General Do’s and Don’ts: While Writing a Successful Application Essay
Do’s
Do’s
ü Do take a lot of time.
Don’t do this at the last minute. Plant to spend month or so preparing for the essay. Plan to let it rest for a week, so you have time to mull it over and get a perspective on it. Don’t be hasty and sloppy.
Don’t do this at the last minute. Plant to spend month or so preparing for the essay. Plan to let it rest for a week, so you have time to mull it over and get a perspective on it. Don’t be hasty and sloppy.
ü Do read the question carefully.
If they ask you why you want to go to law school, answer that. If they ask what your career goals are, answer that. Don’t go off on a tangent or get too verbose.
If they ask you why you want to go to law school, answer that. If they ask what your career goals are, answer that. Don’t go off on a tangent or get too verbose.
ü Do write length of the essay they ask for.
If they ask for 200 words give them that or 190 or 220. You don’t give them a 1000 and you don’t give them 50.
If they ask for 200 words give them that or 190 or 220. You don’t give them a 1000 and you don’t give them 50.
ü Type your final draft unless they tell you not to.
Type it well with no mistakes. Buy some good paper. If you’re writing it, see that it is clear and legible.
Type it well with no mistakes. Buy some good paper. If you’re writing it, see that it is clear and legible.
ü Do write a separate essay for each university.
There is no reason why you can’t take a paragraph from one essay and apply it to another. Your essays don’t have to be every word different but each university would like to think that you are especially interested in their program. Each university is different. Make something about your essay distinctive to that university and mention its name. Don’t write an all- purpose general essay. Admissions faculties don’t like that.
There is no reason why you can’t take a paragraph from one essay and apply it to another. Your essays don’t have to be every word different but each university would like to think that you are especially interested in their program. Each university is different. Make something about your essay distinctive to that university and mention its name. Don’t write an all- purpose general essay. Admissions faculties don’t like that.
ü Do as much research on the university as you can.
If you can get hold of a catalogue, read it. If you can find someone who went to the university, talk to them. Find out as much as you can about the university. You don’t want to say ‘I am always wanted to go to Harvard because I wanted to find out about the Great American West’. As most of you know, Harvard is not in the Great American West. It is inMassachusetts
If you can get hold of a catalogue, read it. If you can find someone who went to the university, talk to them. Find out as much as you can about the university. You don’t want to say ‘I am always wanted to go to Harvard because I wanted to find out about the Great American West’. As most of you know, Harvard is not in the Great American West. It is in
ü Accentuate your positive qualities.
If you had the highest mark in class, make sure that they know it. Make sure that they know that you were able to hold a full – time job while going to school. Make sure that they know that you won any awards. Make sure that they know that you were captain of a team.
If you had the highest mark in class, make sure that they know it. Make sure that they know that you were able to hold a full – time job while going to school. Make sure that they know that you won any awards. Make sure that they know that you were captain of a team.
ü Mention your positive achievements as they apply to your graduate admission.
The information you provide about your important achievements must be related to your field. If you are applying for medicine and you have won a poetry prize, don’t mention your poetry prize because you may not have space. It is good thing, but you may need to fill your application with more relevant information. On the other hand, you would mention your work as a organizer of blood donation camps or your internships as a psychiatric care worker.
The information you provide about your important achievements must be related to your field. If you are applying for medicine and you have won a poetry prize, don’t mention your poetry prize because you may not have space. It is good thing, but you may need to fill your application with more relevant information. On the other hand, you would mention your work as a organizer of blood donation camps or your internships as a psychiatric care worker.
ü Do mention your work experience, or volunteer work that you may have done or extra-curricular activities if they relate to your field.
For example, if you are going to apply to business school and you were on the basketball team you may think that it is not relevant. However if you learnt leadership qualities, if you learnt how to endure defeat, if you learnt management skills by being captain of the basketball team, then it is relevant. You have to show the relevance. If you had a job after school, working in the college bookstore or you have done volunteer work at a hospital, this is relevant- you have learnt management skills at the shop. You have learnt to interact with people while you worked in the hospital.
For example, if you are going to apply to business school and you were on the basketball team you may think that it is not relevant. However if you learnt leadership qualities, if you learnt how to endure defeat, if you learnt management skills by being captain of the basketball team, then it is relevant. You have to show the relevance. If you had a job after school, working in the college bookstore or you have done volunteer work at a hospital, this is relevant- you have learnt management skills at the shop. You have learnt to interact with people while you worked in the hospital.
ü Be definite in your application.
Don’t say- ‘I hope to do this’; ‘I might like to do that’. Say ‘I want to do this’, ‘I am planning to do this’, ‘I intend to do that’. Your language is definite. It is not hesitant and indecisive.
Don’t say- ‘I hope to do this’; ‘I might like to do that’. Say ‘I want to do this’, ‘I am planning to do this’, ‘I intend to do that’. Your language is definite. It is not hesitant and indecisive.
Don’ts
X Don’t try to second-guess admissions faculty, as I have already said, and don’t flatter them.
Don’t say, ‘I’ve always wanted to study at theUniversity of Montana
Don’t say, ‘I’ve always wanted to study at the
X Don’t be phony
Be honest. Admissions faculty can spot a dishonest essay a mile away. It would not be to your advantage to be dishonest as you might get into a university and then find it was not the right place for you.
Be honest. Admissions faculty can spot a dishonest essay a mile away. It would not be to your advantage to be dishonest as you might get into a university and then find it was not the right place for you.
X Don’t glorify yourself.
Don’t say- ‘I was the best tennis player in the whole city ofKathmandu
Don’t say- ‘I was the best tennis player in the whole city of
X Don’t repeat materials that are already on the application.
Don’t say ‘my major is Physics’ because you have already said that somewhere else. Instead say, ‘while I majored in physics I also took…..’ or ‘my physics major enabled me to take special courses in…. and ….’ Do mention your knowledge and experience in the field at the university level. It is usually a poor idea to mention your high school experience unless something exceptional happened at that time that changed your life or affected your career choice
Don’t say ‘my major is Physics’ because you have already said that somewhere else. Instead say, ‘while I majored in physics I also took…..’ or ‘my physics major enabled me to take special courses in…. and ….’ Do mention your knowledge and experience in the field at the university level. It is usually a poor idea to mention your high school experience unless something exceptional happened at that time that changed your life or affected your career choice
(Source: The US-UK Fulbright commission. Based on a presentation in Madras by Professor Hower, Comell University, Department of English)
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