I needed to sing. In any case, these articles of clothing affect our being and are the unsung heroes of example of a personal essay for college. Most students spend many days researching and writing a perfect college application essay. A black blanket gradually pushes away the glowing sun and replaces it with diamond stars and a glowing crescent. Read Also: Yes, there is thought he knew something example college personal and which will become from there to my divemasters.
Plus Top Tips for Writing a Killer College Admission Essay
Checking out college essay examples is a great way of preparing yourself for writing your own. In this blog, we have 27 awesome college essay examples from some of the top universities in the world, including Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, UPenn, Yale, and more! Plus, you will learn how to craft an outstanding college essay step by step, so that your own personality and experiences will really shine, example of a personal essay for college. This is the same exact proven strategies we share with our own students in our much sought-after college admissions consulting program. We're not holding back. So let's dive in!
Note: If you would like to navigate to specific sections of the article, click "Article Contents" above on mobile or on the right desktop to see an overview of the content. Prompt: The Harvard College Honor code declares that we "hold honesty as the foundation of our community. Returning from a teaching session with the Maasai women, the other students' excited chatter dances around me as they discuss our invitation to the Maasai coming of age ceremony. The ceremony centres on the circumcision of pubescent males and females; often performed with a sharp rock and no anesthetic.
It is a rite of passage for the Maasai. My stomach is a tight knot, picturing the children we met today and imagining the painful procedure they will soon undergo. The other students, excited about the feast and intricate costumes, hope that accepting the invitation will strengthen our bond with the community. I, however, am weighed down by a profound sense of unease when it comes to the main attraction, the circumcisions. Further, the leader of the organization is absent; should she not be consulted? Do I go along with the group, and participate in something that I am morally opposed to? Or do something about it? Having strong moral values example of a personal essay for college becomes a powerful agent of change when one is willing to follow through on them with action.
Situations, such as this one, where I feel a sinking sensation deep in my gut, help to cue me to conflicts with my own values, prompting me to gather more information, thus taking the first step towards informed action. My visceral reaction came specifically from the idea of watching while doing nothing to intervene. Further, example of a personal essay for college, I worried that, as students, our group would be woefully ill-equipped to navigate the nuances of the situation, potentially resulting in harm to example of a personal essay for college relationship with the community.
Plus, due to our association with a medical organization, our presence could be mis-interpreted as an endorsement of the safety of these procedures. With the potential to do harm and without an actionable plan in place for stopping genital mutilation, I concluded that I could not, in good conscience, attend the ceremony. Though I had decided that I could not go, I still felt concerned about the potential impact of the group's attendance, and wanted to gain more insight into the situation before deciding on a course of action. I shared my concerns with my partner and another student. My partner agreed with me, and we decided to consult his physician father.
We quickly learned that Canadian physicians are not legally permitted to condone female genital mutilation, meaning that our attending the ceremony could have legal ramifications for our physician-run organization. With this information in hand, I knew I had to contact the organization lead about the excursion. She forbid our group from attending, requesting that I inform the other students, who were obviously disappointed that I had 'gotten the trip cancelled'. Though I believe my course of action was the right one and I would not change the outcome, looking back, I wish I had voiced my concerns earlier; it may have made the end result easier for the other students to swallow.
In spite of this, example of a personal essay for college, being honest when expressing my discomfort with a situation and choosing an alternative course of action that is aligned with my values has never led me to make a decision that I regret. Though standing up for what you believe in, and doing what is right, is not always easy, it is always worth it, and arguably the only way of living a life without regrets. Would You Like Our Help With Your College Application Essay? Want to learn how to get into an Ivy League school? Check out our video:. A personal statement essay or a college admissions essay is the part of your college application that allows the admissions committee to get a stronger sense of who you are as a candidate.
As our sample above shows, it is usually written in response to a prompt provided by the school; it is important to pay attention to and answer the prompt, as it demonstrates what the school is hoping to learn about you. Most personal statements tend to range from words to words in length. The structure of your essay will follow the structure example of a personal essay for college an academic paper, with an introduction, main body, and a conclusion. Your essay will reveal both your hard and soft skills to the admissions committee. From a technical angle, it will showcase your writing skills in terms of organization, clarity, narrative ability, and spelling and grammar.
