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How can you make your college essay original?

#high-school #college-essay

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Subject: Career question for you

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Lian-Wei’s Answer

Hi Daniela! I'd recommend telling your own story when you're writing your college essay. Everyone's experience is unique and there is no one ideal experience that makes you a top candidate for a college. It's more about your ability to either learn from your experience, and show that you have grown from it. With your college essay, I recommend sitting down one day for a good 30 minutes and figure out either some impactful moments in your life, either through school, outside activities, anyone that you look up to, just to name a few. You can find more ideas if you do some google search. Best of luck on your essay!
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much! Daniela
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Christina’s Answer

Has to be original, about you, told in a way that only you can tell it. Whether is be events or situations you have grown from, big shifts or changes and how you managed them, your upbringing or traditions.

My essay was about sitting on the counter as a kid while my mom was cooking. I learned so much about her, about food, about our culture, and her own childhood. My duty was always to gather the seasonings and mash the garlic with a mortar and pestle, my mom taught me words in our native language through cooking also. This carried on from when i was 5 to my early teens. As i got older I got more kitchen duties. In my essay I even included words in my native language with the english in parenthesis.

Make is a story UNIQUE to you that you can really bring to life through your words.
Thank you comment icon Thank you!! Daniela
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Frank’s Answer

The key to being unique in a college application essay is specificity. There are only so many situations and plots and experiences. What will make your essay stand out are the specific incidents and experiences. Write a draft, read it, and ask yourself:

Could this story be told by anyone else applying to college?

Hope this helps.

Frank recommends the following next steps:

Write whatever you want without thinking about how unique you're being.
Read it aloud and ask yourself: Could this story be told by another ten/hundred/thousand candidates?
If so, go back to the draft and find places you can be more specific about what you're talking about. Are your details specific and rich?
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