4 Tips for Writing a Good Intro for Your Admission Essay
Need to write a college admission essay, but don't know where to start? The introduction can be an admission essays most difficult step - but follow these four essential introduction-writing rules, and you'll find that admission essay starts off easy and ends up neat, tidy and perfect! So when you're writing an introduction to your admission essay, just remember:
- Use a great hook. First of all, don't ever start an admission essay like this: "My name is ___ and I'd like to attend your school because..." That's a sure-fire way to get your admission essay thrown in the trash after the first few words alone. Admissions officers aren't looking for straightforwardness and mediocre writing. The only essays their interested in are the memorable ones. If you can make yourself interesting and memorable, the school will notice you more quickly and you'll have a higher likelihood of gaining entry.
- Be clear and confident. Colleges don't respond well to timid words and low self-esteem. An admission essay is no time to portray your fear or lack of self-confidence. A little humility can be great, but a huge chunk of shyness, unconfident behavior and self-consciousness is bad. It will likely make your essay weak and unclear. If you aren't going to be confident in yourself and your usage to the college, why should they? Be direct with your ideas and statements while perpetuating a confident attitude. It doesn't matter if you're actually confident or not; the trick is to appear so, no matter what.
- Acknowledge the college. This paper isn't just about you; it's also about the higher institution you plan to enroll in. The best way to catch your admission officer's attention during the introduction is to show you're knowledge and respect for the school. More or less, you're attempting a business deal; they accept you as a student, and you contribute to their high standards of education and achievement. If you acknowledge the school in the introduction - perhaps citing some example of its past achievements - you'll be much more likely to gain the reader's interest and prolonged attention.
- Don't overwhelm them with yourself. It's tempting for many students to launch right into their accomplishments, goals and qualities from the get go. They want to display their dedicated, ambitiousness, selflessness, creativity, etc. as soon and vividly as possible. However, this isn't the best way to go about your essay. Have you ever talked to someone that won't shut up about what they're doing, what they think and what they've accomplished? It gets pretty annoying after a while. Yes, you want to let the college know who you are and what you're capable of - but don't do it an overwhelming, direct way. Try a little subtler, and you'll see better results.