Introduction

Welcome, dear reader, to our blog. I’m on a journey to master the art of college statement of purpose writing, and I’ve been diving deep into research for the past month to bring you the most practical and effective tips. Today, I’m excited to share what I’ve learned about crafting motivational letters that stand out.

Join me with your favorite beverage in hand as we explore these 14 essential tips together. And remember, I’m learning right alongside you, so I’d love to hear any insights or experiences you have to share in the comments below. Let’s embark on this learning adventure together!

Don’t Obsess over being Unique on your college application essay, it just Doesn’t Work!

Tell Your Story from Your Own Perspective 

Eva Ostrum, former assistant director of undergraduate admissions at Yale University,  gives some advice about writing statements of purpose. She says you shouldn’t worry about trying to seem unique. Instead, you should share your own thoughts and feelings about the topic you are writing about to make the motivational letter sound like who you really are. This is more important than the topic itself.

Many students have written about common topics like music, science, or math. But they’ve shared their own thoughts and feelings about these topics. This has helped them stand out when applying to college.

The concept of sharing your thoughts and feelings can be a burden for some of you good folks. So, how do you achieve this? Unfortunately, Eva Ostrom doesn’t explain this in Tanabes’ book. So, let us go through the process I would take to share my own thoughts and feelings.

First, I would choose a theme or topic I was interested in. Then, I would do some research to learn more about it. I would understand that I needed to talk to experts or read about the topic, so this is exactly what I would do. This would help me understand the topic better.

Having done my research, I would think about my own opinions and experiences. How do they relate to the topic? This is your unique perspective or what we are also calling your thoughts and feelings. When you write, share this perspective. This will make your motivational letter interesting and engaging for the committee who will be reading your statement of purpose.

The Reality of Highly Selective Colleges and writing the college essay on a Unique Topic and Experience

The truth about top colleges is that they’ve seen all kinds of motivational letters. So, when you write, focus on sharing your own thoughts and feelings as we have discussed above. This is the most important part. It’s a chance to show who you are and connect with the people reading your motivational letter.

When it comes to creating a statement of purpose, there’s no such thing as a unique topic or content that hasn’t been covered before. What makes your statement of purpose special is your own perspective and experiences. 

So, focus on sharing your thoughts and feelings honestly. Remember, it’s not about the topic, but how you write about it that matters.

Make it appear like the college you are applying to is your Best College Ever

Everyone wants to be Loved and this is what You should Present on a Fundamental Level in your college essay

One powerful way for someone who doesn’t want to go to university to start a career is to build skills in their chosen field. Afterwards, they need to invest time and effort into solving industry-related problems with other people using the skills learned. This is a strategy I’ve used myself. Even though I was a beginner, I was able to show my deep concern for the problems others face. This helped me avoid platforms where people wanted to exploit me for their own selfish gain.

You may be asking yourself, how relevant is the above short story to the subject of love? Well, dear reader, it is relevant because I expressed deep concern for other’s problems even though I was selfish and have never cared for anyone’s problems ever since I was born. So, in devoting my effort to trying so hard to solve their problems, I was able to express my love to prospective clients which helped me convert friends to clients. Yes, there was no portfolio or website or any YouTube Guru technique and strategy other than being open and caring for the problems of others.

It’s important to understand that everyone wants to be loved. This is a basic human need as expressed by Psychology Today. We all want to find someone who accepts us, shows us we’re worthy of love, and makes us feel beautiful and amazing.

When applying to a higher learning institution, you might know about its weaknesses. But it’s important to show that you understand these weaknesses. So, go ahead and talk about how you see yourself helping the college improve on its failures and being there even when things are tough to help your classmates and lecturers. Remember to also align your values and life goals with the university’s mission and goals to express yourself as a long-lost best friend. This is what you want to express in your application. 

Think about the Defining Characteristics of a Great College and look for them in the college you are applying to

One important aspect of what makes a college great, that you can be thinking about, is university leaders encouraging their teachers to use teaching methods that make learning better for their students. This is a concept expressed by the Harvard Graduate School of Education

This is important because when learning is improved, students are encouraged to work harder. We all know that in this tough world, you need to work hard to build a successful career. If you don’t, you might struggle with things like paying rent, bills, and even finding food.

