One of the basic requirements for your application to a post-secondary educational institution is the admission essay. Simply put, the admission essay can spell the difference between getting accepted or rejected to the school of your choice. If you are having trouble writing your personal statement, you may want to read on for some basic but helpful tips on writing an exceptional piece. This article will also give advise on how you can use personal statement examples to help you along the way.
Accurate accounts of your student life
When writing your admission essay, it’s essential that you make accurate accounts of your student life. Not only can admissions committees double check your transcripts and what you write on your resume, but most admissions officers can also spot a lie a mile away, so don’t even think about it.(1) Scour the Internet for some examples of personal statements to see how other writers use their student life to enhance their essays.
Brief but powerful descriptions of your experiences
If you plan on writing about life experiences, make sure that your descriptions are concise, brief, and, most of all, powerful. Read a good example of personal statement, and you’ll notice how the writer uses literary strategies to make their experiences come across more vividly and with impact. The last thing you want to do is bore the admissions officers who are reading your essay.(2)
Convincing conclusions
In concluding your admission essay, you should keep in mind your main objective, that is, to persuade the admission committee to accept you into their school. Try to use what you have already written about (your student life and your experiences) to prove that you have the values and traits that it takes to succeed in the college that you are applying to. Make sure that you don’t come off as being boastful or arrogant, instead try to be humble but confident.(3) Look for an example of personal statement with a persuasive conclusion, and try to emulate how the writer was able to succeed in reaching the main goal of the admission essay.
(1) http://www.acm.edu/uploads/cms/documents/acm-writing-essay.pdf
(2) http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/application.html
(3) http://www.depauw.edu/admission/documents/college-essay.pdf
Researching plays a heavy role in the educational models of many colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning. Whether you are writing a simple essay, a thesis paper, or a dissertation, you will probably have to perform some form of research to get through the assignment. Here is how you can improve your research skills.
Understand your assignment
Before you getting yourself immersed in the research process, you will have to fully understand your assignment. The following is a short list of the things you should know about your assignment:
* What is the objective of the assignment?
* What topic are you required to write about?
* How long should the paper be?
* What types of sources are allowed?
* When is the deadline for submission?
* What kind of citation will be used?
Once you know the answer to these basic questions, you will also have clues about how, where, and when to begin your research.
Plan
Now that you know your submission deadline, you can begin scheduling research time and planning your research methods. Be sure that you have ample time for researching, writing, and revising your paper. List down some of the places where you are likely to find research materials. You can begin with the Internet, the library, or your own book collection (if you have the resources). Now that you have a basic outline and schedule for research, you can begin your research. You may be overwhelmed with the vast resources available to you, so it’s always a good idea to be focused on your objective.
Be familiar with effective researching strategies
* Narrow down your topic or scope if needed. Researching for a broad topic can take a lot of time and energy. If possible, come up with a list of research topics and ask for the approval of your teacher on them. Have him or her suggest a topic from the list.
* Begin by gathering background information from general references and similar sources.
* Use what your teacher gives you. If you are using relevant sources in the classroom, ask permission to use those sources for your research. Or, at least, you can reread them to get ideas.
* Ask for advice from teachers, mentors, or other classmates on where you can find research material son your topic.
* Use the Internet to find books and articles relevant to your topic. Just make sure that what you take from the Internet comes from a reliable source.
Photo Credit : Robert Scoble
Plagiarism is a serious offense that can lead to expulsion from college. This is because plagiarism is a fraudulent act wherein the offender tries to pass off another person’s ideas and words as his or her own. It is important to avoid plagiarism at all costs, to avoid the repercussions of the act and to maintain your academic honesty. Here are some tips on how to avoid plagiarism:
Know your enemy
The first step to avoiding plagiarism is to know what plagiarism is and why people do it. As mentioned above, plagiarism has to do with stealing one’s intellectual property. There are basically two types of plagiarism: intentional and unintentional. Intentional plagiarism is self-explanatory; many academicians see this as type as an unpardonable offense. Unintentional plagiarism occurs when citations are not done properly. Research well on plagiarism and you are already on your way to avoiding it.
Know the rules
Next, you have to understand the rules for citation, your assignment, and writing in general. Avoiding plagiarism, writing effectively, and making citations properly will all require you to know the rules. Begin with your assignment. Understand what your teacher is asking from you by asking questions, asking for guidelines, and taking notes of specific rules the teacher may have (especially those on format and citation). Next, do some research on how to make proper citations throughout your paper. Consider what sections need citations, when citations are needed, where to put them, and how to enter them properly.
Know why you should follow the rules
It is hard to follow the rules if you are not sure why they are there in the first place. Rules against plagiarism are not only meant to protect the author’s whose words and thoughts have aided academic and intellectual progress. The rules are also there to help you arrive at new knowledge, to help you express your own ideas and feelings, and to help you become a more effective writer. Challenge yourself to go beyond the confines of what has already been said and thought. Not only will you avoid plagiarism in doing so, but you may even become a quotable source yourself.
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