College Application Essay Writing Tips from Admission Professionals
Writing a college essay for your college application can be daunting. We’ve compiled some college essay tips from two admission professionals who read college essays every year and help determine who to admit to Cornell College.
Undergraduate college application essays
Going into my ninth year at Cornell College and fourth as a director, I have read over 4,000 application essays. Here are my tips for writing your best college application essay:
- Be creative. At Cornell College, the essay prompt is just a suggestion, so if you have something better to write, do it!
- Take your time and make sure that your grammar and punctuation are correct. Your college application essay shouldn't be done in an hour or two on your phone.
- Make sure your college essay tells us who you are. We all have stories and this is your chance to tell us yours.
Transfer student college application essays
I have been working with transfer students for almost 25 years at Cornell College. Here are some tips for submitting a strong essay:
- Your essay or writing sample must be solid. Strong grammar, full sentences, good paragraphs, and correct spelling.
- To save time, you are allowed to submit a paper you’ve written for one of your college classes. It can be about anything and from any class (an English class, science class, social science, etc.).
- At Cornell, if you’re interested, you can share your transfer journey in place of a traditional college essay.