Story Telling These authors know how to tell a tale, best college essays examples. For me, learning is not just about classes and homework and assignments. I am a passionate advocate for universal healthcare and specifically, equitable, and non-discriminatory access to healthcare for people of all communities. The training of those early years helped me develop my sense of aesthetic placements, framing, best college essays examples positioning. I went back to Texas a changed person. These block phrases work against this and dampen the author's unique voice to just one among the crowd.
The best college essay examples
One of the best ways to write a successful college essay for your college application is by learning from real college essay examples that worked. I've compiled a few of my best college essays examples essay examples here that cover a variety of college essay topics. Need help writing your college essay? Click here for my ultimate guide. Or, check out my complete guide for answering the most popular college essay prompts on the Common App. though these are all great essays regardless of where or if students were admitted to their top choice school. Looking for more college admissions essay examples about yourself? Check out more personal statements here. Behold, some of the best college essays of in my humble opinion. Background Essay: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it, best college essays examples.
If this sounds like you, then please share your story, best college essays examples. Challenge Essay: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? Belief Essay: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? Gratitude Essay: Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way.
How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? Accomplishment Essay: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that best college essays examples a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others, best college essays examples. Topic Essay: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? Create-Your-Own Essay: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design, best college essays examples. Many of these essays also demonstrate vulnerability. College admissions officers reading your college application will want to know how your values, qualities, and skills will flourish in college— and how good your writing skills are.
We asked dozens of experts on essay writing and test scores for their take on what makes a great college essay. Check out these five college essay tips below. Imagine how the person reading your essay will best college essays examples. No one's idea of a good time is writing a college essay, I know. But if sitting down to write your essay feels like a chore, and you're bored by what you're saying, you can imagine how the person reading your essay will feel. On the other hand, if you're writing about something you love, something that excites you, something that you've thought deeply about, best college essays examples, chances are I'm going to set down your application feeling excited, too—and feeling like I've gotten to know you.
Write like a journalist. Think about any article you've read—how do you decide to read it? You read the first few sentences and then decide. The same goes for college essays. A strong lede journalist parlance for "lead" will place your reader in the "accept" mindset from the beginning of the essay. A weak lede will have your reader thinking "reject"—a mindset from which it's nearly impossible to recover. Don't read the Common Application prompts. If you already have, erase them from memory and write the story you want colleges to hear. The truth is, admission reviewers rarely know—or care—which prompt you are responding to, best college essays examples.
They are curious to discover what you choose to show them about who you are, what you valueand why. Even the most fluid writers are often stifled by fitting their narrative neatly into a category and the essay quickly loses authentic voice. Write freely and choose a prompt later. Spoiler alert one prompt is "Share best college essays examples essay on any topic of your choice. This college essay tip is by Brennan Barnard, best college essays examples, director of college counseling at the Derryfield School in Manchester, N. best college essays examples contributor to the NYT, HuffPost, and Forbes on intentionally approaching college admissions. Adding feelings to your essays can be much more powerful than just listing your achievements. It allows reviewers to connect with you and understand your personality and what drives you.
In particular, be best college essays examples to showing vulnerability. Nobody expects you to be perfect and acknowledging times in which you have felt nervous or scared shows maturity and self-awareness. This college essay tip is by Charles Maynard, Oxford and Stanford University Graduate and founder of Going Merry, which is a one-stop shop for applying to college scholarships. Revise often and early. Your admissions essay should go through several stages of revision. Ask your parents, teachers, high school counselors or friends for their eyes and edits.
It should be people who know you best and want you to succeed. Take their constructive criticism in the spirit for which they intend—your benefit. This college essay tip is by Dhivya Arumugham, Kaplan Test Prep's director of SAT and ACT programs. Written for the Common App college application essays "Tell us your story" prompt. This essay could work for prompts 1 and 7 for the Common App. They covered the precious mahogany coffin with a brown amalgam of rocks, decomposed organisms, and weeds. It was my turn to take the shovel, but I felt too ashamed to dutifully send her off when I had not properly said goodbye. I refused to throw dirt on her. I refused to let go of my grandmother, to accept a death I had not seen coming, to believe that an illness could not only interrupt, but steal a beloved life.
