How to Write Great Essays

HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
CHAPTER 6
Untimed Essay Writing Strategies
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6.
Why are you applying to our school?
What they want to hear: that you will attend if they accept you, that you will grad-
uate from their school, and that you have something meaningful to contribute to
the school community.
This question requires research using resources other than the website and
brochures or other published material generated by the school. Are there alumni
or current students in your area? Talk to them about what the school is really
like, and use this material when highlighting your particular strengths. Does the
school host an international science fair every year? Mention it if you are dying
to meet and speak with a renowned scientist who frequently attends. Does the
literary magazine win top honors at the national level? Include some of your
poetry and write about your dream of getting published and working in the pub-
lishing industry.
7.
Submit a writing sample.
There are three ways to approach this, two of which can save you time by recycling
essays you have already written. The first is to write a new essay specifically for the
application, but that option doesn’t make much sense when you probably have
appropriate samples already written.
You may also submit the original copy of an essay you wrote for a class, with teacher
comments. Be certain to use an essay that is on an interesting topic, and that got
an A. The advantages to this choice are that it is fast and effectively gives you another
teacher recommendation if the comments are positive, and he or she didn’t already
write one of your recommendations.
You may also submit a rewrite of an essay written for a class, improving it by
incorporating teacher comments (which, in effect, gives you the use of an editor).
There is no need to mention the grade the essay received, or the class or teacher it
was required by.
Essays written for other college applications are also acceptable, as long as they
are not geared specifically for another school.