In terms of content, a compelling personal statement should tell a story that reveals something about your personality and what formative experiences you have had in your life. Remember, the admissions committee is not only seeking academically strong candidates for their school — they want to find students who will also be a good fit for the culture and values of their institution. The personal statement essay is your chance to show the committee why you are the best all-around candidate for admission. Since the personal statement essay reveals so much about you as an applicant, crafting an outstanding essay is crucial! While this task may seem challenging, we are here to guide you through the writing process and the example of a personal essay for college you should apply each step of the way.
Writing a strong college essay requires significant time and effort. The best way to ensure success is to be properly prepared before you even begin to write:. Set aside enough time, example of a personal essay for college. Ideally, you should set aside weeks for writing your essay. While this may seem like a long time for a short essay, it is important to remember that a good essay will require multiple drafts, example of a personal essay for college. The more time you give yourself to write and rewrite, the stronger your essay will be. Giving yourself more time also reduces the amount of stress you will feel while writing, as you will be able to pace yourself throughout the process instead of scrambling to write it at the last minute!
Remember, many US colleges have rolling admissionsso you want to prepare your essay for when the application opens. Familiarize yourself with the culture of the school. The prompt for your essay may reveal something about the culture of the school and the program to which you are applying. But you should also conduct your own research. Check their social media and see what kind of presence they have online. Free Webclass: How to Make Your College Application Stand Out ","buttonText":"Register Now! Read and re-read your essay prompt. Read each prompt at least times and jot down each part of the question. Take time to think about each question and let it sink in, to make sure that your essay will actually address all components of the prompt.
Nothing will get your essay thrown out faster than not answering the prompt, so you need to make sure that your essay is on topic! Make a list of the qualities and experiences you would like to highlight. A strong essay is selective in terms of content. Make a list of important things you might wish to share in your statement, and example of a personal essay for college over your list carefully. Think about:. Next, dig a little deeper, thinking about what you learned from each experience and how it shaped you as a person. Tease out the experiences that best address the prompt, while showcasing your strongest qualities and most positive character traits. Create an outline or some rough notes.
Before you begin to write the essay, try to sketch out its structure, example of a personal essay for college. Jotting down your ideas for the introduction, main body, and conclusion is both a example of a personal essay for college warm-up exercise and a reassuring reference for you as you begin to write your first draft:. A strong introduction should open with an attention-grabbing sentence that immediately introduces you to your reader in a memorable way. Your introduction will be easier to write or to rewrite and perfect once you have a strong sense of what the rest of your essay is all about, and how your introduction can help frame it in the best way. Most importantly, your essay should demonstrate, rather than simply discuss, how the experiences or the events you write about informed who you are today.
While your introduction serves as a first impression for your reader, your conclusion is the final thought or insight that should leave your reader wanting to get to know you better. You can use your conclusion to emphasize what your formative experiences have taught you, and how they continue to shape and inspire you as a person as you move into the next stage of your life. Check out some tips for applying to UC schools :. No matter what the prompt is, here are some tips and strategies that are essential for effective writing in any essay:. We Can Help! School: Cornell College of Architecture, Art, example of a personal essay for college, and Planning. Prompt: What is your "thing"? What energizes you or engages you so deeply that you lose track of time?
Everyone has different passions, obsessions, quirks, inspirations. What are yours? In front of me is one of the photographs I intend to submit for the Charles Lewin Digital Photo Essay Competition. It is a silhouette shot of a tall, smiling woman — my mother — framed against the backdrop of a gorgeous red sunset. That photo essay, capturing the beauty of three generations of women in my family, went on to win me first place in the competition. And yet the moment that I shall carry with me forever is the one from 4 a. that night. I was a shy, quiet kid and photography allowed me to experience the world and communicate my feelings like I never could before.
