Otherwise known as personal or biographical essay, an admission essay allows applicants to communicate with the admission committee of the graduate school directly. It is an opportunity for students to narrate his/her experiences in relation to the suggested topic. Additionally, an admission essay is a critical part of the application process as it allows students to demonstrate their abilities, which are related to the course they are applying.

What are the things to be covered in an Admission Essay?

In writing admission essays, students should be able to state their reasons in choosing the university and course. In addition, students need not pretend to be somebody else in writing admission essays. Thus, students should consider the following tips in writing an admission essay:

• Introduction
  • 1. The first sentence should be attention-grabbing to ensure that the reader will continue reading the essay.
  • 2. State your motivations and reasons for taking the course.
• Body
  • 1. Support your claims with honesty and creativity.
  • 2. Include your experiences, educational background, and achievements as supporting details.
• Conclusion
  • 1. Explain why you are interested in the subject in a brief manner.
  • 2. Relate your academic accomplishments and personal experiences to the subject of interest.
  • 3. Be positive without being arrogant and end the essay with attention-grabbing sentences.

Dos and Don’ts in Writing Admission Essays

Dos:

• * Write a unique introduction.
• * Be clear, concise, coherent, and honest.
• * Write about your personal experiences without being melodramatic.
• * Discuss your goals.
• * Answer all the questions asked.
• * State and explain your reasons for choosing the school and program.
• * Revise and proofread your essay.
• * Have other people review your essay.

Don’ts:

• * Be boring and repetitive.
• * Make excuses.
• * Use jargon, clichés, swears, and slang.
• * Complain and preach.
• * Forget to proofread.
• * Summarize your resume.
• * Be arrogant or defensive.
• * Discuss other people in your essay.

Common topics discussed in Admission Essays

1. Career Plans

A student’s professional and personal life after school is greatly affected by his/her academic performance. Questions concerning long-term and short-term career goals are commonly asked in admission essays as those tend to relate with the program a student will take.

2. Academic Interests and Achievements

Academic performance highly depends on the enthusiasm and motivation of the student. Additionally, academic interests and achievements help determine the academic strengths and weakness of a student.

3. Personal Experience

While the academic performance is necessary, attitudes and one’s perspectives in life are also important in developing a well-rounded character. In writing admission essays, students are required to narrate personal experiences that are relevant to the program that they want to take.

4. Research Experiences

Graduate programs require students to conduct researches. As applicants for graduate courses, students need to provide the admission committee with an overview of the common subjects of previous researches conducted. In this way, they will have an idea on the student’s future areas of interests.

5. Field Experiences

Field experiences shape a student’s professional background as those provide the student with first hand experiences on a specific field. Also, the field experiences of a student commonly shape his/her personal and professional goals.