College Application Essay Samples: Before And After Editing

Use an Admission Essay Sample to Learn About Application Essays

When prospective students begin preparing their applications, one of the most daunting tasks they face is writing a great essay or statement of purpose. Because that task is intimidating, it’s often difficult to decide where to start. That’s why so many applicants seek out essays and statements of purpose samples to guide their own writing. This can be a great tactic, but you must make sure to use essay samples the correct way. If you don’t, you can actually hurt your chance of admission.

Here’s a list of things you should do when looking at an admission essay sample:

• Take a look at the prompt or question. An essay won’t teach you much unless you know what the application asked the writer for. Try to figure out why the author decided to write what he or she did base on the prompt provided.
• Ask yourself what you learned about the applicant from the essay. After finishing a great admissions essay, you should feel like you have gotten to know the author on a fairly intimate level. Analyze what the essay was effective at helping you learn about its writer.
• Look for things that could be improved. Are there typos or other writing mistakes? Does the essay have a clear structure and provide details? Never assume a sample you find online is one of a perfect essay.

Don’t Ever Plagiarize Essay or Statement of Purpose Samples

Unfortunately, some applicants seek out sample admission essays simply so they can build their own essays in the exact same way, or worse, to outright copy them. This is a terrible thing to do and will probably ruin your chance of admission. Admissions committees have gotten very good at catching plagiarism in application essays and personal statements, and if they find it in yours, they’ll probably just throw your entire application out.

Even if you don’t plagiarize, if you try to write your essay just like one that supposedly earned its author admission to a school, you’ll likely end up with a bad piece of writing. That’s because what works for one person in writing an admissions essay rarely works for another. You need to take your own path in writing a great essay or statement. The expert editors at EssayEdge understand this and will provide one-on-one guidance so that your work is as strong as it can possibly be.

Remember, an admission essay sample can be a great way to learn more about the writing process and understand the task better. However, misusing statement of purpose samples will ultimately hurt your quest for admission.