Entrance essay guide - how to craft your paper


One of the most important things you can do in writing an entrance essay is to read the job description. It's such a sad situation when a student writes a very good or even a brilliant essay that doesn't direct their writing to the topic or to answer the question being asked. You need to spend time before you start to write making notes about what you're going to write about.

And in this case I'm not talking about an outline or a plan which is important and which you should complete. I'm talking simply about the topic or the question being asked. Write these words on a piece of paper. Highlight the keywords. Write the topic using different words. Write the question if one is being asked in another way. In other words make yourself abundantly certain as regards the topic or question.

It's an entrance essay so make it personal

The whole point of this essay is that it is designed to help you gain entrance to a college. Yes, you are to show your ability to think clearly and to write interesting and hopefully outstanding prose. But it is the content of your essay which is so important. You need to craft your paper so that it reveals the inner you.

This is a job interview if you like. This is you telling your prospective employer, or in this case prospective college, just what you can bring to the table. This is your CV. This is you telling the college what is important to you in life and what you can contribute to the life of the college.

So bear in mind those three very important things. What is the question being asked or what is the topic of your essay? What can you offer the college in the terms of your qualities and experience? And just what is an interesting fact or facts you can reveal about your personal life which makes you potentially a really worthwhile student at this college?

Of course it goes without saying the finishing touches of your essay will be so good they’ll be invisible. Your editing and polishing of your essay will be so professional it will appear as if they are not there. Crafting your personal essay is just - a craft. Allow the reader to concentrate totally on your personal and interesting prose because not a blemish can be found.


#