesaurize your composition

For some reason, students continue to think big words make good essays. Big words are fine, butonly if they are used in the appropriate contexts with complex styles. Think Hemingway.

5 - Use imagery and clear, vivid prose

If you are not adept with imagery, you can write an excellent essay without it, but it's not easy.The application essay lends itself to imagery since the entire essay requires your experiences assupporting details. Appeal to the five senses of the admissions officers.

6 - Spend the most time on your introduction

Expect admissions officers to spend 1-2 minutes reading your essay. You must use yourintroduction to grab their interest from the beginning. You might even consider completelychanging your introduction after writing your body paragraphs.- Don't Summarize in your Introduction. Ask yourself why a reader would want to read yourentire essay after reading your introduction. If you summarize, the admissions officer need notread the rest of your essay.- Create Mystery or Intrigue in your Introduction. It is not necessary or recommended that yourfirst sentence give away the subject matter. Raise questions in the minds of the admissions


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officers to force them to read on. Appeal to their emotions to make them relate to your subjectmatter.

7 - Body paragraphs must relate to your introduction

Your introduction can be original, but cannot be silly. The paragraphs that follow must relate to

your introduction.

8 - Use transition

Applicants continue to ignore transition to their own detriment. You must use transition withinparagraphs and especially between paragraphs to preserve the logical flow of your essay.Transition is not limited to phrases like "as a result, in addition, while . . . , since . . . , etc." butincludes repeating key words and progressing the idea. Transition provides the intellectualarchitecture to argument building.

9 - Conclusions are critical

The conclusion is your last chance to persuade the reader or impress upon them your

qualifications. In the conclusion, avoid summary since the essay is rather short to begin with; thereader should not need to be reminded of what you wrote 300 words before. Also do not usestock phrases like "in conclusion, in summary, to conclude, etc." You should consider thefollowing conclusions:- Expand upon the broader implications of your discussion.- Consider linking your conclusion to your introduction to establish a sense of balance byreiterating introductory phrases.- Redefine a term used previously in your body paragraphs.- End with a famous quote that is relevant to your argument. Do not try to do this, as thisapproach is overdone. This should come naturally.- Frame your discussion within a larger context or show that your topic has widespread appeal.- Remember, your essay need not be so tidy that you can answer why your little sister died orwhy people starve in Africa; you are not writing a "sit-com," but should forge some attempt atclosure.

10 - Do something else

Spend a week or so away from your draft to decide if you still consider your topic and approachworthwhile.

11 - Give your draft to others

Ask editors to read with these questions in mind:- WHAT is the essay about?- Have I used active voice verbs wherever possible?- Is my sentence structure varied or do I use all long or all short sentences?- Do you detect any cliches?- Do I use transition appropriately?- Do I use imagery often and does this make the essay clearer and more vivid?- What's the best part of the essay?- What about the essay is memorable?- What's the worst part of the essay?


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- What parts of the essay need elaboration or are unclear?- What parts of the essay do not support your main argument or are immaterial to your case?- Is every single sentence crucial to the essay? This MUST be the case.- What does the essay reveal about your personality?- Could anyone else have written this essay?

- How would you fill in the following blank based on the essay: "I want to accept you to thiscollege because our college needs more ________."

12 - Revise, revise, revise

Revise, Revise, Revise. You only are allowed so many words; use them wisely. If H.D. Thoreaucouldn't write a good essay without revision, neither will you. Delete anything in the essay thatdoes not relate to your main argument. Do you use transition? Are your introduction andconclusions more than summaries? Did you find every single grammatical error?

Allow for the evolution of your main topic. Do not assume your subject must remain fixed andthat you can only tweak sentences.

Editing takes time. Consider reordering your supporting details, delete irrelevant sections, andmake clear the broader implications of your experiences. Allow your more important argumentsto come to the foreground. Take points that might only be implicit and make them explicit.

Have your Essay Professionally Edited. The application essay is too important not to spend $50for its improvement. Editing houses will significantly improve your essay's style, transition,voice, grammar, and tone; they will also make content suggestions to ensure your essay is unique

and memorable.

2011 Envisage International Corporation

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