b'35WRITE YOUR COLLEGE ESSAYThe college essayor personal statementlets you tell your story in your own words. This is yourGROW Virtual Interviews:opportunity to express who you are beyond your grades and test scores. YOUR Your college interview mayFUTURE be virtual, conducted over APPLYING TO COLLEGEKnow Your Audience video conferencing softwareYour essay is intended to demonstrate your writingsuch as Zoom. To prepare:skills. Give yourself enough time to craft your essay, Install and test the software in advance. Make sure your Wi-Fi is secure. Growproofread and edit it, and show it to several other GrowPractice beforehand with a friend or family Growpeople. Start it at least one month before it is due. YourGrow Your member. Your Admissions officers read hundredssometimes Grow Grow FutureYour FutureFind a quiet space with good lighting and Futurethousandsof essays each year. The way to standYour YourFuture no distractions.out is to write honestly, clearly, and authenticallyFuture Futureabout yourself. Know that admissions officers are looking forstudents who can and will succeed at their school. Focus on the content first and save grammar and Your essay should convince them you are a studentspelling for later. For help, see Revise and Proofread they want to acceptsomeone who will be a goodYour Essay on p. 37.fit for their school.Ask for honest feedback on your essay from your There is no right topic to write about or right College Prep Team.voice to use. The best topic to write about is oneAfter each draft, set your essay aside for a daythat matters to you and conveys what makes you or two, then reread and revise.a unique applicant. The best voice is yoursbe Proofread for grammar, formatting, and typos.yourself, use language that feels comfortable to Read it out loud to hear how it sounds. Print it out you, and tell your story. to catch mistakes missed on the screen. Ask someone Conquer the Blank Page else to proofread your essay to catch any errors you Getting started is the hardest part. Follow these stepsmay have missed. Read it one more time to make to write a strong essay:sure your grammar and spelling are perfect. Brainstorm topics, letting ideas flow. Use the activity Avoid These Essay Topicson p. 36 to help jumpstart your essay.Your admiration for a role model, family member, Organize your ideas in an outline. or celebrity. The essay should be about you. Allow your first draft to be just thata first draft. A traumatic experience, such as the illness or deathDo not stress about it. Just write and know you willof a family member or friend, unless you write about revise it later. how it affected you and the resilience you gainedTake a break from writing and then return to yourfrom the experience.draft. Reread and revise it. Be creative in tellingyour storystart with an anecdote or find a wayto relate your story back to the college. Look for unnecessary words that do not add to your story. Make sure your details matter and arenot just taking up space. The best essays make every word count. University of Pittsburgh'