So, students need to work hard, and when teaching methods are improved, they feel more motivated to do so. They don’t feel forced to work harder, but rather, they want to. This is something you want to see in a college. And, if you see this present in the college you are applying to, talk about it in your motivational letter as a reason why you want to attend the college.

Let me give you more flesh to build on the defining characteristic involving improved teaching methods used in college. Another benefit of improved teaching methods is better results. Students do better in their exams and they don’t fail. Also, students enjoy learning new things and they feel happier. 

These are all things you can talk about as your reasons for desiring acceptance to a specific college whose university leaders encourage their lecturers to use improved teaching methods. 

Another important feature of an A-level college is affordable tuition fees. This is something you might want to talk about in your college motivational letter. You can discuss how affordable tuition makes the college a perfect place for you to get an education. This is because it gives many students, including yourself, a better chance to pursue their chosen career.

For example, if you want to study dentistry, you can say that the affordable tuition allows you to pursue a career in dentistry without having to worry about fees related to the hemostats or the probes and the drill bur set. You can also talk about how the affordable tuition makes you feel like you belong, even if you come from a less wealthy family.

Another reason you might want to study at a college urging its teachers to use improved teaching methods is because it could give you a better chance of getting a job. This is because you can afford to go to college and get the high-quality education you need to get employed. Again, you can write this down as one of your reasons for seeking acceptance to the college you are applying to if you know for sure it encourages its teachers to use improved methods of teaching.

A strong college often helps students with money, like scholarships, as mentioned by College Reality Check. You might want to see if the college you’re applying to offers this help. Talking about financial aid and scholarships in your statement of purpose can also work as one of the reasons why you want to attend a specific college. 

It shows that the college rewards hard work by providing scholarships which could be something you greatly admire in the college you are seeking acceptance from. Remember to keep within the word limit and only choose the reasons that are most important to you. 

Be Yourself

Why is being Yourself so important?

Being yourself is very important when you are writing. Readers can tell if you’re not being genuine. That’s why you should decide on a topic that matches who you are. When you write a statement of purpose that shows your true self, you’ll feel comfortable and won’t find yourself talking about sensitive topics that make you feel strong emotions.

When you’re being yourself, you can provide vivid descriptions because you will be talking about things you find naturally interesting as mentioned by Dr. Michele Hernandez, former assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth College. 

Vivid descriptions help the admissions officers picture the kind of person you are. For example, you might talk about a strong man you saw at the market helping to push a car out of the mud on his own despite the heavy downpour at the time. You could describe his determination and resilience to success irrespective of all odds going against him (Naturally, don’t forget to bring the narrative back to yourself). Maybe meeting this man taught you a valuable lesson about life, that you shouldn’t give up on helping other people no matter how hard things may appear to be. You could build an interesting story around this.

When you’re being yourself, you can easily create specific examples that will help readers imagine having a conversation with you. They’ll want to learn more about you. This is something that Eva Ostrum mentions in Tanabes’ book. She’s a former assistant director of undergraduate admissions at Yale University.

Being yourself in your college motivational letter is important because it allows you to be honest. The last thing you want to do is to lie. The admissions officers can tell if you’re being dishonest. They can look at your critical reading and writing scores to see if they match how your motivational letter is written. They can also look at your recommendations to see if they match the picture you’re painting of yourself. They can even do their own research to check if the information you’re giving is true.

So, you can try to figure out how they check if a student is being honest and waste your time, or you can simply do your best to be honest. Being honest as a student in your statement of purpose can improve your chances of getting admitted. And one of the easiest ways to be honest is to be yourself. 

The Truth About Perfection

Dear reader, let’s be clear. There are some people who are incredibly unique and special almost similar to Hercules and Theseus in Greek mythology. Heck, they can even be better than these demigods. 

But, being special isn’t what makes a motivational letter good. What’s important is being honest. It’s about showing the real you. So, don’t worry about trying to seem special or perfect in your statement of purpose. Just focus on being yourself.

