First, second and Works Cited page of APA formatted essay.
Not everyone has to reinvent the wheel when it comes to form, but it can really help especially if you know you need to stand out. If you are worried about the strength of your application, having an interesting essay that breaks form will add more color to your application. Maybe you just realized what you want to do as a junior or senior and you’re worried about not having enough leadership roles or records in your extracurriculars. A creative essay is a great move for you. Having a break-out essay won’t change your grades or your scores, but it can make you seem more interesting as a whole. As the youths say on TikTok, “Let me add a little bit of Spice to that.”
Having a lot of freedom can often feel terrifying. If you aren’t drawn to a certain idea, don’t do it. For example, if you never read poetry or write poetry or even like poetry, this might not be the time for you to start trying. Instead you can break the 5 paragraph essay form in a smaller way, like starting your story in the middle and working your way back to the beginning. Before we get into tips for writing essays, we want to make sure we don’t skip over an important step in the writing process. It is essential that you go into your essay-writing process with the expectation that you will write multiple drafts of your essay. Admissions counselors are expecting your best work, so you don’t want to submit a first draft. You don’t have to want to be a future writer to break form. Breaking form can take many shapes. You could write a diary entry, a letter to your future self, poetry, etc. We love three small vignettes tied together by quotes. We love adding dialogue. We love almost anything that isn’t argumentative school writing. That still might feel big and scary. Although universities consider other elements such as and , an outstanding personal essay for college can help you stand out from other applicants. If you have a similar GPA and test scores to those of other applicants, an essay can allow you to differentiate yourself. Most effective college essay topics tend to reflect conciseness. Students who don’t know how to write a personal statement for college might lose their readers’ attention if they take too long to make their point. Applicants should remember that they get only a few hundred words to leave a favorable impression. Every student we work with has to say thank you, next to the 5 paragraph essay, but what comes after can really be anything. If you haven't read our essay on what is form and why we break it, we suggest you read that first. You can find it here.
This section contains five examples of good college essays.
The essay also demonstrates a student’s readiness for college and likelihood of success. While an applicant’s GPA, SAT or ACT scores, and transcripts are important, a college application essay can offer an admissions department insights that these metrics don’t reveal.
Formatting a College Essay — APA Style
One of our past students did exactly this., He wrote his essay in the form of a play’s dialogue because he wanted to be a playwright. He conveyed a few key things about his personality, told a gripping story in an unconventional way, and Yale really liked it.
Formatting an Essay in APA Style
While most college essays follow the dominant format of a personal narrative, personal essay, or reflective essay, there are many creative ways you can structure elements from each format.
College Application Essay Format
These changes inspired me to help others. I became president of the California Scholarship Federation, providing students with information to prepare them for college, while creating opportunities for my peers to play a bigger part in our community. I began tutoring kids, teens, and adults on a variety of subjects ranging from basic English to home improvement and even Calculus. As the captain of the water polo and swim team I’ve led practices crafted to individually push my comrades to their limits, and I’ve counseled friends through circumstances similar to mine. I’ve done tons, and I can finally say I’m proud of that.
Look online to see samples of a properly formatted APA essay.
We know this is a tall order. There are a lot of things to juggle. Our biggest piece of advice is to start early so you can take your time. We never advise students to wait until the last minute for any part of the application process, but you should especially not do this for the common app essay. Your first draft will most likely sound at least a little like an argumentative essay from a class. It’s what you are most used to doing and it’s hard to break from that at first.
College Application Essay Paragraph Format
It’s a good idea to start your Common Application around August 1, when applications open up. This will give you enough time to get all of your background information in and explore any questions you have before you get ready to start your senior year. The essay you will write in the Common App will be used by all colleges you choose to apply to, so it’s important to keep your essay broad but specific to yourself.