Most of our weekends were spent taking pictures, from micro nature photography on our camping trips to event photography for every community event, example of a personal essay for college. Even back then, I was constantly asking questions about why one picture looks better than another. The training of those early years helped me develop my sense of aesthetic placements, framing, and positioning. To this day, I am obsessed with learning about the technical side of photography. I have a natural analytical bent of mind that exists along-side my artistic vision; and so, I gravitate towards understanding exactly how aperture, depth of field, shutter speed, exposure, composition, and white balance can be used as a tool of example of a personal essay for college control in photography.
I also love experimenting with different styles of photography, example of a personal essay for college. Though art photography is my passion, I spent a couple of years as the staff photographer for my high school newspaper. This foray into the journalistic arena helped to broaden my horizons and consider the social impact of photography.
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Now, although I am even more self-sufficient than I was three years ago, I try to approach every experience with the expectation that it will change me. Life before was good: verdant forests, sumptuous curries, and a devoted family. Then, my family abandoned our comfortable life in Bangladesh for a chance at the American dream in Los Angeles. Within our first year, my father was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He lost his battle three weeks before my sixth birthday. Facing a new country without the steady presence of my father, we were vulnerable — prisoners of hardship in the land of the free.
It was meant to be our refuge, but I felt more displaced than ever. Gone were the high-rise condos of West L. Pedestrians no longer smiled and greeted me; the atmosphere was hostile, even toxic. Meanwhile, my family began integrating into the local Bangladeshi community. I struggled to understand those who shared my heritage. Bangladeshi mothers stayed home while fathers drove cabs and sold fruit by the roadside — painful societal positions. Riding on crosstown buses or walking home from school, I began to internalize these disparities. During my fleeting encounters with affluent Upper East Siders, I saw kids my age with nannies, parents who wore suits to work, and luxurious apartments with spectacular views.
Most took cabs to their destinations: cabs that Bangladeshis drove. I watched the mundane moments of their lives with longing, aching to plant myself in their shoes. Shame prickled down my spine. I distanced myself from my heritage, rejecting the traditional panjabis worn on Eid and refusing the torkari we ate for dinner every day. As I grappled with my relationship with the Bangladeshi community, I turned my attention to helping my Bronx community by pursuing an internship with Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda. I handled desk work and took calls, spending the bulk of my time actively listening to the hardships constituents faced — everything from a veteran stripped of his benefits to a grandmother unable to support her bedridden grandchild.
As an intern, I could only assist in what felt like the small ways — pointing out local job offerings, printing information on free ESL classes, reaching out to non-profits. But to a community facing an onslaught of intense struggles, I realized that something as small as these actions could have vast impacts. Seeing the immediate consequences of my actions inspired me. I began to stop seeing the prevalent underemployment and cramped living quarters less as sources of shame. Instead, I saw them as realities that had to be acknowledged, but could ultimately be remedied. I also realized the benefits of the Bangladeshi culture I had been so ashamed of.
My Bangla language skills were an asset to the office, and my understanding of Bangladeshi etiquette allowed for smooth communication between office staff and its constituents. As I helped my neighbors navigate city services, I saw my heritage with pride — a perspective I never expected to have. I can now appreciate the value of my unique culture and background, and of living with less. This perspective offers room for progress, community integration, and a future worth fighting for. Far from being ashamed of my community, I want to someday return to local politics in the Bronx to continue helping others access the American Dream.
I hope to help my community appreciate the opportunity to make progress together. By embracing reality, I learned to live it. Along the way, I discovered one thing: life is good, but we can make it better. I took my first trip to China to visit my cousin Anna in July of Her sparkling personality and optimistic attitude always brought a smile to my face. This time, however, my heart broke when I saw the effects of her brain cancer; she had suffered from a stroke that paralyzed her left side. She was still herself in many ways, but I could see that the damage to her brain made things difficult for her.
Would I ever see Anna again? Could I have done more to make Anna comfortable? I wished I could stay in China longer to care for her. As I deplaned, I wondered if I could transform my grief to help other children and teenagers in the US who suffered as Anna did. The day after I got home, as jet lag dragged me awake a few minutes after midnight, I remembered hearing about the Family Reach Foundation FRF and its work with children going through treatments at the local hospital and their families. Volunteering has both made me appreciate my own health and also cherish the new relationships I build with the children and families. We play sports, make figures out of playdoh, and dress up.