When my parents finally revealed to me best college essays examples my grandmother had been battling liver cancer, I was twelve and I was angry--mostly with myself. They had wanted to protect me--only six years old at the time--from the complex and morose concept of death. Hurt that my parents had deceived me and resentful of my own oblivion, I committed myself to preventing such blindness from resurfacing. I became desperately devoted to my education because I saw knowledge as the key to freeing myself from the chains of ignorance, best college essays examples. While learning about cancer in school I promised myself that I would memorize every fact and absorb every detail in textbooks and online medical journals.
And as I began to consider my future, I realized that what I learned in school would allow me to silence that which had silenced my grandmother, best college essays examples. However, I was focused not with learning itself, but with good grades and best college essays examples test scores. I started to believe that academic perfection would be the only way to redeem myself in her eyes--to make up for what I had not done as a granddaughter. However, a simple walk on a hiking trail behind my house made me open my own eyes to the truth. Over the years, everything--even honoring my grandmother--had become second to school and grades.
As my shoes humbly tapped against the Earth, the towering trees blackened by the forest fire a few years ago, best college essays examples, the faintly colorful pebbles embedded in the sidewalk, and the wispy white clouds hanging in the sky reminded me of my small though nonetheless significant part in a larger whole that is humankind and this Earth. Before I could resolve my guilt, I had to broaden my perspective of the world as well as my responsibilities to my fellow humans. Volunteering at a cancer treatment center has helped me discover my path.
When I see patients trapped in not only the hospital but also a moment in time by their diseases, best college essays examples, I talk to them. For six hours a day, three times a week, Ivana is surrounded by IV stands, empty walls, and busy nurses that quietly yet constantly remind her of her breast cancer. I need only to smile and say hello to see her brighten up as life returns to her face. Upon our first meeting, she opened up about her two sons, her hometown, and her knitting group--no mention of her disease. Without even standing up, the three of us—Ivana, me, and my grandmother--had taken a walk together. While I physically treat their cancer, I want to lend patients emotional support and mental strength to escape the interruption and continue living.
My laptop is like a passport. It is plastered with stickers all over the outside, inside, and bottom. Each sticker is a stamp, representing a place I've been, best college essays examples, a passion I've pursued, or community I've belonged to. These stickers make for an untraditional first impression at a meeting or presentation, but it's one I'm proud of. Let me take you on a quick tour:. Art has been a constant for me for as long as I can remember. Today my primary engagement with art is through design. I've spent entire weekends designing websites and social media graphics for my companies.
Design means more to me than just branding and marketing; it gives me the opportunity to experiment with texture, perspective, and contrast, helping me refine my professional style. A rectangular black and red sticker displaying the theme of the TEDxYouth Austin event. For years I've been interested in the street artists and musicians in downtown Austin who are so unapologetically themselves. As a result, I've become more open-minded and appreciative of unconventional lifestyles. TED gives me the opportunity to help other youth understand new perspectives, by exposing them to the diversity of Austin best college essays examples culture is created, not just consumed, best college essays examples. Poop emojimiddle right.
essay on critical thinking
Remember to make abstract claims concrete, so the reader knows exactly what you mean. An Untitled Tufts University Admission Essay by Bridget Collins. After a long day in first grade, I used to fall asleep to the engine purring in my mother's Honda Odyssey, even though it was only a 5-minute drive home. As I grew, and graduated into the shotgun seat, it became natural and enjoyable to look out the window. Seeing my world passing by through that smudged glass, I would daydream what I could do with it. In elementary school, I already knew my career path: I was going to be Emperor of the World. While I sat in the car and watched the miles pass by, I developed the plan for my empire.
I reasoned that, for the world to run smoothly, it would have to look presentable. I would assign people, aptly named Fixer-Uppers, to fix everything that needed fixing. That old man down the street with chipping paint on his house would have a fresh coat in no time. The boy who accidentally tossed his Frisbee onto the roof of the school would get it back. The big pothole on Elm Street that my mother managed to hit every single day on the way to school would be filled-in. It made perfect sense! All the people that didn't have a job could be Fixer-Uppers. I was like a ten-year-old FDR. Seven years down the road, I still take a second glance at the sidewalk cracks and think of my Fixer-Uppers, but now I'm doing so from the driver's seat.
