When composing your school essay, you must ensure that your essay is short, concise, and relevant to the prompt. In the body of your essay, highlight the unique characteristics of your school. For example, UChicago’s market-oriented economics curriculum may appeal to some students, but they won’t be attracted to Tufts’ artsy atmosphere or UC Berkeley’s list of unique majors. Alternatively, you could list your experiences while studying at a specific institution, such as having traveled to 20 countries.
When writing an essay, keep in mind that the structure of the paper might stifle your real thoughts and ideas. Various essay formats use pre-determined structures, including transitions, first words of sentences, and phrases at the end of the piece. The goal of the essay format is to test the student’s understanding of the topic and ability to present information. Although there are some limitations to this structure, it’s important to stick to an orderly flow of ideas and strong reasoning.
Your ‘Why School’ essay should address how you fit in with the school. Instead of bragging about your achievements and accolades, admissions officers want to know if you’ll fit in well at that institution. Make sure that your essay answers the prompts correctly and shows how it’s a good fit for you. This way, you’ll stand out from the rest of the applicants. While you should write your essay in a straightforward style, it’s still important to follow certain guidelines and avoid making grammatical errors.
Once you’ve narrowed down the topic, you should start researching and composing your essay. It’s a good idea to take notes so you don’t copy anything. Then, take your notes and organize them into an outline. While many students skip this step, outlines are a crucial part of delivering a powerful essay. They help you present your ideas in a smooth, logical manner. That way, the audience won’t get confused and won’t feel like they’re reading something they’ve never heard of before.
It’s a good idea to understand your essay assignment in advance. Make sure you’ve selected a topic that you know a lot about and that holds your interest. Then, choose primary and secondary sources that relate to it. Take notes about your sources and use them as evidence to prove your points. A well-developed thesis will make the writing process much easier. If you plan to write your essay over several days, you’ll have more time to devote to the process.
For the high school essay contest, you can also write a short story or poem. If you’d like to write a ghost story set in Louisiana, you could use the setting as inspiration. A poem about a ghost, for example, could be a ghost story set in the state. Or you could base your story on a mythical creature from an old book or an old animated film. The choice is yours, but you should be careful to avoid copying other works.