Most students know that they have to write a general essay that goes to all the colleges on their list. This is required by platforms like the Common Application , which most students use to apply. Most colleges also have school-specific essays, called supplements. These supplemental essays allow the school to understand how you might be a good fit for their community.
Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? Other parts of your application give us a sense for how you might contribute to Northwestern.
But we also want to consider how Northwestern will contribute to your interests and goals. As you can see, these prompts are basically asking why you want to attend the school in question. Both prompts have word counts that are much shorter than that of the Common App, which is typical of supplemental essays.
You want to cite opportunities unique to the school that will help you explore your interests and achieve your goals. The most common mistake students make is listing generic characteristics that could apply to any school.
When I visited campus, the school already felt like home. This example is bad because many schools have low student to faculty ratios and strong math departments. There are also a ton of schools in or near Boston, many of which have low student to faculty ratios and great math departments too, such as Boston College, Harvard, Northeastern, Boston University, etc.
You should definitely avoid making any statements like these. We not only learned something about Tufts, but also the student. For instance, have they helped implement ranked choice voting for their school student council elections? Have they created models to predict school dance attendance? Prompt: In no more than words, please tell us why BU is a good fit for you and what specifically has led you to apply for admission.
In fact, the CAS now offers a course that combines biology, chemistry, and neuroscience. As I hope to conduct medical research into brain disorders, I plan to pursue all three areas of study. These cross-disciplinary connections at BU will prepare me to do so. Alice Cronin-Golomb or Dr. Robert M. Proficient in: Human Nature. Deadline: 10 days left. Number of pages. Email Invalid email. Related Essays. Pages: 3 words And You Shut Up! Who Are You, Anyway?
This is just a sample. You can get a custom paper by one of our expert writers. Stay Safe, Stay Original. Not Finding What You Need? Copying content is not allowed on this website. Give us your email and we'll send you the essay you need. Send me the sample. By clicking Send Me The Sample you agree to the terms and conditions of our service. We'll not send you spam or irrelevant messages. Many guides to writing application essays encourage you to take a risk, either by saying something off-beat or daring or by using a unique writing style.
When done well, this strategy can work—your goal is to stand out from the rest of the applicants and taking a risk with your essay will help you do that. An essay that impresses your reader with your ability to think and express yourself in original ways and shows you really care about what you are saying is better than one that shows hesitancy, lack of imagination, or lack of interest.
But be warned: this strategy is a risk. Do not alienate your readers. One student applying to an art program described the person he did not want to be, contrasting it with the person he thought he was and would develop into if accepted. Another person wrote an essay about her grandmother without directly linking her narrative to the fact that she was applying for medical school.
Assess your credentials and your likelihood of getting into the program before you choose to take a risk. If you have little chance of getting in, try something daring. If you are almost certainly guaranteed a spot, you have more flexibility.
In any case, make sure that you answer the essay question in some identifiable way. Get several people to read it and write their comments down. It is worthwhile to seek out someone in the field, perhaps a professor who has read such essays before. Give it to a friend, your mom, or a neighbor. The key is to get more than one point of view, and then compare these with your own. Remember, you are the one best equipped to judge how accurately you are representing yourself. For tips on putting this advice to good use, see our handout on getting feedback.
Put it away. Get it out and revise it again you can see why we said to start right away—this process may take time. Get someone to read it again. Revise it again. When you think it is totally finished, you are ready to proofread and format the essay. Check every sentence and punctuation mark. You cannot afford a careless error in this essay.
If you are not comfortable with your proofreading skills, check out our handout on editing and proofreading. If you find that your essay is too long, do not reformat it extensively to make it fit. Making readers deal with a nine-point font and quarter-inch margins will only irritate them.
Figure out what material you can cut and cut it. For strategies for meeting word limits, see our handout on writing concisely. Many of them would be flattered that you asked their advice, and they will have useful suggestions that others might not have. Also keep in mind that many colleges and professional programs offer websites addressing the personal statement. If your schedule and ours permit, we invite you to come to the Writing Center.
Be aware that during busy times in the semester, we limit students to a total of two visits to discuss application essays and personal statements two visits per student, not per essay ; we do this so that students working on papers for courses will have a better chance of being seen.
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