Start Writing already and Don’t Worry about messing up

The Reality of Reading Too Much of “College Essay Tips” on the Web

Reading lots of these kinds of tips on the internet can sometimes be too much. There’s so much information that it can feel like you’re being pulled in many different directions. But don’t worry, just keep it simple. Be honest, be yourself, and try to describe things in a way that makes your statement of purpose interesting. 

With these three simple steps, you can create an amazing motivational letter. Of course, you also want to make sure you’ve done well in your SATs and have a good GPA score. If you’ve done all this, you can be sure that you don’t need to read any more tips on the internet.

Just get Started with Writing Your Essay to avoid Procrastination and don’t worry about “Pleasing” the Admissions Committee

Let’s talk about writing a great statement of purpose. Instead of spending more time searching the internet for tips, it’s better to begin writing now. This helps you avoid something called procrastination. Procrastination can lead to work that isn’t very good, missed chances, and extra stress.

If your statement of purpose is rushed, the people deciding if you get into college might have difficulty reading it. A rushed motivational letter might have the wrong school name or lots of spelling mistakes. These are signs of procrastination, and it’s important to avoid them.

Starting creating your motivational letter right away can help you avoid these problems. It also helps you look good to the people deciding if you get into college. If you procrastinate, you might not have enough time to do all the important steps in the writing process. All you will want to do is write and finish and then quickly submit.

Creating a motivational letter is a big job. It involves many steps. If you procrastinate, you might not have time to plan your motivational letter or check it for mistakes. If you don’t plan your statement of purpose, you might not know what to write about. If you don’t check your statement of purpose, you might not know if it sounds right or if the information makes sense.

Also, procrastination can make you feel stressed. More stress can lead to feeling scared and sad, which can make you feel confused when writing. And being confused doesn’t help you write a good motivational letter. So, begin writing now and avoid procrastination!

Put heavy emphasis on the “Slice of Your Life” saying by college admissions experts

The committee and experts DON’T want you to write your Life’s Biography

The Tanabes, who are THE experts in writing statements of purpose, have some advice for college applicants. They suggest avoiding writing a motivational letter that covers your ten greatest accomplishments since birth or goes into extensive detail about a summer program you attended.

The Tanabes have created college motivational letters that have been accepted by every Ivy League institution and additional colleges they applied to. That’s why they are considered the most valued experts when it comes to providing advice on college admissions.

They strongly recommend that college applicants focus on sharing a slice of their life in their motivational letters. Instead of telling the story of your entire life, which is like writing a biography, they suggest focusing on one or two significant experiences or achievements. This approach can make your statements of purpose more personal and engaging.

Dr. Michelle Hernandez, a former assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth College, talks about writing a statement of purpose on an ordinary topic in an extraordinary way. She highlights a student who wrote a motivational letter about growing up. The student chose an ordinary topic – becoming a man – and approached it in an unusual way by telling a story about shooting a squirrel.

By focusing on this single event, the student was able to share a slice of his life. He didn’t talk about every aspect of his life that contributed to his growth. Instead, he focused on the experience of shooting a squirrel. This approach allowed the committee to learn a lot about the student and his family. It shows the power of focusing on one small but meaningful aspect of your life in your statement of purpose.

Benefits of focusing on the Most Valuable Experience in your life in your Essay

Let’s talk about why it’s good to write your statement of purpose about an important experience in your life. One reason is that it helps you write naturally, like you’re having a fun chat.

Think about talking to your best friend about something that happened during your holidays. Maybe you met someone interesting or had a crush on someone. You’re sharing your feelings and having a good time.

This is how many young people chat. You’re talking naturally with your best friend, understanding each other easily. This is what writing a motivational letter about an important experience can do. It helps you write in a natural and honest way, making your motivational letter more interesting and easy to relate to. After all, the committee was once upon a time the age you currently are right now.