As much as I would enjoy it, I now accept that I won't become Emperor of the World, and that the Fixer-Uppers will have to remain in my car ride imaginings. Or do they? I always pictured a Fixer-Upper as a smiling man in an orange T-Shirt. Maybe instead, a Fixer-Upper could be a tall girl with a deep love for Yankee Candles. Maybe it could be me. Bridget the Fixer-Upper will be slightly different than the imaginary one who paints houses and fetches Frisbees. I was lucky enough to discover what I am passionate about when I was a freshman in high school. A self-admitted Phys. addict, I volunteered to help out with the Adapted PE class. On my first day, I learned that it was for developmentally-disabled students. To be honest, I was really nervous.
I hadn't had too much interaction with special needs students before, and wasn't sure how to handle myself around them. Long story short, I got hooked. Three years have passed helping out in APE and eventually becoming a teacher in the Applied Behavior Analysis summer program. I love working with the students and watching them progress. When senior year arrived, college meetings began, and my counselor asked me what I wanted to do for a career, I didn't say Emperor of the World. Instead, I told him I wanted to become a board-certified behavior analyst.
A BCBA helps develop learning plans for students with autism and other disabilities. Basically, I would get to do what I love for the rest of my life. He laughed and told me that it was a nice change that a seventeen-year-old knew so specifically what she wanted to do. I smiled, thanked him, and left. But it occurred to me that, while my desired occupation was decided, my true goal in life was still to become a Fixer-Upper. So, maybe I'll be like Sue Storm and her alter-ego, the Invisible Woman. I'll do one thing during the day, then spend my off-hours helping people where I can.
Instead of flying like Sue, though, I'll opt for a nice performance automobile. My childhood self would appreciate that. When you compare Bridget's essay to Stephen's, the two approaches are very different. The main thing they have in common is they use lifetime event language to build an engaging and interesting narrative. And they are the two keys to any great essay. The story told in the essay unfolds in chronographic order. His stead unfolding of time is signed post at the of each paragraph:. Or do they?. A short sentence is used to create the emotional resolution of the admission essay.
Here Bridget goes from being nervous about helping students with disabilities to being hooked. The slang also emphasizes this area of the letter. So, by changing the sentence structure, Bridget is emphasizing her feelings and drawing attention to her personality and emotional drive. This endows the admission essay with a fantastic and unique voice. To make the hook work better, Bridget needed to explain why cars were connected to the idea more or maybe have deleted the thing about cars and used the space from some more relevant. The crux of the essay is this experience that gave her the confidence and knowledge of what she wanted to help fix in the world. Despite this Bridget glosses over the what it was about the experience that made her feel this way, and what the experience really entailed in the essay.
What exactly was her experience here? Are you wondering how this resource and the stockpile of old letters can make your own admission essay better? Here are some ideas on how to use the information we have provided here. Here is a checklist of questions that will help you analyze and think about the other essays that we have collected. Examine the opening sentence and explain why it works so well? How does it hook you and make you want to read on? How does the author describe the anecdote? What senses does the author use to convey the story? Do these sensual descriptions make the story visual?
Where does the narrow anecdote expand into the larger perspective of the author? How does the author connect the narrow experience to the larger picture? And what trait, characteristic or skill does the anecdote emphasis and how? What is the tone of the essay? And how does it evoke this tone? Is it funny — if so where does the humor come from? Is it sad and moving? Can you find the imagery that describes this feeling? How does the word choices add to the tone of the piece? How would you improve the essay? Is it missing something? Is the voice unique? If they were asking you for advice, how would you advise them?
These essays rely on creating an emotional connection with the reader by the author describing a scene from their life in great detail. It doesn't matter if the scene is dramatic or from a slice of everyday life; it should be personal and revealing about you. It should make your individuality shine through, and the reader should see you through it. The best pieces of writing only emerge when something has been rewritten a few thousand times. As such it best to start writing your admission letters early. This way you have time to pass it around, get feedback and rewrite. The best advice when editing anything is to put in a drawer for a few days and just forget about it and come back to it with fresh eyes. Is there something that is needed?
Does everything make sense? Are the words strong? Is your voice there? Edit it, put away for a few days and repeat the cycle. Order now. Home How It Works Prices Blog Reviews Essay Examples Order now. Best College Essay Examples. The Common Features Successful College Essay Contain. A Clear Structured Plan. Start Small — Then Expand. Story Telling These authors know how to tell a tale. This is one of the best prompts since it offers an avenue for interaction with your best academic subject, and it will aid you in showing how proficient you are in the subject. This will help you in an essay that requires showing your personality and interest that is unique.
