When you write your college essays, some of the rules are different from those you follow when writing an essay for your high school English class. Here are five examples:
1. It's OK to use the word "I."
In fact, you have to use "I." It gets a little weird writing an essay about yourself when you keep saying, "One had a part time job during one's junior year…"
2. You're obligated to entertain your reader.
You don't necessarily have to be funny (a movie doesn't have to be funny to be entertaining, either). But you do need to hold your reader's attention.
3. Your essay should sound like you.
This isn't an academic piece of writing; it's a personal one. Words like "therefore" have no place in your college essay (unless you would actually say to someone, "I was up late last night and, therefore, I'm tired).
4. You're not making an argument.
Academic essays make arguments that need to be proven. But your college essays aren't arguments–they're tools to help admissions officers get to know you. Don't make your essay a sales pitch about why you should be admitted.
5. You're not writing for a grade.
College admissions officers aren't grading your essays. They just want to get to know you better and learn what makes you tick. They want to know how much you love playing to trumpet, why you volunteer at the convalescent hospital, and how singing in the school musical makes you feel. The application itself is where the figurative grading happens in college admissions–where they decide whether or not you're qualified. But essay are where they get to know you. That's a very different goal than writing for an "A."