{"id":7746,"date":"2019-09-02T17:00:57","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T00:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/?p=7746"},"modified":"2022-12-13T11:46:14","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T19:46:14","slug":"secrets-to-good-college-essays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/secrets-to-good-college-essays\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Secrets to Good College Essays"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your hands tremble as you nervously open the letter that just arrived from your dream school. And then\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cNoooooo<\/i>!\u201d you scream in anguish as your dreams (and your soul) are crushed by those big red letters staring back at you. Okay, an actual rejection letter would probably let you down way more gently than that. The soul-crushing disappointment, though? That\u2019s super real and, well, crushing.<\/p>\n

But your dreams don\u2019t have to end that way. Use these 11 secrets to good college essays to help you nail all your college application essays and keep your dreams on track.<\/p>\n

11 Secrets to Good College Essays<\/h2>\n

Whether you\u2019re writing a general personal statement<\/a> or one of what feels like a million supplemental admission essays<\/a>, the nuts and bolts of what creates good college essays don\u2019t really change that<\/i> much. That means the secrets below apply in most cases.<\/p>\n

Secret #1: Decode the prompt<\/h3>\n

The goal of essentially every prompt (as well as the general personal statement<\/a>) is to give the admissions committee insight into who you are\u2014as a person, as a student, and most importantly, as a potential student and community member at that specific school<\/b>.<\/p>\n

In other words, decoding the prompt is essential to your admission prospects. Once you decode the prompt, you can focus on showing the committee who you are and why you\u2019re the best candidate within the scope of the prompt itself.<\/p>\n

But you also <\/i>need to understand what\u2019s being asked specifically in a prompt and<\/i> recognize the hints about the scope and structure of your response. Not sure how to do that? That\u2019s okay. I\u2019m here to help.<\/p>\n

How to decode a college essay prompt<\/h4>\n

Let\u2019s look at an example.<\/p>\n

Prompt:<\/strong> \u201cTell us about personal, social or family challenges you have faced. How have you dealt with them, and how have they shaped your thinking? (500 words or less)\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The first hint is the word length.<\/p>\n

While pretty standard, 500 words doesn\u2019t give you a ton of space to work with. Thus, being clear and concise<\/a> is key.<\/p>\n

Second, the prompt is asking you to address three different things:<\/p>\n