Admissions Essays Applying to College

Busting the 5 Worst Admission Essay Myths   

Written by CB Community

An introductory essay plays a large role in the student selection process.

Nevertheless, the information about the essay that can be found on the Internet is not always reliable: the rules for writing such works are overgrown with various myths and confusing recommendations.

By following this advice, students run the risk of significantly lowering their chances of admission.

Thus, before attaching your essay to the application documents, make sure that these myths do not coincide with what you think. 

o, we have collected in this article the most common myths and debunked them:

1. Personal Information in an Essay is Good

“Write the truth. Show who you really are.”

You come across such advice very often, but you need to understand that there is no place for details from your personal life in an essay.

You don’t need to tell the admissions committee how much you love your dog or how a girl dumped you when you told her you were going to apply for an MBA.

An essay really needs to write about how you overcame difficulties, but problems in personal relationships are already too much.

Because of such details, your essay will probably only be laughed at. It is unlikely that you would like members of the selection committee to retell your essay to colleagues like an anecdote.

Interesting real-life experiences give an essay a liveliness, but be careful not to cross the line.

2. Difficult Vocabulary in the Essay will Demonstrate a High Level of Intelligence

You don’t have to use rare or scientific vocabulary to demonstrate your knowledge.

Of course, it’s worth replacing a few repetitive words with interesting synonyms.

But you don’t need to clutter up most of the essay with vocabulary that you encountered only in the 19th-century literature or scientific journals.

Rather, it will cause the essay to lose its lightness and make it formulaic. Grades and letters of recommendation will demonstrate your fitness level and intelligence.

Give your essay a chance to tell who you really are.

If you are not sure how to do this, then buy a personal statement from the professionals. They will write you quality work in no time.

3. You Have to be Talented in the All Spheres Possible

It is a deep delusion. Universities are interested in the success of their students in various subjects and specialties.

Excellent students are afraid that if they do not show a high level of knowledge and skills in everything: mathematics, sports, music, and theatrical art, the university will not accept them.

In fact, what is measured is the degree of your involvement, the desire to become an expert in one particular subject.

Tip: Demonstrate as clearly as possible your individual abilities and competencies in subjects in which you are successful.

4. The Easiest Way is to Write an Essay Similar to Winning ones of Previous Years

Every year, examples of essays submitted to top universities are published on the Internet.

It seems easiest to take one of these essays as an example and — wow! You are the first in the list of applicants for admission!

But not the fact that what worked for others will work for you. Better write your story the way you see it. It will make your essay unique.

5. The More Text the Better

In fact, the more text you write, the less likely your essay will be read to the end. No treatises are needed. An admission essay is not 7-pages homework.

For the selection committee, it does not matter where and when it is written: the main thing is that it should be independent and sincere work.

Basically, it is best to fit your introductory essay into 1 page, this is not a lot and not a little.

Summing Up

An admission essay helps admissions officers see your unique personality. It gives you the opportunity to stand out from others, so you should make every effort to ensure that the essay reflects your positive characteristics and unique features.

If you write about yourself honestly, interestingly, and engagingly, your chances of admission will increase significantly, while poor writing will limit your options.

We hope that our article helped you with an understanding of what is actually a good admission essay.

About the author

CB Community

Passionate members of the College Basics community that include students, essay writers, consultants and beyond. Please note, while community content has passed our editorial guidelines, we do not endorse any product or service contained in these articles which may also include links for which College Basics is compensated.