College Essays | Admission's Advice

A Guide for Writing Your College Essay

It’s easy plugging away some data like your date of birth or your high school GPA into a college application. The hard part is writing a clear, effective college essay. While the rest of the application lets a college know what you could do at your high school, the essay shows what you can do on their campus. Here is a guide to a few things to keep in mind while trying to compose your work-of-art application:

Stay on Topic
The easiest way for applicants to mess up their essay is to head off into rambling prose. Stick to writing about the topic given in the application and to that only. If you do that, the rest of the essay should be cream cheese.

Express Your Originality
Write in a voice that is unique to you, and don’t be afraid to explore your creativity. If you find your essay to read dull and unoriginal, then so will the admissions office. Take the generic topic given in most applications and turn it into something fun.

Grab Their Attention With the First Sentence
The introduction in your college essay is kind of like your introduction to the school, so it is a very important part of your essay. Plus, admissions offices are reviewing thousands of these essays which means you only have a couple minutes to pull them in.

Be Concise
You’re not writing a book report or your whole life story. Your essay shouldn’t have any filler sentences, but it should rather flow with each sentence clear as day.

Stay Within Your Abilities
Some applicants succumb to the pressure and try to draft a masterpiece worthy of the Library of Congress. Although you certainly want to write as well as possible, you don’t want to force it and step out of your comfort zone. That means not using words that aren’t usually in your vocabulary or trying to write in a whole new style.

Filed Under: Appliations, College Essays, Education Tagged With: Admissions essay, Essay, Library of Congress

A Guide to Changing Majors During College

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Once you declare a major it is not written in stone. In fact, it’s not written in stone until you pass the last required course and walk across the stage to pick up your degree. This is why it’s fairly common for students to change majors during their time at college. Some students will change majors multiple times. While it can cost you in tuition by taking so many different courses, it can also cost you to graduate with a degree you’re not happy with. So, if you’re looking to make the switch be sure to follow this simple guide.

Meet With Advisors
Students should meet with academic advisors from both the department they’re currently majoring in and one from the major they are looking to switch to. This gives you the ability to plan out what you need to do to get into the your new major and administrative details for making the change. Additionally, they can provide further details about the major to see if you would actually be interested. Students will also be able to ask any questions or address concerns they have before making the change official.

Take Summer Classes
It will be a likely scenario that you will be behind in credits in your new major once you change it, usually in prerequisites or from other courses that aren’t accepted. After a change in major, you will also likely be behind in plans to graduate in four years. This is where summer classes present a great opportunity. It can be a time to play catch up.

Cut Your Losses
Students can have a hard time changing majors because they have regrets about all of the work they’ve already put into another degree. Also, some will wonder what would have happened if they stayed with their first major. If you know your new major is the right major then it’s pointless to worry. Instead be happy you found the right one.

Filed Under: College Essays Tagged With: Academic degree, Education, Student

Tips for Writing a Scholarship Essay

They say that money isn’t free, which is probably why getting a scholarship isn’t easy. Whereas getting a student loan takes a little paperwork and maybe a credit check, getting a scholarship means applying in a creative and professional way that makes you standout. Some scholarships can be attained through programs that create work assignments for you, but the majority of scholarship applications require an essay.

If you had to write an admission essay, you can get the general idea of how it all works out. For rookies, it’s a process of convincing others that you deserve what they are offering. So if you want money that you at least don’t have to pay back, here are a few tips for writing the essay to get it:

Answer the Question
Scholarships will generally ask for you to write about something that is related to the organization offering it, as well as your experience with it. It’s important to write only about what they are asking for. If you’re applying for a nursing scholarship and are writing about caring for your grandmother, don’t start going into detail about her illness.

Be Creative in Your Answer
While you surely want to stay on topic, think of creative ways to write about it. Try to build a unique angle, or recount a unique experience that might put you above the other candidates.

Proof and Edit It
One way your scholarship essay can be quickly dismissed is if it has grammatical errors. Most organizations won’t be looking for the next Shakespeare, but they don’t want to see misspellings and improper comma usage.

Have It Peer Reviewed
It’s helpful to have some feedback from peers, like family, friends or even teachers. Trying to find one’s own mistakes can be difficult and it’s always helpful to receive suggestions from others. If you can’t impress your mom, you might more work to do.

Filed Under: College Essays, Scholarships Tagged With: Essay, Scholarship, Student loan

How Parents can Help in the College Admissions Process

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College is the time when a parent has to finally let their children grow up as it is the time when their children finally head out on their own. Some parents have trouble with this aspect, as they start to miss having a loved one in the house that depends on them. Luckily for parents in this group, there is one last thing they can help their children do, and it’s an important one. The college admission process is thorough affair, and students can use a little help during it all. Here are a few ways in which parents can lend one last helping hand.

Write the Application Checks
Applying to a school costs money, usually anywhere from $30 to $75 dollars. For a child that is applying to multiple schools, the cost of applications can add up to much more than their allowance money. Parents should just consider it an investment in their education.

Place Applications in the Mail
If your college-bound child decides to apply to schools through the mail, they may need to get them to the post office. Since parents are better suited than their digitally-oriented children to handle postal operations, like calculating postage costs, it could be an area where a parent can flourish.

