How to Write a Sample Comparative Essay

Top 5 pitfalls to avoid when writing the supplemental “Why College X” essay

Many colleges require students to write school-specific supplemental essays. These are usually some variation of what I call the â€Å"Why Us?† prompt. For instance, Yale asks, â€Å"What is it about Yale that has led you to apply?† and Columbia requires 300 words on, â€Å"Please tell us what you value most about Columbia and why.† Supplemental essays are a great way to demonstrate interest to admissions officers and give them a glimpse into your character, creativity and potential contributions to the college community. The â€Å"Why Us† essay boils down to two things: What makes us a good choice for you? What do you bring to campus? Why are you a good fit for us? If you can intertwine these two aspects into one well-written, cohesive essay, you’re set. But be careful to avoid these 5 glaring mistakes I’ve seen students make: Admissions officers want to know exactly why you’ve chosen their college. Vague answers like, â€Å"UPenn has an amazing, award-winning faculty,† or â€Å"New York City is my ideal urban environment,† show colleges that you haven’t done your homework. Instead be specific and detailed – and research, research, research! Tell them which faculty member at UPenn you’re most excited to study with? What class? What exactly about New York city is so appealing to you? Is it the proximity to the UN or the endless opportunities for internships at the nation’s top journalistic outlets? Be specific. Bragging It’s great to showcase your accomplishments. But don’t brag for the sake of bragging. And definitely, don’t try to impress. Instead, use your accomplishments as a way to talk about your interests and what you can bring to the table. For instance, instead of saying â€Å"I have won numerous debating awards,† say, â€Å"As the head delegate to several Model UNs over the last two years, I would be enthusiastic to further challenge myself and take my skills to the next level by joining Georgetown’s renowned Model UN team.† (Leave the mention of awards to the Activities section of the Common App.) Modesty and a desire to grow are key. Being one-dimensional You should use your supplemental essay to explore and reveal aspects of yourself that other parts of your application don’t. So, if you wrote your Common App essay about your involvement in theater, you should try to use the supplement to highlight other parts of your background and aspirations. You also want to tell colleges that you have both intellectual interests as well as extracurricular interests and describe how those interests can be pursued at that particular college. Shabby writing I see students make this mistake all the time. Their essays lack general flow, use big words incorrectly and make spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. But, this kind of mistake is also the easiest to fix. First, go easy on the thesaurus. Never use a word that you wouldn’t use in everyday interactions. Second, don’t write in an overly academic or formal way. Such writing often lacks authenticity. Third, get your work proofread by someone who has significant writing experience. This could be an English teacher or even your college counselor at school. I prefer creative writers when I’m getting my work proofread since I find them to be unique in the way they think and put words together. Telling, not showing Don’t tell colleges that you are excited about them. Show them by pointing out the things on and off campus that excite you. Don’t tell colleges that a particular extracurricular is important to you. Show them your past experience and your interest in a club on campus. Instead of telling them you work hard, show them what you have done. Instead of saying you are creative and innovative, show them what you have created. Not only is this a great way to detail your accomplishments without bragging, but it is also the only way to give proof of your potential. I hope this was helpful to you. For more guidance on your Common App or Supplements, feel free to get in touch with us at Cambridge Coaching. We look forward to working with you on an essay that is sure to knock the socks of your admissions officer! Cambridge Coaching admissions coaches, like Fatima B., take a holistic, comprehensive approach to the college process. Well before you’ve even contemplated your college essay, they're thinking about the steps you can take so that you have the most fulfilling high school career possible. Our ideal time to link students with coaches is in the freshman or sophomore year of high school, though we are happy to help you whenever you are in the process. Whether this means pairing a student who is struggling with physics with an MIT Ph.D. who loves physics more than anything, or sitting down with families to discuss summer plans, we mentor our students through every stage of the process. Our coaches know what it takes to get into the best colleges in America because they’ve all done it. More importantly, they know what it takes to make high school interesting and rewarding, so that your essays, when you get there, will reflect the integrity of your efforts - and the breadth of your dreams. ; Applying to college this year? Take a look at some of our previous blog posts below! Cracking the College Admissions Process, Part I: The Search and the Setup What should I write about? 3 rules to follow when coming up with a college essay topic Have You Finished Your College Application Essay? (Part Two)