When you write your statement of purpose about an important experience, it helps the committee understand what matters most to you. By sharing what’s important to you, you’re showing a key part of who you are. That’s the main reason for making a statement of purpose. The committee wants to know who you are, not just your grades or awards. Writing about an important experience lets you show them that.

Writing about an important experience in your life also makes it easier to be honest. You won’t need to hide anything because this is something you’re proud of. For example, if you won a swimming contest, you’d want to share that, right? After all, won’t you feel proud of your accomplishment? You wouldn’t want to lie about anything that helped contribute to your success, unless of course you cheated or did something disgraceful, but I am confident that if you are reading this blog post, you didn’t do that. So, writing about an important experience can help you avoid the temptation to lie in your college motivational letter.

Writing about an important experience can also make you excited. This excitement can be passed on to the people reading your motivational letter, like the committee. When they’re excited, they’re interested and want to know what happens next. Does the student solve their problem? They want to find out more.

This excitement isn’t just from good storytelling. It also comes from the excitement you show when you talk about the people and events in your motivational letter. So, writing about an important experience can make your statement of purpose more exciting and engaging.

When you write about an important experience in your statement of purpose, it can help you show how it’s related to your future job goals. Remember, you’re applying to college to learn things that will help you in your future job. So, think about what job you want to have.

Once you know that, and you have your important experience, you can show how they’re connected. This is especially true if you really care about your future job. The connection between your important experience and your job goal can make your motivational letter more believable and interesting.

When you write about an important experience in your motivational letter, it can help you connect with the college you’re applying to. This is because when you write on something you value, you’ll have many ideas. Some of these ideas can be linked to the values, vision, or goals of the college. This can make your motivational letter stand out to the committee and improve your chances of getting in.

One of these many ideas will become the main idea or ‘thesis’ of your statement of purpose. So, writing about an important experience can help indirectly contribute to the development of your motivational letter’s thesis statement. By writing about an important experience, you get led to your excitement and the development of the mind map which then leads to the development of possible main ideas that can function as your motivational letter’s thesis statement. The thesis statement will then allow you to cover many possible topics as well called topic sentences. The topic sentences will provide proof or support for your main idea.

Every piece of proof you provide builds the structure of your statement of purpose and makes it more engaging. It also makes it more likely that the committee will believe what you’re saying is true. So, writing about an important experience can help you create a strong, believable, and engaging motivational letter.

Choose a topic YOU want to write on

The School’s Value on some essay topics should be the Last Thing in your mind

You shouldn’t pick a motivational letter topic just because the college you’re applying to likes that topic. This isn’t a good idea and could lead to your application being rejected. This is because you won’t be able to show who you really are and you’ll be dishonest.

For example, let’s say I’m applying to a college that really values community work. So, I decide to write about that. But deep down, I don’t really care about community work. I’m only writing about it because the college values it.

How do you think my statement of purpose will turn out? It won’t be good because community work isn’t something I find important. Maybe I only did community work to help my SAT scores, or to make my parents, teachers, or friends happy. But the point is, community work isn’t a topic I value. I am essentially choosing to write on it because a certain university likes the topic.  And that’s the problem.

Don’t choose an essay topic for your Parents or Peers

We’ve briefly mentioned the example of my choosing to write about community work to impress my parents, teachers, and friends. On this point, we shall go into this matter in detail. Remember, you’re building your own career. It’s not a team project. This is your life, not your parents’ or friends’ lives.

Life is like a train. Some people come into your life while others leave. That’s why it’s important to remember that going to college is a big part of getting your degree. Your degree will help you build a successful career in a field that requires a degree. Of course, some careers don’t require a degree but for those that do such as the ones that exist in the fields of medicine, law, and finance, your college motivational letter will have a tremendous contribution to the success of your career.

So, make sure you pick a college statement of purpose topic that you want to write about, not a topic that someone else wants you to choose.

Write about something you find truly Interesting

Main Benefit of writing about something you find Interesting

Making a written document about something you find interesting has many benefits. It can help grab the attention of the committee reading your motivational letter. They’ll be engaged with your motivational letter because of your interest in the topic. 