When they take on the roles of firefighters or fairies, we all get caught up in the game; for that time, they forget the sanitized, stark, impersonal walls of the pediatric oncology ward. Building close relationships with them and seeing them giggle and laugh is so rewarding — I love watching them grow and get better throughout their course of treatment. To get started, I enrolled in a summer collegelevel course in Abnormal Psychology. There I worked with Catelyn, a rising college senior, on a data analysis project regarding Dissociative Identity Disorder DID. Together, we examined the neurological etiology of DID by studying four fMRI and PET cases. I fell in love with gathering data and analyzing the results and was amazed by our final product: several stunning brain images showcasing the areas of hyper and hypoactivity in brains affected by DID.
Desire quickly followed my amazement — I want to continue this project and study more brains. Their complexity, delicacy, and importance to every aspect of life fascinate me. Sadly, a few months after I returned from China, Anna passed away. Bearing this goal in mind, and hoping to gain some valuable experience, I signed up for a journalism class during my freshman year. Despite my love for writing, I initially found myself uninterested in the subject and I struggled to enjoy the class. When I thought of writing, I imagined lyrical prose, profound poetry, and thrilling plot lines.
That class shook my confidence as a writer. I was uncertain if I should continue in it for the rest of my high school career. The following year, I applied to be a staff reporter on our school newspaper. I hoped this would help me become more self-driven and creative, rather than merely writing articles that my teacher assigned. To my surprise, my time on staff was worlds away from what I experienced in the journalism class. Although I was unaccustomed to working in a fast-paced environment and initially found it burdensome to research and complete high-quality stories in a relatively short amount of time, I also found it exciting. I enjoyed learning more about topics and events on campus that I did not know much about; some of my stories that I covered in my first semester concerned a chess tournament, a food drive, and a Spanish immersion party.
I relished in the freedom I had to explore and learn, and to write more independently than I could in a classroom. Although I enjoyed many aspects of working for the paper immediately, reporting also pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I am a shy person, and speaking with people I did not know intimidated me. As I approached his office, I felt everything from my toes to my tongue freeze into a solid block, and I could hardly get out my opening questions. Fortunately, the coach was very kind and helped me through the conversation. Encouraged, I prepared for my next interview with more confidence. After a few weeks of practice, I even started to look forward to interviewing people on campus.
That first journalism class may have bored me, but even if journalism in practice was challenging, it was anything but tedious. Over the course of that year, I grew to love writing for our school newspaper. Reporting made me aware of my surroundings, and made me want to know more about current events on campus and in the town where I grew up. By interacting with people all over campus, I came to understand the breadth of individuals and communities that make up my high school. I felt far more connected to diverse parts of my school through my work as a journalist, and I realized that journalism gave me a window into seeing beyond my own experiences. I no longer struggle to approach others, and truly enjoy getting to know people and recognizing their accomplishments through my writing.
Becoming a writer may be a difficult path, but it is as rewarding as I hoped when I was young. Was I no longer the beloved daughter of nature, whisperer of trees? Knee-high rubber boots, camouflage, bug spray—I wore the garb and perfume of a proud wild woman, yet there I was, hunched over the pathetic pile of stubborn sticks, utterly stumped, on the verge of tears. As a child, I had considered myself a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested meadows and emerge Lyme-free. I knew the cracks of the earth like the scars on my own rough palms. Yet here I was, ten years later, incapable of performing the most fundamental outdoor task: I could not, for the life of me, start a fire.
Furiously I rubbed the twigs together—rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers. No smoke. The twigs were too young, too sticky-green; I tossed them away with a shower of curses, and began tearing through the underbrush in search of a more flammable collection. My efforts were fruitless. Livid, I bit a rejected twig, determined to prove that the forest had spurned me, offering only young, wet bones that would never burn. But the wood cracked like carrots between my teeth—old, brittle, and bitter. Roaring and nursing my aching palms, I retreated to the tent, where I sulked and awaited the jeers of my family. Rattling their empty worm cans and reeking of fat fish, my brother and cousins swaggered into the campsite. Immediately, they noticed the minor stick massacre by the fire pit and called to me, their deep voices already sharp with contempt.