Give Deadline Reminders
Parents have calendars on the refrigerator and day planners. Children on the other hand have Facebook. Guess who might be better at knowing what the date is?

Help Review Essays
It is highly recommended that applicants have people review their essays to not only find mistakes, but to provide some positive feedback. Parents can play the role of editor and get essays in tip top shape.

Be Supportive
Being supportive is what parents do best, and what they are there for. The college admissions process can mean getting rejection letters along with acceptance letters. If your child is rejected from the college of their choice, let them know that there are perfect alternatives.

Filed Under: Appliations, College Essays Tagged With: Essay, Facebook, University and college admissions

Getting a Full Ride Scholarship

When most people think about scholarships that provide someone with a full ride to a college, they tend to think about only athletes. While student athletes get the most attention–possibly because of the controversies in college athletics–there are many students that are being rewarded full rides because of their academic abilities. However, getting a full ride scholarship is not a very easy thing to accomplish.

It is a heck of an academic achievement in its own right. Any student can cover tuition costs with student loans, but they come with repayment options that come with interest. So only a few students qualify with having their entire schooling paid for, which is why colleges consider full rides as an investment.

Most students assume that all they need to qualify for a full ride scholarship is a report card with straight As. Instead, colleges prefer to see reports cards with advanced placement classes on it, even if they come with Bs. Colleges want to see someone with the ability to handle college level courses and won’t be overwhelmed.

Test scores also play a tremendous part in giving out a full ride scholarship. Not just any test, but the standardized tests like the ACT and SAT. These tests cover the spectrum of academic subjects in schools and can signify a students range of knowledge and ability to perform under pressure. These test scores provide better insight into a student’s capabilities since educational standards can differ across the country. Standards could be more vigorous in one states than another. A standardized test can make up for disparities.

With all things considered, a college will still have numerous students that meet these requirements exceptionally. At this point colleges may consider other things like school organizations or clubs the student was involved it, or if they were in athletics. A college is going to want to be as sure as possible that they are paying for the right person.

Filed Under: College Essays, Scholarships Tagged With: Scholarship, Standardized test, Student

Getting an Athletic Scholarship While in College

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For athletic high school stand outs that end up not receiving an athletic scholarship from one of their primary choices when they graduate, it isn’t the end of the road. Athletes should know something about getting back up and forging ahead. This is one of those cases. College athletic department can extend scholarships at any time during a student’s college career. If you’re one of these students, then here is your chance to win some glory and a free education.

Get on the Team
The first step just might the hardest. It will take extra time training and trying to perfect the skills a team might be looking for even though to you can’t really know what they are. However, aspiring student athletes can take the time to try and meet with coaches, and if you can show a little potential, possibly even train with them in the off season. Each year, however, every college athletic program has try outs. This is the chance to show coaches what you got and get on the team.

Perform on the Field
Once you’re on the team it doesn’t mean you automatically get a scholarship. It just means that you are a walk-on. Many walk-ons will go on to have successful college careers without ever having a scholarship. This is because athletic scholarships are limited. A coach has to use them wisely to lure the best players possible to the program. But sometimes luck is on as student athlete’s side as players transfer or go on to the pros, opening up more scholarships than usually available. If you can prove your worth on the field, they just might decide to dedicate one to you.

Perform in Class
Walk-on athletes have a better chance in obtaining an athletic scholarship if they have a record of academic achievement too. Schools prefer to reward their students that excel in the classroom as well as on the field.

Filed Under: College Essays, Scholarships Tagged With: Athletic scholarship, College athletics, Scholarship

The College Admissions Process for Older Adults

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Dust off those weathered notebooks, pull out that sweet Jansport bag with Led Zeppelin patches and get that beer bong ready because you are going back to school. In times of economic uncertainty, or really disaster, many people have to try and restart their careers. Some of them nearly from scratch. Either their occupation has been completely eliminated, or they find the change as an opportunity to try something new.

But as an older adult, going to back school can be frustrating process. It just might leave you asking your children for tips on filling out college applications. However, adults shouldn’t fret. It may take a little longer to get your credentials together than an 18-year old, but you will probably come off as a better candidate for acceptance. Just remember these few things:

Transcripts
What was your high school GPA again? It isn’t embarrassing to forget, and those records aren’t lost to history. You can still contact your high school and have them pull them from their records. Even though it might have been long ago, colleges will still be interested in your academic work when you’re only concern should have been grades.

Resume
This is where you will have an advantage over other applicants. Older adults should touch up their resume and include it with their application. It will provide a detailed blueprint of what you can do with their education.

Essay
Every applicant will have to write out an admission essay, and it’s a big consideration for admission officials. Again, older adults have the upper hand. While they may have to dust off their English skills, they have a spate of experience to write about.

Mailed Applications
If your profession completely missed the computer revolution and you don’t know how to post a tweet, don’t worry. For one, applications can still be submitted through the mail. Also, feel comforted that colleges will offer courses in using computers and software.

Filed Under: Appliations, College Essays Tagged With: High school, Old age, Sensitivity and specificity