When the committee is engaged with your statement of purpose, they’ll also be able to clearly notice your dedication to creating an impactful motivational letter. This includes doing thorough research on the college you’re applying to and the topic you are writing about. Thoroughly researching your topic not only functions to show them your professionalism as an aspiring expert in your field but also portrays you as a serious candidate seeking admission into their college.

All these things are memorable when you write on something you’re truly interested in. This allows you to create vivid descriptions in your motivational letter. These descriptions help the committee picture the events you’re describing, as such, making it easier for them to remember. 

How to ensure your descriptions are Vivid enough

The first step to making your descriptions as vivid as possible is to use strong words that say a lot in a few words. For example, let’s look at a statement of purpose that Mariam Nassiri sent to Duke University. The first sentence uses the words ‘wailing monstrosity’, ‘torture’, and ‘sleep-deprived’. It says, “The alarm clock is a wailing monstrosity to many high school students, whose purpose is to torture all who are sleep deprived.” (Tanabe, K. & G. (2017). 50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays). 

From this sentence, we can tell that the alarm clock is very loud and wakes them up in a way that they find annoying. But instead of using all these words, she uses ‘wailing monstrosity’. This makes her writing clear and to the point.

Another way to make your descriptions vivid is to use short sentences. This can make your college motivational letter easier to read. When you use short sentences, your descriptions can have more impact. In addition, your sentences become concise. When your motivational letter is easy to read, the committee is more likely to understand the information you’re sharing.

Another way to make your descriptions vivid is to add context. Context is the background information that helps explain your point. If people ask ‘so?’, it means they need more context to understand what you’re saying. Providing enough context can help improve your descriptions and make your communication clearer.

Another tip to make your descriptions vivid is to communicate clearly. You don’t want the readers of your statement of purpose to get confused with what you’re trying to say when you beat around the bush for instance. That’s why it’s good to have someone else read your motivational letter to make sure it’s clear.

You don’t want a situation where you’re saying one thing, but the admissions officer reading your motivational letter thinks you’re saying something else. The goal of clear communication is to prevent the committee from misunderstanding your message. This helps them understand your story the way you intended.

Be honest with your essay readers

Why honesty is the Most Important aspect of writing a college essay

Honesty is very important when you’re developing a statement of purpose. The main reason colleges ask for a motivational letter is to understand who you are. If you’re not honest, they won’t get to know the real you.

Being honest also lets you express your true feelings and thoughts easily. The Tanabes mention this in their book.

Honesty is a strict requirement when developing a motivational letter. the committee won’t be forgiving to applicants who are dishonest in their statements of purpose. So, always be honest when you are writing your motivational letter.

How to avoid being or sounding Dishonest in a college essay

First, let’s talk about how to avoid sounding dishonest in your college motivational letter. Even if you’re telling the truth, the committee might not believe what you’re saying. There are some achievements that, if you mention them in your statement of purpose, might not be taken seriously.

The committee might ask themselves, ‘Really? Did they really achieve that? Did they really win that award? Did they really talk to NASA or work with the FBI?’ Describing such events might be hard for the committee to believe.

So, you might want to avoid talking about them, even if they’re true. This is because it could hurt your motivational letter and your entire application’s credibility. Yes, it’s unfair, but that’s the world we live in. You should try to describe things that are impressive but not too unbelievable.

To avoid being dishonest in your college motivational letter, you should decide on a topic that really matters to you. This way, you’ll be less tempted to lie. If you lie about something that’s important to you, it would feel like you’re disrespecting it. So, pick a topic you care about and be honest when you write about it.

Carry out an Effective Brainstorming session

Will help you Prepare for writing your college admission essay

A good brainstorming session can help you come up with many possible topics to write about in great detail as mentioned by Writing Services Hub. These topics become ideas that you can choose from to find the best one. This helps you prepare to write your motivational letter because you’ll be working with the best possible topics.

Brainstorming also helps you improve your ideas. Once you have these ideas, you can make them better by researching online, asking friends and family, or asking trainers. Once your ideas are fully developed, you can begin writing.

