Getting
Accepted Into Nursing School-
Tips On Writing A Winning Admission Essay
It
may be only 500 words, but the admissions essay portion of a
college application can mean the difference between acceptance
and rejection. How
you write your personal essay shows the admissions committee why
you are different from everybody else. It provides information
about you that test
scores, grades, and extracurricular pursuits just cannot. You
can use the
essay to describe a favorite activity, to tell a story about
yourself, or even a story about your dog, but make sure to
really use it -- in a way that captures
the readers attention and shows that you are exceptional.
Step
One: Brainstorming
You
should expect to devote about one to two weeks simply thinking
up possible essay subjects. From this process of brainstorming,
you may find a topic you had not thought of at first. Here are
some questions to consider:
What
Are You Like?
- What
is your strongest personality trait? Does any attribute,
quality, or skill distinguish you from everyone else? How
did you develop this attribute?
- How
would your friends characterize you? What would they write
about if they were writing your admissions essay for you?
- Consider
your favorite books, movies, works of art, etc. Have these
influenced your life in a meaningful way? Why are they your
favorites?
- Have
you experienced a moment of epiphany, as if your eyes were
opened to something to which you were previously blind?
What
Have You Done?
- What
are your major accomplishments, and why do you consider them
accomplishments?
- What
have you done outside of the classroom that demonstrates
qualities sought after by universities? Of these, which
means the most to you?
- Have
you ever struggled mightily for something and succeeded?
What made you successful? Have you ever struggled mightily
for something and failed? How did you respond?
- What
was the most difficult time in your life, and why? How did
your perspective on life change as a result of the
difficulty?
Where
Do You Want to Go?
- Of
everything in the world, what would you most like to be
doing right now? Where would you most like to be? Who, of
everyone living and dead, would you most like to be with?
- What
are your dreams of the future? When you look back on your
life in thirty years, what would it take for you to consider
your life successful?
- How
does this particular university fit into your plans for the
future? Why do you want to spend two to six years of your
life at a particular school?
Step
Two: Selecting an Essay Topic
As
these thoughts start to solidify into an essay topic, think
about execution. What sounded like a good idea might prove
impossible in the writing. Most importantly, think of how you
can make the subject matter original. Even seemingly boring
essay topics can sound interesting if creatively approached.
With an essay question in mind, think over the following
questions:
- Will
your topic only repeat information listed elsewhere on your
application? If so, pick a new topic. Dont mention GPAs or
standardized test scores in your essay.
- Can
you offer vivid supporting paragraphs to your essay topic?
If you cannot easily think of supporting paragraphs with
concrete examples, you should probably choose a different
essay topic.
- Will
an admissions officer remember your topic after a day of
reading hundreds of essays? What will the officer remember
about your topic? What will the officer remember about you?
What will your lasting impression be?
Choose
a story
The
best essays tell a story about the applicant. The essay does not
have to be the story of your whole life, but rather a small
glimpse of it, one that is rich with meaning and alive with
imagery. It often helps to think about the impact that past
events have had on you. In one admissions essay written by a
student who was accepted to Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, and
Stanford, an ordinary story is told in a unique and captivating
way. In this narrative about hiking up a mountain, the student
also conveys a deep appreciation for science, as well as a
dedication to the hard work required to fully understand the
universe:
Although
the first few miles of the hike up Mt. Madison did not offer
fantastic views, the vistas became spectacular once I
climbed above tree line. Immediately, I sensed that
understanding the natural world parallels climbing a
mountain. Much like every step while hiking leads the hiker
nearer the mountain peak, all knowledge leads the scientist
nearer total understanding.
Entitled
"Hiking to Understanding," this essay tells the story
of one hike, but at the same time, gives a complete idea of the
authors values, interests, and philosophy. Thus, the essay
presents run-of-the-mill subject matter in an
out-of-the-ordinary way.
Step
Three: Writing the Essay
You
must bear in mind your two goals: to persuade the admissions
officer that you are extremely worthy of admission and to make
the admissions officer aware that you are more than a GPA and a
standardized score, that you are a real-life, intriguing
personality. But before you can convince an admissions officer
of this, you must first grab his or her attention.
The
Introduction
Most
admissions officers spend at most 2 minutes reading your essay.
With this reality in mind, spend the most time on your
introduction. One technique is to create mystery or intrigue in
this first paragraph. At the very least, you should not give
away the whole story right at the beginning. Give the admissions
officer a reason to keep reading. As an example, the first
sentence of the "Hiking" essay reads as follows:
Surrounded
by thousands of stars, complete silence, and spectacular
mountains, I stood atop New Hampshire's Presidential Range
awestruck by nature's beauty.
This
first sentence sets the mood for the essay, it draws the reader
into the scene, but it does not state the authors argument or
even the plot of the story to follow. The reader has to continue
reading in order to learn what happens next.
The
Body
After
the first paragraph has been perfected, you must ensure that the
body paragraphs relate to the introduction. It helps to have a
theme or phrase that runs throughout the entire essay. In
"Hiking to Understanding," the author uses the
mountain as a unifying image:
Some
people during their lives climb many small hills. However,
to have the most accurate view of the world, I must be
dedicated to climbing the biggest mountains I can find. Too
often people simply hike across a flat valley without
ascending because they content themselves with the scenery.
The mountain showed me that I cannot content myself with the
scenery.
Also
notice that the author uses simple language. Many students think
that big words make good essays, but powerful ideas are often
best expressed in simple and elegant prose.
Another
way to impress an admissions officer is by using specific
examples and evocative touches of imagery that stay clear of
cliché. The application essay lends itself to imagery, since
the entire essay requires your experiences as supporting
details. Successful essays stick to the mantra, "show, dont
tell." Heres one example from the "Hiking" essay:
When
night fell upon the summit, I stared at the slowly appearing
stars until they completely filled the night sky. Despite
the windy conditions and below freezing temperatures, I
could not tear myself away.
This
passage shows how description of the stars and cold can make us
both imagine the scenery and understand the authors point of
view. It tells us what the author feels and thinks, more so than
if the author had spelled it out for us.
Finishing
Up
The
conclusion is your last chance to persuade the reader or impress
upon them your qualifications. Expand upon the broader
implications of your discussion. The "Hiking" essay
does this successfully, both expanding on the description of the
scene as well as on the scenes meaning for the author:
When
observing Saturn's rising, the Milky Way Cloud, and the
Perseid meteor shower, I simultaneously felt a great sense
of insignificance and purpose. Obviously, earthly concerns
are insignificant to the rest of the universe. However, I
experienced the overriding need to understand the origins
and causes of these phenomena.
Don't
be surprised if the writing process takes many days. Few writers
can dash out a quality essay in just a few sittings. It takes
awhile to find the perfect structure, wording, and imagery. If
you have the time, spend a week away from your draft; when you
return to it, you will read it with fresh eyes. Ask friends and
family for help. Other readers will find small mistakes that
your brain has ceased to recognize, and they will answer the
essential question, "what makes this essay memorable?"
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