Why and When to Write?
by Kathleen M.
Congratulations! You finished exams and have taken a little time off and now you want to know how to proceed with getting your college application together. There are two main questions to consider:
Why are you writing a personal essay?
When should you begin writing?
You should write your purpose down.
Why are you writing a personal essay to the college of your dreams? What do you want the admissions team to know about you? Why are you interested in university/major? Why will you be a great college student? These are just a few questions to help you think through your purpose.
This first question may take you a little time as you consider your “why!”
The IvyBoost blog has an earlier post on how to get started that may help too.
Also, there are lists online and in books that will help you think about who you are, what you value, and what story about you might work. Use these resources to make your task easier.
Knowing when to start is key.
You have a lot of research to do about you, and you have no summer deadlines. So relax and explore. Gather information on you – you can do this by journaling, ordering transcripts, creating a spreadsheet of your activities, or just making lists. Once you have all the information about you gathered, you can start to craft.
Remember though that this is your summer! Have fun, hang out with friends, travel with your family, and in between the fun, get the work done in small spurts or moments of time. You will be in good shape if you have an idea of your “why” and then start writing in August to really hit the ground running for a fall of applications.
Resources:
“Starting Too Soon”