So, you can see how the process is simple. It starts with brainstorming,  then choosing the perfect ideas, and then developing the chosen ideas. This leads to being ready to start the writing process.

A good brainstorming session can help you feel more confident about your college motivational letter. It lets you think creatively and step out of your comfort zone. As Steve Harvey once said, you should be comfortable with being uncomfortable. This is what a good brainstorming session does. It helps you be okay with discomfort.

Being okay with discomfort means you know you’re working hard to present the best version of yourself. A good brainstorming session often involves refining your ideas. This means getting rid of cliché ideas or ideas that don’t show the best version of you.

A good brainstorming session can also make you excited. Excitement is contagious and can make the committee excited too. It also gives you a neat and clean visual of your ideas, especially if you use a tool like X-Mind. If you want to learn how to use this tool or how to brainstorm, feel free to visit our recent blog post on this. 

Will help you create an impactful Thesis Statement and Topic Sentences easily in your essay writing

A brainstormed document helps you create possible statement of purpose topics. You start by listing all your ideas, then cross out the ones you don’t want as we have just discussed previously. This helps you find the best topic for your motivational letter. The best topic for your motivational letter becomes your thesis statement’s central idea, which is the main point of your statement of purpose.

Brainstorming helps you refine your topic sentences too. You do this by eliminating the wrong ideas and improving the correct ideas generated from your thesis’s main idea or to simply put it, the main idea of your motivational letter, until you are left with the best ones and are left with perfect correct ideas. 

Topic sentences and thesis statements are important because they give structure to your motivational letter and help it flow smoothly. They also let the committee know what to expect in your statement of purpose. When they know what to expect, they can relax and understand your information more easily. So, brainstorming can help you write a clear, structured, and engaging college motivational letter.

You will answer the prompt More Efficiently

Besides everything we’ve discussed, a good brainstorming session can also help you answer your college motivational letter prompt efficiently. This is because you’re analyzing the prompt at multiple levels when you’re brainstorming. The more you analyze the prompt, the better your response will be. You’ll know the best possible response for the prompt through the creation of a mind map.

Make sure to read your essay after writing to check for errors

What to watch out for when proofreading

When you’re proofreading your college statement of purpose, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, try not to have more than two people proofread your motivational letter. If too many people proofread it, they might change the message you’re trying to convey as mentioned by the Tanabes. This could hurt your motivational letter.

Also, try not to over-edit your statement of purpose. The committee expects to see a student’s work. Even if your writing is top-notch, as explained by Eva Ostrum, they’ll be comparing your reading and writing scores with your statement of purpose. If they don’t match up, they might think someone else wrote your motivational letter for you. They might think your motivational letter isn’t authentic. You don’t want this to happen to your statement of purpose or your application.

Benefits of Proofreading for your college essay

The first benefit of proofreading your college motivational letter is that it allows you to check for verbosity or lack of information. Essentially, the proofreading process lets you see if you’ve provided too much information or if your motivational letter needs more context in certain areas. It’s important to remember that a college statement of purpose has a word count limit. 

When you’re creating your first draft, your goal is to get your ideas down on paper as quickly and easily as possible, not necessarily to meet the word count. When you reach the proofreading stage, that’s when you ensure that you’ve adhered to the word count and that your motivational letter doesn’t require more information because you’ve communicated as clearly as possible.

The second benefit of proofreading your motivational letter is that it allows you to check for complex jargon that might hinder a clear understanding of the message you’re trying to convey. No one likes jargon as it can make reading difficult, and this applies to the committee as well. 

While the committee is highly educated and will understand basic industry jargon, it’s not guaranteed that they’ll understand every piece of jargon you use. That’s why it’s important to spend a few words in your statement of purpose to define any industry-specific terms you use. This ensures that the committee fully understands the message in your motivational letter.

Proofreading has a third benefit that is very important. It helps you find and fix spelling and grammar mistakes. Imagine reading a statement of purpose full of these errors. It wouldn’t be a pleasant experience, would it? When your writing has many spelling and grammar mistakes, people might think you’re not very good at writing. This can be okay because sometimes, the committee is forgiving when it comes to these mistakes. 

