Guide: How To Write and Format A College Essay In 2024 [Common App essay]

Published November 24, 2023 · · Updated September 4, 2024 · 8 minutes · by Kamerpower ·

Guide: How To Write and Format A College Essay In 2024 [Common App essay]. A college essay, often called a personal statement, is your opportunity to introduce yourself to admissions committees who must comb through thousands of applications each year. It is your chance to stand out as someone worthy of a seat in that classroom. Kamerpower.com

A well-written college admissions essay can boost your application. A well-written and thoughtful essay reflecting who you are and what you believe—can go a long way to separating your application from the slew of forgettable ones that admissions officers read.

What is formatting?

Formatting includes a list of recommendations to make the essay look professional and well-ordered. These requirements refer to structure, style of writing, and a variety of formatting issues, such as font, margins, indentation, and so on. Essays for college admission generally follow a simple format that includes an opening paragraph, a lengthier body section, and a closing paragraph. 

What is the proper format for a college essay?

Use a standard font and size like Times New Roman, 12 point. Make your lines 1.5-spaced or double-spaced. Use 1-inch margins. Save as a PDF since it can’t be edited. Read Guide to Write an Argumentative Essay with examples for Students.

Do you use MLA format for college essays?

Generally, college admissions essays do not have a strict formatting requirement like MLA or APA. Colleges are more interested in the content and how effectively you convey your thoughts and experiences. However, it’s essential to make sure your essay is easy to read and well-organized. 

How Should a College Application Essay Be Formatted

You have to first ensure that your document corresponds to the rudimentary college format essay requirements. Here are the main things to check:

• Fonts should be standard (Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial are among the frequently used ones).
• The font size 12 is the best choice to make the text readable.
• The margins are usually 1 inch.
• The text should be left-aligned (instead of the title, which is centered).
• Line spacing can be single or double-spaced.
• As for the paragraphs, make an indentation for the first line in each paragraph (use a tab).

Should I title my college essay?

You don’t need one. In the vast majority of cases, students we work with don’t use titles. The handful of times they have, they’ve done so because the title allows for a subtle play on words or reframing of the essay as a whole. So don’t feel any pressure to include one—they’re purely optional.

Tips To Help Your College Application Essay Writing

#1. Choose a topic.

You’ll often have a choice of topics for your essay provided by the college or university. Choose a topic that allows you to best highlight what you want the college to know about you. A good start is to list three positive adjectives that describe you. Then, see if you can write two or three real-life examples of each trait that demonstrates that you possess that characteristic.

#2. Grab the Reader From the Start

You’ll be competing with so many other applicants for an admission officer’s attention. Therefore, start your essay with an opening sentence or paragraph that immediately seizes the imagination. This might be a bold statement, a thoughtful quote, a question you pose, or a descriptive scene. Starting your essay in a powerful way with a clear thesis statement can often help you along in the writing process.

#3. Consider Essay length.

Consult your college application instructions to see how long your essay should be. Be sure to stay within the required word count or essay length, not going over the maximum or under the minimum. Chances are, you’ll be given a word limit. If none is specified, experts on the admissions process recommend you keep your word count between 500 and 650 words. Use the required essay length to help you determine what you will share.

#4. Keep your essay forward looking.

Admissions officers want to know about the experiences and struggles you have had. However, don’t exclusively focus on the past. Explain how you grew from those experiences. What did you learn? How did the experience shape you into who you are today? How will you use what you learned as you start your college journey?

#5. Use the name of the school you are applying to.

It sounds obvious, but accidentally using the wrong school name is more common than you think. If you’ve copied sections of your essay to send to multiple schools, thoroughly search and replace school names that don’t match where you are applying. Also, keep in mind that tailoring your essay to a particular school and what they offer is a best practice. Schools typically release essay prompts. They will be looking for answers to those specific questions.

#6. Focus on all aspects of you.

Don’t dwell on facts admissions officers already know from your application, such as grades or class rank. Instead, use your essay to communicate information they don’t know. Ask friends and family about your qualities to spark ideas. Then, share experiences that demonstrate how you have grown and developed certain qualities. If you devoted considerable time to a specific group, go beyond listing your title with the organization. Explain what you accomplished and why you were involved.

#7. Try Doing Something Different.

If you want your essay to stand out, think about approaching your subject from an entirely new perspective. While many students might choose to write about their wins, for instance, what if you wrote an essay about what you learned from all your losses? If you are an especially talented writer, you might play with the element of surprise by crafting an essay that leaves the response to a question to the very last sentence. You may want to stay away from well-worn themes entirely, like a sports-related obstacle or success, volunteer stories, immigration stories, moving, a summary of personal achievements or overcoming obstacles.

#8. Don’t link to videos or websites.

Often admissions counselors receive essays in a format that doesn’t allow them to click on links to view videos or websites. If there is something you think they will be interested in seeing online, make it a supplement to your essay instead of the main point. Then, help the reader find it by describing where to search online.

#9. Avoid formatting errors.

Write from a desktop computer instead of a mobile phone if possible. This will allow you to see your essay in full and clearly spot errors such as formatting. If you are moving text from one document to another, clear the formatting so you are not copying odd spacing or mixing different fonts.

#10. Write clearly and concisely.

If you are not given a specific word count for your essay from the school where you are applying, write enough to get your main point across. This is ideally about two-three paragraphs or 350-400 words.

#11. Don’t use abbreviations or slang.

OMG and LOL may be fun expressions when texting friends and family, but it’s not admissions essay material.

#12. Separate your essay into paragraphs

One giant paragraph can be painful to read and your message gets lost.

#13. Don’t make common spelling and grammar errors.

Your ability to write will likely be factored into the college admissions decision, so treat it that way. Here are some common errors:

• Confusing affect and effect
• Confusing peek, peak and pique
• Forgetting to use document spell check to catch misspelled words
• Writing run-on sentences
• Confusing there, their and they’re
• Confusing too and to
• Confusing then and than
• Confusing it’s and its
• Confusing past and present tense.

#14. Don’t Repeat

If you’ve mentioned an activity, story, or anecdote in some other part of your application, don’t repeat it again in your essay. Your essay should tell college admissions officers something new. Whatever you write in your essay should be in philosophical alignment with the rest of your application.

#15. Let your personality shine through.

While an admissions essay should be written in a professional way, it doesn’t need to be stale or overly formal. Your personality and voice should come through. Be yourself.

#16. Have someone proofread your essay.

Once you’ve finished your masterpiece, find someone to read it. Have them check not only for spelling and grammar errors, but also where your writing doesn’t flow or make sense. High school teachers, librarians, and counselors love to do this. Utilize peer writing centers at your high school if you can.

#17. Write Several Drafts

Set your essay aside for a few days and come back to it after you’ve had some time to forget what you’ve written. Often, you’ll discover you have a whole new perspective that enhances your ability to make revisions. Start writing months before your essay is due to give yourself enough time to write multiple drafts. A good time to start could be as early as the summer before your senior year when homework and extracurricular activities take up less time.

#18. Read Your Essay Aloud

Reading your essay aloud can instantly uncover passages that sound clumsy, long-winded, or false. Write With the Reader in Mind. Writing for the reader means building a clear and logical argument in which one thought flows naturally from another.

Use transitions between paragraphs. Think about any information you may have left out that the reader may need to know. Are there ideas you have included that do not help illustrate your theme? Be sure you can answer questions such as: Does what you have written make sense? Is the essay organized? Does the opening grab the reader?

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