Accepted! 50 successful college admission essays - Gen Tanabe, Tanabe Kelly 2008

Technology to the rescue or not
The ingredients of the essay

If you apply by mail you will print essays from your computer and attach them to your application. Some applications leave room for you to write your essay—this is really an artifact from the days when essays were handwritten. Make it easy on yourself and just print your essays on separate sheets of paper.

When printing your essay, be sure to include the question you are answering at the top since many colleges give you choices. Be sure to number your pages so that they are read in the proper order. Also, put your name and Social Security number at the top so if the pages get separated from your application they can fi nd their way back to the right folder.

The Internet has become an integral part of the college application process. Many colleges allow you to submit your essays along with the rest of your application online. While this might seem like a convenience, be very careful that you still treat your essay as if it were printed.

We highly recommend that you print your essays to edit them even if you are going to ultimately submit them online. Many college admission offi cers have told us that while online applications save students time, they have resulted in an increase in the number of careless errors. If you plan on submitting your essays online, be sure that convenience does not inadvertently lead to carelessness.

Now that you know what you are facing, let’s look at how to write a successful essay.