But, this doesn’t mean you should take advantage of their kindness. If your motivational letter has many spelling and grammar mistakes, it might be hard for the reader to understand what you’re trying to say. That’s why it’s so important to check for these issues when you’re proofreading your work.

The fourth benefit of proofreading is that it helps you verify the accuracy of the information you’ve provided about yourself. Sometimes, we might forget or mix up details about our past. Proofreading gives us a chance to correct these mistakes. It’s also a good idea to discuss your work with family and friends. They might remember something about your past that you’ve forgotten. Their input can help make your writing more accurate and complete.

The fifth benefit of proofreading is that it helps you ensure the accuracy of the scientific theories or practical scenarios you’ve described in your field. This is important because these details show your dedication, determination, and expertise in your chosen field. It would be quite unusual to express interest in a certain field and then provide inaccurate information about the concepts you’ve studied or worked on in the past. So, proofreading helps you avoid such inconsistencies and inaccuracies.

The sixth benefit of proofreading is that it helps you perform the ‘thumb test’ effectively. The ‘thumb test’ is a term used by the Tanabes in their book. It involves covering your name with your thumb and reading your motivational letter to see if the personality you’ve presented is truly yours or someone else’s. 

Passing the ‘thumb test’ means that after reading your statement of purpose, you conclude that the person you’ve presented is truly who you are, not someone you admire or perhaps your best friend’s personality.

The seventh good thing about checking your motivational letter is that it helps you see if your values match the college’s values. Colleges have missions, visions, beliefs, and cultures. Your essay should show that your values fit with theirs. This is really important for top colleges like Johns Hopkins. Your essay should show values that match the college’s mission and vision. 

Even if you’re not applying to Johns Hopkins, your essay should still match the values of the college you’re interested in. This shows the college that you would be a good fit for their community.

The eighth good thing about checking your essay is that it helps you improve your writing style. Dr. Michelle Hernandez suggests that you should focus more on what you’re saying in your essay than how you’re saying it. But, it’s still important to present yourself as the best candidate, especially if you’re applying to top universities like Harvard or Yale. So, when you’re checking your essay, you should look at two things: diction and flow. 

Diction means using the right words, and flow means your essay has a smooth progression of information. To check these things, you can ask a friend or parent who knows how to do it. 

If you don’t have someone who can help, you can use an AI engine like Chat GPT, Bing AI, or Google’s BARD now called Gemini. But, make sure to read the output to see if the AI did a good job. Also, check if the college you’re applying to allows you to use AI to help write your essay.

Remember to convey your own Point of View and Impact of Things unrelated to you

Your college essay writing should ALWAYS revolve around Who You Are

Many students forget the main reason for writing a motivational letter: to show who they are. Even if you’re creating a narrative about something you love, like your favorite meal, a place you visited, or a role model, you should always bring the focus back to you. 

You do this by sharing your own views and how these elements have affected you as previously discussed. This could be how they’ve influenced your actions or how you see the world. This idea comes from Eva Ostrum, who used to work in a college admissions department.

The easiest way to ensure you don’t delve into great detail about something or someone you admire

The best way to make sure you don’t give too much information about something or someone you admire is to always check your essay. You should check it many times, but not so many that you waste your time. For example, you should read your essay to make sure you’re still talking about yourself. When you talk about something else, you should share your thoughts and how it has affected you.

Besides, you want to make sure you’ve thought about your motivational letter well before beginning the writing process. When you’re brainstorming your essay, remember not to produce too much information about other things or people since doing so will waste precious time. 

When you’re making your mindmap, try to come up with ideas that allow you to talk about yourself easily in the essay even when you’re discussing other things. The main goal of your mindmap should be to come up with the easiest to work with topics on your essay that allow you to create an A-level statement of purpose, even when you’re talking about someone or something else.

Remember to not tailor your college essay to one college in the Common App

The Obvious Truth about the Common App

When you use the Common Application, you’re applying to many colleges at once. So, your essay should make sense for all the colleges you’re applying to, not just one of them.