My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. In the tent, I pondered my failure. Was I so dainty? Was I that incapable? I thought of my hands, how calloused and capable they had been, how tender and smooth they had become. Crawling along the edge of the tent, a spider confirmed my transformation—he disgusted me, and I felt an overwhelming urge to squash him. I still eagerly explored new worlds, but through poems and prose rather than pastures and puddles. That night, I stayed up late with my journal and wrote about the spider I had decided not to kill.
When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire. Stark, as we affectionately call him, has coached track at my high school for 25 years. His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running. When I learned a neighboring high school had dedicated their track to a longtime coach, I felt that Stark deserved similar honors. I took charge and mobilized my teammates to distribute petitions, reach out to alumni, and compile statistics on the many team and individual champions Stark had coached over the years.
We received astounding support, collecting almost 3, signatures and pages of endorsements from across the community. With help from my teammates, I presented this evidence to the board. Most members argued that dedicating the track was a low priority. Knowing that we had to act quickly to convince them of its importance, I called a team meeting where we drafted a rebuttal for the next board meeting. To my surprise, they chose me to deliver it. I was far from the best public speaker in the group, and I felt nervous about going before the unsympathetic board again. Public speaking resembles a cross country race. Walking to the starting line, you have to trust your training and quell your last minute doubts.
At the next board meeting, the podium was my starting line. As I walked up to it, familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Instead of the track stretching out in front of me, I faced the vast audience of teachers, board members, and my teammates. She finished speaking, and Bang! The brief silence was the gunshot for me to begin. I was disappointed, but proud of myself, my team, and our collaboration off the track. We stood up for a cause we believed in, and I overcame my worries about being a leader. Although I discovered that changing the status quo through an elected body can be a painstakingly difficult process and requires perseverance, I learned that I enjoy the challenges this effort offers.
Just as Stark taught me, I worked passionately to achieve my goal. Scrolling through, I see funny videos and mouth-watering pictures of food. However, one image stops me immediately. Beneath it, I see a slew of flattering comments. However, part of me still wants to have a body like hers so that others will make similar comments to me. I would like to resolve a silent issue that harms many teenagers and adults: negative self image and low self-esteem in a world where social media shapes how people view each other. In this new digital age, it is hard to distinguish authentic from artificial representations.
When I was 11, I developed anorexia nervosa. Though I was already thin, I wanted to be skinny like the models that I saw on the magazine covers on the grocery store stands. Little did I know that those models probably also suffered from disorders, and that photoshop erased their flaws. I preferred being underweight to being healthy. No matter how little I ate or how thin I was, I always thought that I was too fat. I became obsessed with the number on the scale and would try to eat the least that I could without my parents urging me to take more. Fortunately, I stopped engaging in anorexic behaviors before middle school. However, my underlying mental habits did not change.
The images that had provoked my disorder in the first place were still a constant presence in my life. By age 15, I was in recovery from anorexia, but suffered from depression. While I used to only compare myself to models, the growth of social media meant I also compared myself to my friends and acquaintances. As I scrolled past endless photos of my flawless, thin classmates with hundreds of likes and affirming comments, I felt my jealousy spiral. I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. Body image insecurities and social media comparisons affect thousands of people — men, women, children, and adults — every day. I am lucky — after a few months of my destructive social media habits, I came across a video that pointed out the illusory nature of social media; many Instagram posts only show off good things while people hide their flaws.
I began going to therapy, and recovered from my depression. To address the problem of self-image and social media, we can all focus on what matters on the inside and not what is on the surface. As an effort to become healthy internally, I started a club at my school to promote clean eating and radiating beauty from within. Someday, I hope to make this club a national organization to help teenagers and adults across the country. The seconds ticked away in my head; every polite refusal increased my desperation. Despair weighed me down. I sank to my knees as a stream of competitors, coaches, and officials flowed around me. My dojang had no coach, and the tournament rules prohibited me from competing without one. Although I wanted to remain strong, doubts began to cloud my mind.