These types of essays grab attention, especially if you have a passion for a particular activity. It may seem intimidating for those who lack a unique talent or passion, but they need to talk on something you like. Do not impress the admission office with shocking things but show how you usually spend your free time. Your upbringing, identity, and experience should also be put into considerations. Explain your thinking process after the failure to show how your thinking has changed. However, not all people have experienced a considerable problem. Some have experienced a smaller problem. If you have experienced smaller failures, explain the more minor problems you have experienced that are related.
A more trivial problem that you have experienced repeatedly will make you write an excellent essay or lab report. This is one of the most challenging prompts to deal with. It involves explaining how you led to let us say a protest or revolution challenging something. However, not all people are capable of leading protests challenging something. If you have never tested an idea, state the time when you went against a particular norm, such as befriending an outcast person. If you have ever done something without the right qualification and you became successful, such as teaching, explain the experiences you got without a degree. Have you ever noticed a need for a change in a particular thing? State the thing you have brainstorming and need to change. Emphasize the experiences that made you want to come up with the idea of change.
This prompts lean toward reflective writing. It is all about thinking rumination and inquisition. Have an outline where you will write the problem after brainstorming and try to come up with numerous solutions for the challenge while justifying them. This prompt has specific suggestions that include: intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma. You need to choose a nagging problem that you encounter and make the readers why it is of importance to you. The topic selected here should also entail your personality, identity, and your thoughts on the world. This prompt helps in addressing a very ambitious problem that you would like to solve.
Be very creative and try as much as possible not to choose a cliché topic. The problem should be stated clearly, why it is a problem, note down the essential points and procedures you would take to solve the problem. This is a very broad prompt in that you can choose an achievement or event reflecting personal growth. Use informal events to effectively address this prompt as it will enable you to show more creativity and personality. Anything that has made your growth; explaining the growth and the relationship between this growth and perception of yourself deeply.
This aspect of the essay or research paper requires as it requires a lot of time to go through the description. This prompt allows you to broaden and extensively discuss a small piece or a simple, idea, topic, or concept. For example, if you love fishing, you can deeply consider the fishing garments used. In this essay, you try to answer why a sure thing fascinates you. It possesses a high risk since it involves writing your question but helps show your individuality and confidence. Writing a college essay or personal statement is not an essay task since you need to impress the admission office.
Below are the three essential tips that will help you write an incredible college essay. Read different essays to get a glimpse of what you should write on. You need to put into consideration the following factors:. When you find an essay that you think is well written, ensure that you note it. You should express the reasons why you like the essay. It will help you know much about the writer if their essay is unique. Use the things you have noted down when going through the essay when writing yours. Try to imitate the same techniques used by the writer; however, you need to be careful not to copy their work. It can anything such as dramatic experience or mundane. However, do not forget it must be a personal experience and reviling about you and how you re now since you are entering the adult life.
Do not wait until the last minute to start writing the essay. After understanding what you are required to do, start your essay immediately. The best writing is not just writing at all, it is rewriting. Fo you to rewrite the essay well, you need to start very early before the application deadline. It is recommended to finish the first draft two months before the deadline. Ensure that you write the college essay with afresh mind to think about the things you rewriting critically. Starting early will enable you to rearrange sections that do not make sense. You also need to proofread the essay to correct all the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mistakes that may be rising in the paper, also if you try to write the great dissertation.
The elegant mahogany coffin was covered using a red pile of rocks, organisms that had decomposed, and weeds. I was so ashamed to send him off dutifully when my time to take the shovel reached since I did not bid him a very goodbye. I refused everything, throwing dirt on him, letting my brother go, and accepting that he was no more. I could not believe that a disease can just take the life of my beloved one away. I knew aged ten that my brother was battling sickle cell anemia, and I became mad with myself. When my brother died, I could not take it anymore, I was trying to come with terms how I abandoned my sick brother in favor of watching T. V playing with my friends, and spending more time with other people rather than him. I promised myself that I would memorize all the journals and books talking about sickle cell anemia.
I want to be there as a sickle cell specialist to help those suffering from the disease in terms of emotional, physical, and all other supports to enable them to continue living. I emerged victorious in the award at the Oscars in the category of the most original. It is just a consolation award. It is not about the prettiest or the best but the most unique one. So how can someone be most original while playing soccer? Winning the award was not a very good thing to me as I would receive insincere congratulations that made me grew very hostile to the word Original. It may be an overreaction, but I cannot come to terms with the award. It made me hate to be original in any context, as it always let me down.