How the common app differentiates from other college essay types

This is an essay you write once and send to all the schools you’re applying to through the Common App. There are other types of essays too, like the personal statement otherwise commonly called the main college admissions essay, and the supplemental essay. These are only sent to one school you’re applying to, and they need to match that school’s specific requirements.

Remember to deliver Interesting Anecdotes in your Introduction Section

What is the function of the introduction in your essay?

Michelle Hernandez says that the start of your essay should grab the reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading. 

The introduction should also share your main idea, or ‘thesis statement’. This is really important because it tells the committee what your whole essay will be about. This way, they know what to expect.

How do short stories contribute to creating an engaging introduction for your essay?

Short stories can make your motivational letter introduction more engaging. They are often used when writing about a personal story or opinion. An anecdote, otherwise called a short story, is a brief, interesting narrative as defined by Grammarly. 

In a motivational letter, it’s even shorter because of the word limit. It usually focuses on one theme. The short story must be directly related to the main idea of your essay. If it’s not, it won’t be effective. 

When describing challenges in our world, explain their true meaning to you and your understanding of the problem

What makes challenges on your college essay very strong in the entire admission process?

Challenges are important parts of any story, including your statement of purpose. A motivational letter is like any other story. When it has a good story arc, it can be interesting and engaging. One of the main things that make a story good is its conflict. 

This conflict comes from the challenges that the main character has to face to reach their goal or get back to normal. When you write about challenges in your motivational letter and show how you learned from them and solved them, you make yourself look like the hero of a movie. 

Think about Captain America, Spider-Man, or the Hobbit in Lord of the Rings. You’re showing yourself in the same way these heroes are shown, but in your statement of purpose.

The Two things to talk about when writing about the Challenges in our World today

When you are writing a motivational letter about big challenges we face today, like global warming, war, famine, and floods, you should explain why these challenges matter to you. You should also show that you understand these challenges. These are the two most important things to do when you’re talking about big challenges in our world. This idea comes from the Tanabes in their book.

If you are writing a motivational letter about a big challenge, there are two things you could add to make your essay stronger. First, talk about how you plan to solve the problem in the future, maybe using skills you’ve learned in college. Second, talk about how you’ve tried to tackle this problem before. Adding these points can make your essay more appealing to the committee.

Conclusion

And that wraps up our session for today. We’ve navigated through a series of actionable tips, from embracing your uniqueness to tackling meaningful challenges in your college statements of purpose.

Which tip sparked a new idea for you? Is there one you’d challenge or add to the list? Your insights are invaluable, and I’m here to learn with you. Share your thoughts below, and if a particular piece of advice struck a chord, let me know with your favorite emoji! Together, let’s turn these tips into triumphs in your college motivational letter journey.

FAQ

How do I make my college essay stand out?

To make your motivational letter stand out, just share your point of view on the topic you’re writing about. Also, talk about the unique lessons and experiences you’ve had related to this topic. Remember, you don’t need to try to be unique. Instead, focus on the content of your essay.

What makes a college essay weak?

One thing that can weaken a statement of purpose is when the essay seems better than other parts of your application. This can make you seem not believable enough to get an education from the college you want to go to.

How not to start your college essay?

Don’t start your college motivational letter with a boring or nerdy statement. The start of your essay should grab the reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading.

Can a bad essay ruin your college application?

A bad essay can hurt your application to college. This is especially true for students who are in the middle range of academic performance. If you didn’t do well on your exams, a good essay might not be enough to get you into the college you want. But if you did really well, a bad essay might not hurt your chances too much. So, a bad essay can really hurt your application if you’re in the middle range of academic performance.

Resources and References

The Need to Love | Psychology Today

What It Takes to Be a Great University | Harvard Graduate School of Education

What Makes College Good a Good Fit

12 Strategies to Writing the Perfect College Essay – Harvard Summer School

https://www.library.moore.edu.au/custom/web/content/W01%20Introduction%20to%20academic%20writing.pdf

Importance Of Brainstorming In Writing – Do It The Right Way!

What Is an Anecdote, and How Do You Write One?

50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays