I need help on my college admissions essay. How long? And ideas?
Asked by BROk, so first off, the application does not state whether this is an essay or a short answer question. It just goes from asking high school activities straight to this question: "How can your educational experiences at Coastal Carolina University help you achieve your future goals?" So, I am not sure how much I need to write. Also, I am having a hard time coming up with ideas. I know I love the campus, and the people are friendly, and I like their biology department. But I don't know how to turn it into an essay! Any help is GREATLY appreciated!!!
Favorite Answer
Answered by lemonlimeemt
You are right, it is a little vague on the length. A good general rule of thumb is to not go over a page; admissions boards/counselors and whoever reads the applications have to read tons of them so they don't want to read a huge long essay, so it's best to keep your essays and short answers SHORT. So if you can manage 1/3 of the page (up to a full page), that will be plenty. It's not so much about length as it is about quality. The point of the college essay/short answer is to give the admissions people a chance to see the real you beyond what they see on paper (look beyond the grades and extracurriculars to see the actual person, their thoughts, feelings, personality). Your essay should reflect you, what you actually think and feel; it shouldn't be cold, stoich, or technical. If you are stuck and aren't sure where to start, try what I always used to do (and usually worked great): Just start writing, don't worry about trying to make it fit into an essay and sounding good, just start writing. Write about what your educational goals are: do you want to get your bachelors? Masters? Doctorate? What are going to college to study? What career do you want in life? What do you want to do after college? If you aren't sure what you want to do, what are you thinking about? Write about why you want to attend Coastal Carolina University, in detail. Why this college and not another? What about the campus do you love? The layout? The buildings? Why do you like their biology department? Just start writing about why you want to go to college and why this college. When you can't write anymore, go back and read what you wrote and see if there is an essay somewhere in their. See if any cohesive answer to the essay question is in your writing. It sounds to me that they are looking for a couple of things in your essay. First, they want to know what your future goals are. Then they want to know how their college fits into those goals. They are looking at the very basics to make sure they actually have what you need to acheive these goals, like you want to be a astronomer but they don't offer an astronomy department or astronomy degree. They are also looking at the deeper point of why this college? With the multitude of colleges and universities out there, they want to know why you chose them over everyone else. Flatter them a little, saying how much you want to attend their school (colleges want their students to want to be their). Show a real interest in the school.
You are right, it is a little vague on the length. A good general rule of thumb is to not go over a page; admissions boards/counselors and whoever reads the applications have to read tons of them so they don't want to read a huge long essay, so it's best to keep your essays and short answers SHORT. So if you can manage 1/3 of the page (up to a full page), that will be plenty. It's not so much about length as it is about quality. The point of the college essay/short answer is to give the admissions people a chance to see the real you beyond what they see on paper (look beyond the grades and extracurriculars to see the actual person, their thoughts, feelings, personality). Your essay should reflect you, what you actually think and feel; it shouldn't be cold, stoich, or technical. If you are stuck and aren't sure where to start, try what I always used to do (and usually worked great): Just start writing, don't worry about trying to make it fit into an essay and sounding good, just start writing. Write about what your educational goals are: do you want to get your bachelors? Masters? Doctorate? What are going to college to study? What career do you want in life? What do you want to do after college? If you aren't sure what you want to do, what are you thinking about? Write about why you want to attend Coastal Carolina University, in detail. Why this college and not another? What about the campus do you love? The layout? The buildings? Why do you like their biology department? Just start writing about why you want to go to college and why this college. When you can't write anymore, go back and read what you wrote and see if there is an essay somewhere in their. See if any cohesive answer to the essay question is in your writing. It sounds to me that they are looking for a couple of things in your essay. First, they want to know what your future goals are. Then they want to know how their college fits into those goals. They are looking at the very basics to make sure they actually have what you need to acheive these goals, like you want to be a astronomer but they don't offer an astronomy department or astronomy degree. They are also looking at the deeper point of why this college? With the multitude of colleges and universities out there, they want to know why you chose them over everyone else. Flatter them a little, saying how much you want to attend their school (colleges want their students to want to be their). Show a real interest in the school.