I tried to be a typical student in my hometown of Texas by creating excellent rapport with crowds, and as typical as I was, I failed to surprise people. I then relocated to California, an odd, vibrant place with vibrant people. A lively, individual voice. Writing is for readers. In this case, your reader is an admissions officer who has read thousands of essays before yours and will read thousands after. Your goal? Don't bore your reader. Use interesting descriptions, stay away from clichés, include your own offbeat observations—anything that makes this essay sounds like you and not like anyone else.
Enchanted Prince Stan decided to stay away from any frog-kissing princesses to retain his unique perspective on ruling as an amphibian. Technical correctness. No spelling mistakes, no grammar weirdness, no syntax issues, no punctuation snafus—each of these sample college essays has been formatted and proofread perfectly. If this kind of exactness is not your strong suit, you're in luck! All colleges advise applicants to have their essays looked over several times by parents, teachers, mentors, and anyone else who can spot a comma splice. Your essay must be your own work, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help polishing it. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar.
Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now :. Some colleges publish a selection of their favorite accepted college essays that worked, and I've put together a selection of over of these. Please note that some of these college essay examples may be responding to prompts that are no longer in use. The current Common App prompts are as follows:.
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. These essays are answers to past prompts from either the Common Application or the Universal Application which Johns Hopkins used to accept. If you're looking for even more sample college essays, consider purchasing a college essay book. The best of these include dozens of essays that worked and feedback from real admissions officers.
College Essays That Made a Difference —This detailed guide from Princeton Review includes not only successful essays, but also interviews with admissions officers and full student profiles. Heavenly Essays by Janine W. Robinson—This collection from the popular blogger behind Essay Hell includes a wider range of schools, as well as helpful tips on honing your own essay. I've picked two essays from the examples collected above to examine in more depth so that you can see exactly what makes a successful college essay work. Full credit for these essays goes to the original authors and the schools that published them. We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site.
The Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van. More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. I actually succeeded in springing it. The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation. My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised.
My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. Clear a hole! While I'm still unconvinced about that particular lesson's practicality, my Dad's overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns.
Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit overlooked, a little pushed around, I learned to roll with reality, negotiate a quick deal, and give the improbable a try. I don't sweat the small stuff, and I definitely don't expect perfect fairness. So what if our dining room table only has six chairs for seven people? Someone learns the importance of punctuality every night. But more than punctuality and a special affinity for musical chairs, my family life has taught me to thrive in situations over which I have no power. Growing up, I never controlled my older siblings, but I learned how to thwart their attempts to control me.
I forged alliances, and realigned them as necessary. Sometimes, I was the poor, defenseless little brother; sometimes I was the omniscient elder. Different things to different people, as the situation demanded. I learned to adapt. Back then, these techniques were merely reactions undertaken to ensure my survival. But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose? The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo.
Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me. Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It's family. It's society. And often, it's chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence. It's very helpful to take writing apart in order to see just how it accomplishes its objectives.
Stephen's essay is very effective. Let's find out why! In just eight words, we get: scene-setting he is standing next to a car about to break in , the idea of crossing a boundary he is maybe about to do an illegal thing for the first time , and a cliffhanger we are thinking: is he going to get caught? Is he headed for a life of crime? Is he about to be scared straight? It's the details that really make this small experience come alive. Notice how whenever he can, Stephen uses a more specific, descriptive word in place of a more generic one. The volunteers aren't going to get food or dinner; they're going for "Texas BBQ. Details also help us visualize the emotions of the people in the scene. The person who hands Stephen the coat hanger isn't just uncomfortable or nervous; he "takes a few steps back"—a description of movement that conveys feelings.
Finally, the detail of actual speech makes the scene pop. Instead of writing that the other guy asked him to unlock the van, Stephen has the guy actually say his own words in a way that sounds like a teenager talking. Coat hangers: not just for crows' nests anymore! Stephen makes the locked car experience a meaningful illustration of how he has learned to be resourceful and ready for anything, and he also makes this turn from the specific to the broad through an elegant play on the two meanings of the word "click. They could also mean any number of things—violence, abandonment, poverty, mental instability.
By instantly following up with highly finite and unambiguous illustrations like "family of seven" and "siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing," Stephen grounds the abstraction in something that is easy to picture: a large, noisy family.
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