I could not help wondering: what was the point of perfecting my skills if I would never even compete? The other members of my team, who had found coaches minutes earlier, attempted to comfort me, but I barely heard their words. Since my first lesson 12 years ago, the members of my dojang have become family. I have watched them grow up, finding my own happiness in theirs. Sometimes, students also have to write essays on different subjects. Here are some examples of college essays for students who have a background in medicine or technology. Several colleges provide opportunities for veterans to secure admission.
If you are one of them, start by determining your destination. Next, think about the career you want to pursue and find colleges to help your personal growth. Check out the example given below to understand writing good college essays samples as a veteran. Starting a college essay requires students to read and understand the essay instructions carefully. Similarly, a good writing style will also help in grabbing the attention of admission officers. The first and foremost step is to choose compelling essay topics to start writing your application. Thus, you can refer to our blog for some unique college application essay prompts. An application would be incomplete without a perfect conclusion.
It is an essential part of any writing piece. Therefore, try to end a college essay naturally. Here, a writer must restate the thesis statement and relate the closing sentence to the introduction. You can also discuss your experiences in college essays that worked for you to become a better person. Lastly, state how a particular college can help you achieve your goals. However, make sure to follow the same theme and college application essay format in your conclusion. Then, have a look at the document to explore the sample conclusions of a successful college essay. The major element to keep in mind while writing the best college essays is to decide what the essay is about.
Moreover, it also identifies your skills to discuss a specific experience. The admission officers will know your personality, character, skills, and talents with your application. They are mostly looking for someone who can engage people with new ideas. Therefore, if you start with a boring topic, it will end up as a bad essay that will risk your grades. Similarly, bad topics will also show that you are boring and lack a good sense of judgment. Thus, avoid too personal, offensive, and off-topic ideas. These will portray that you are unable to process your experiences engagingly. Boring topics do not only cause bad application essays. Sometimes, students cannot structure and put together the essay correctly despite choosing an interesting essay prompt. Therefore, they end up ruining their applications using incorrect writing styles, unclear syntax, and wrong punctuations.
In addition, it gives a bad impression to the admission officers. They consider you either someone who ignores the instructions or someone unable to understand and follow them. Another primary aspect while writing an application is to avoid using overly formal language. Thus, it is better not to use a thesaurus or any other English dictionary. On the other hand, avoid using cliches while choosing a topic and writing the essay. The admission officers want the topic to present you and your uniqueness. Some typical cliches include phrases like:. The admission committees will likely find out the plagiarized content in your essay. Some institutes also run your application by plagiarism checkers.
Some students make the mistake of just rephrasing their resume in their college application. It is a wrong practice. The admission officers are more interested to see your extracurricular activities, accomplishments, and awards. Moreover, you can also mention an achievement that is related to your subject of the essay. Thus, discuss an activity that allows you to express it. Also, use this element to demonstrate your personality impressively. Most students have a hard time checking their content. However, double-checking the essay can help them to avoid grammatical mistakes. After you finish writing, leave your essay for a day or two. With this, you will be able to identify more mistakes while proofreading.
You can proofread your application by reading it aloud several times. Similarly, you can also ask someone from your friends and family to proofread it. Nevertheless, make sure to find someone who shares extensive knowledge of grammar and punctuation. These are the mistakes often made by the writers unintentionally. However, such errors are not considered a very attractive feature in a college applicant. Moreover, they often make the application hard to read. A college essay is indeed an important part of your application. It provides an opportunity for students to show the admission committee what makes them good candidates. However, most people do not possess the right skills and knowledge to craft a perfect essay. Thus, they end up hiring an essay writer for their college admissions essay.
com is the best college application essay service that can help you craft powerful and well-written essays. Our team of writers is highly qualified and experienced to assist you at affordable rates. With us, you will be able to track your work progress. Similarly, we also provide the best college application essays samples along with unlimited revisions and updates. All you have to do is place your order and get the best help for your college applications. Here are five areas to look for outstanding college essay ideas based on your own life experience:.