The Best Valentines Day Essay Topics

The Best Valentine's Day Essay TopicsGood writers are often asked what Valentine Day essay topics they are most comfortable with. The truth is that not every writer will have the same answer, and that those who do have answers that are unique to them. Each person has a different relationship with love, and the best writers find unique ways to explore these relationships.Think about the different Valentine's Day essay topics that appeal to you the most. What is it about these topics that most excites you? If you're writing a romantic poem, perhaps you can spend a little time thinking about the kind of story you want to tell in the poem. Maybe you want to write something romantic poetry or a nice short story, and then just use the poem as a jumping off point for your own story. Or maybe you want to write a romantic story that is a little bit more philosophical.There are plenty of Valentine's Day essay topics for both kinds of writers. A lot of writers start by thinking about their own relationships, but the best writers find that the best Valentine's Day essay topics come from the outside world. That's because it's the outside world that is most able to share some of the joys and lessons of love. These lessons can be anything from the beginning of a marriage to the end of a divorce.The best Valentine's Day essay topics tend to be personal, and that's exactly what you want when you're writing. These essays should be so personal that the reader can only imagine the kinds of things you had to go through to come up with them. The best Valentine's Day essay topics usually have to do with love itself, because there's a lot of work that goes into making it work.You might also try approaching Valentine's Day essay topics from the perspective of other people. Think about the relationships that are strongest in your life. Maybe you feel closer to your parents, or maybe you feel closer to your siblings. Maybe your family love one another so much that you can see yourself fa lling in love with them at any moment.All Valentine's Day essay topics have to do with love, but they can also be about friendship. Maybe you're close with your friends. Maybe your friends are close to you. Or maybe you have many friends that you enjoy spending time with and getting together with regularly. Whatever the case, you should spend some time thinking about how you feel about these friendships.Romantic Valentine's Day essay topics are all well and good, but why not have a little fun with the topic? For example, you could talk about your favorite holidays, like Halloween, Valentine's Day, or Thanksgiving. The holidays are a great way to get some variety in your essay topics, and it also allows you to pick a holiday that you are more familiar with.In addition to looking at Valentine's Day essay topics in terms of what type of stories you would like to tell, you also have to look at what you're capable of doing. If you're new to writing, maybe you should start with a humorous Valentine's Day essay topic. Most writers are capable of doing this type of writing, and most writers are capable of picking up a few tips on how to write a funny Valentine's Day essay topic. You'll soon be writing stories that are bursting with personality!

5 Tips on How to Improve Your APA English Essays

5 Tips on How to Improve Your APA English Essays The American Psychological Association has developed a formatting style that is used in several fields of study. It can be rather complex and if you have ever been given or seen the guide, you have probably had to pick yourself off of the ground. It is a very particular format; however, the majority of it deals with the citation process. Most instructors will level down your grade for improper formatting and there is no point in losing points for that. Here is how you can improve and get a good grade for your writing with these five easy tips. Utilize a Downloadable Format One of the easiest ways to make sure that your paper is formatted correctly is to download an APA formatted document. You can find them right on the internet and then you just download them to your computer. Once you open the document, you will see that it is already formatted perfectly for you. It may include sections that you don’t need, like a section for an abstract. If this is the case, then just delete what your paper doesn’t require. Input your information for the data in the document in the right places and you have a completely formatted document ready to turn in. Check out the Guide When you see the extensive APA format guide, you are going to think that it is crazy to use it. However, you have to realize that the majority of that guide is about the citations. Apart from rules and exceptions, it includes samples that can be helpful as well. So, before you count the guide out, give it a read. Make Use of the Writing Lab Take advantage of the free resource that you can find right at your school. You will be able to get one-on-one help with your paper right in your writing lab. And, for those of you who are taking classes online, you should know that online schools have writing labs too. It may not be the same because you won’t be sitting right next to someone. However, it has proven to be a helpful method for many students throughout the years and it can help you as well. Check out Examples This method may not be used by itself if you don’t find an example with notes that tell you about margin sizes, font sizes, and other characteristics. But, it is a vital way to ensure that you are correctly formatting your paper. Get a well written and properly formatted example and you will 100% benefit from it. You can actually see what all of the technical directions even mean. However, you want to make sure that you get it from a credible source. The best way to ensure that is to get the sample from a professional service and that brings us to the final place to find help with APA formatting. 5. Hire a Professional Helper Professional writers have mastered the various formats because they need to know how to do them properly and have had a lot of practice. Over the years, they have learned what the format should look like and what exactly needs to be done. And they know the most important parts of formatting so that they can help you make the necessary corrections. It is the ideal solution for students. When it comes to determining how to master the formatting process, these tips can be used together or by themselves. You can learn what you need to do, so that you can complete it every time and gradually make the process a lot quicker. All in all, you can buy APA essays written from scratch by experts from our certified custom writing service.