Process of Creating an Essay for University or College: 5 Useful Tips
Secondary education, and subsequently your career in the future, often depends on writing a personal statement competently. Just by looking at this document, the admissions office, consulate, or future employer instantly gets what you’re all about – successful, educated, experienced, or insecure and hopeless.
In this article, we will cover all the stages of writing a motivation letter. Also, we’ll discuss how to write effectively and powerfully.
Essay Structure
Table of Contents
Writing any text requires preparation. Writing a cover letter is doubly so! Therefore, we do not recommend undertaking this complex process the night before the deadline: a positive result is possible only if you return to the text several times, improving it.
Note that the structure of the letter may differ, depending on your ultimate goal. There are different types of them, and you can create your own letter structure. In any case, all motivation letters should contain the following information.
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1. To Whom Am I Writing and for What Purpose?
The first paragraph should interest the addressee and motivate them to read the letter to the end. You can start by using a quote, an interesting expression.
This part of the letter should be related to the activities of the training program which you are applying for. Ideally, if you find words that could show you are the person who urgently needs to be enrolled in a university or recruited.
Also, you must indicate to whom the letter is addressed and for what purpose. Write very carefully the name or the name of the organization you are contacting. A mistake in the spelling of the name can indicate your negligence and carelessness – this is the first negative impression that can spoil the general idea.
Later, indicate for what purpose you are writing your letter. In your case, it would have the intention to be admitted to a higher education establishment of your choice.
2. Who Are You? What Do You Want to Achieve?
The second paragraph is dedicated to you. The information should be clear, concise, and relevant. Write briefly about your age, education and skills. If you are entering a university, indicate the university’s name, specialty, or scientific degree that you intend to receive. Justify why you chose that particular major, with what it is connected to.
Describe the goals already achieved in this direction:
- Self-education.
- Practical experience.
- Internships.
- Courses.
- And so on.
Briefly mention your hobbies and interests, if relevant. If you took part in internships, master classes, competitions, be sure to tell about it. Show yourself as a versatile, goal-oriented, ambitious person. But don’t overdo it – no one can be perfect.
Pay attention to one more detail: if you are writing a letter for admission to the university, then focus on your academic success – good grades, speeches at conferences, participation in competitions, Olympiads, and so on.
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3. Why Did You Choose This Particular University?
Connect the university to your personal passions, likes, or hobbies. Indicate that this university will provide you with opportunities for self-realization or achieving certain goals you cannot get elsewhere. But do not overdo it – you don’t want to seem desperate.
Be honest about it all. As a possibility, you can mention various events or activities that the university offers and which you’d like to take advantage of. This will show that you’ve actually researched the university instead of just claiming to have done so.
4. Which Goals Will the University Help You to Achieve?
In the last paragraph, it is worthwhile to clearly describe the benefits you will receive from achieving your desired goals. For example, indicate that you plan to get a job at some high-value place with a specific diploma or maybe start your own business, etc. The more convincing and relatable you make this paragraph, the better your chances of getting attention and getting a positive response.
You can list specific skills, acquiring which you intend to improve at the company/organization in the future. The ending should contain “strong” phrases and expressions because they leave an impression (for example, “I look forward with enthusiasm to an opportunity for an interview”). Lastly, don’t thank the recipient for taking the time to read your statement.
5 Tips for Writing a Great Essay
Having gone over the writing process itself, let’s move onto the tips that will help you craft that perfect essay. We’ve tried to include as many helpful ideas as possible and categorized all the small pieces of advice into 5 tips. Make sure to read through them to ensure the top quality of your essay. Of course, to guarantee that the essay is perfect, many students opt for professional-grade college essay editing.
1. Keep the Tone and Style Consistent
Keep up the official style. The essay for the admissions office is an official document, and it should be prepared accordingly. Jokes and colloquial speech are not relevant. The statement should be written in a formal style. The volume of the statement should not exceed 1 A4 sheet. You can slightly exceed the volume if you have an extensive work background that you just can’t fit into one page.
Don’t overuse the following phrases:
• “I did …”
• “I finished…”
• “I began …”
Starting every single sentence with “I” will show that you’re either not very creative or that you’re self-centered (or both). Try to keep it easy to comprehend. Don’t obtuse your paragraphs’ meaning by extending the sentences too much or including overly complicated words and phrases. When done with writing the statement, come back to it the next day and try to make your sentences as relevant as possible.
2. Make It Cohesive
Finish all the ideas to the end. The paragraphs should not be broken off, and all of them should be substantiated. For example, if you write that you studied well, state that your big ambitions led you to work harder than others.
Make it personal. No matter how you put it, the essay has to be unique, and each one for all the colleges you’re applying to should be original. Cliché phrases and texts filled with nothing but empty words are the ones that get dismissed the fastest. The admissions officer has to feel that you want to enroll in specifically their university. So, putting organized, finished thoughts on the paper will help you achieve that.
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3. Don’t Stray From the Prompt
Write on the case. Don’t write about your hobbies and likes if they are not related to the university’s prompt. Also, don’t write just to write – it’s obvious when someone has written the text just to fill up the word count. Be precise with what you say, which can make your writing more impactful.
An essay is a kind of recommendation to yourself. It should be restrained and specific, avoiding general phrases. For example, instead of the phrase “possess great organizational experience,” write “was the student group head throughout the 3 years of study at the school, during this time has achieved …”.
Considering the previous recommendation, do not be inclined to self-criticism either. Do not testify against yourself – “Maybe I have not yet achieved very high knowledge, but I will do everything in my power to close this gap.” Do not make excuses. Better write what you did in the direction you want.
4. Always Check for Mistakes
Spelling and grammar. After you’re done completing the essay, review it carefully. Any spelling and stylistic mistakes will work against you. You can give the letter for verification to a person fluent in English and has experience in writing such documents. Also, pay attention to the correct stylistic design of the essay (to whom it is addressed, date forms, and so on). Increase your chances of success!
5. Be Sincere
Only the truth. Do not lie or exaggerate in any way. The smooth and ideal picture of your life looks, at least, suspicious. Besides, people in admissions offices have long learned to recognize lies (and some have become real expert psychologists).
Last but not least – DO NOT COPY texts from samples on the Internet! The copied, placeholder text immediately catches the eye. If an admissions officer discovers plagiarism, the consequences can be dire. At best, such a letter will simply be ignored. In the worst case, they may refuse to review your documents further. The letter should be individual, describing only your achievements, successes, and goals.
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Promote Yourself
The essay serves as an advertisement for you! Advertise yourself, interest the addressee! Give the impression of an educated person with a lot of potential, and it won’t be too long before you receive the letter of acceptance.