5 Things Admissions Officers Look For in an Application Essay

By David at EssaysCoach.com

Within your college application, your personal statement is your one opportunity for the admissions officer to “meet you”, to visualize the person behind the numbers. While no essay can save an unqualified application, an outstanding essay can push an otherwise mediocre application into the “yes” pile.

However, writing a good application essay is hard. Many students write essays that are too cliché or too shallow; others write essays that are impersonal and uninformative; some are even unfortunate enough to write essays that cause their own rejection.

This isn’t surprising. The application essay is drastically different from the typical high school assignment—deeply personal, rather than merely informative.

Well, let me give you a glimpse through the eyes of an admissions officer. Working for the admissions office of a university with single-digit admission rates, I have reviewed numerous applications and “graded” a wide variety of application essays. Here are five things a college admissions officer looks for:

1) Can the applicant write?

The first thing the application essay does is to prove that you can write well. In college, you are going to write, write, write and write—and the application essay allows the admission officer to judge whether you will be able to cope.

On a structural level, your essay should be well organized and coherent. It should have a well-thought-out idea development and be properly paragraphed.

Your writing should be engaging and expressive. A big part of this depends on your personal style, but in general, you should use the active voice and vary your sentence structures. A note though: essays on both ends of the extreme usually don’t work—essays which are too gimmicky and stylized, or too academic, rigid and formal.

Lastly, of course, your essay should be free of grammar and spelling mistakes.

2) What does the essay say about the applicant?

This seems like an obvious point, but many applicants end up writing essays that do not actually shed much light on themselves. No matter how beautiful your descriptions are or how emotionally moving your content is, if you do not relate these thoughts back to yourself as an individual, your essay will be ineffective.

A strong application essay allows us to visualize the applicant behind the numbers and to know exactly what type of person you are. The essay should make us feel that we have gotten to know you on a personal level, as if we have met you face-to-face.

3) Are there deep, personal reflections?

To allow the admissions officer to get to know you, your writing needs to include reflections that are deep and personal. Without these reflections, an essay will seem shallow or even generic. Conversely, mature reflections will bring personality and depth to a topic that might seem commonplace at first (for example, community service).

To put it another way, the most important thing in the essay is not the “what” but the “why”. We have the “what” from the list of your extracurriculars, scores and awards. We now want to know the “why”, the motivations that drive you.

This is also why it is a bad idea to try to cover too much in your essay. To put it yet another way, while the other sections of your application focus on describing the breadth of your activities, in your personal statement, you should aim to reveal depth in one area.

4) What will the applicant bring to the community?

So what should you highlight about yourself? Well, the admission officer wants to discover what you can contribute to the college. If your application allows the reader to visualize you as an active, contributing and successful member of the community, you are in.

This does not mean that you need to be mind-blowingly unique. The qualities you can most effectively highlight are the genuine ones. A good essay requires a good deal of introspection—to arrive at a keen self-knowledge of what your strong points are and how to best portray them.

On the flip side, you should avoid topics (and writing tone) that portrays you in a negative light. Be careful of writing about failures that highlight negative characteristics. Stay away from more controversial and potentially offensive topics. Avoid sounding naïve, lacking in self-awareness, or patronizing (a major problem, especially in essays about community service).

5) Do the qualities represented in the essay resonate with the rest of the application?

The advice goes that you should not rehash the rest of your application in your essay. For example, if you have already included multiple debate activities and awards, your essay should not be about debate.

The caveat to this is that while the specific activities should vary, there should be a consistent portrayal of personal qualities. If your essay represents you as a boundary-pushing activist, but the other parts of your application portray you as respectful and soft-spoken, flags will be raised.

An application is a lens into a single person, so consistency is important. You should thus consider your application holistically, and put some thought into how you want to represent yourself and what characteristics you want to highlight. Good luck!

 

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EssaysCoach offers detailed and comprehensive application essay coaching from an admissions officer’s perspective. Visit www.essayscoach.com to learn more about how to write outstanding application essays.

5 Funniest Grammar/Spelling Mistakes in Kids’ Letters

It’s always adorable when children attempt to write letters or caption illustrations, but can’t quite get the wording right. What’s even more adorable is when children write something they didn’t intend to write at all. Whether the culprit is bad handwriting or simply not sounding out a word correctly, ensure that you are encouraging your child to write by being supportive of all attempts.

In other words, choke back your laughter if you see mistakes like the following five.

Transposing Letters

Considering the number of letters and pictures that children make, especially for Santa around Christmas time, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Santa is going to be called Satan a few thousand times by children demanding presents. While it’s definitely funny, it can also be a disturbing sight if you aren’t prepared for your child accidentally professing their love for the Devil.

A couple of slip-ups can be funny, but if transposing words becomes common, make sure you check to see if your child has dyslexia.

Sounding It Out, Literally 

Some children spell words in exactly the way that they sound. This can lead to some embarrassing, and possibly hilarious, moments for you and your family since telling a child to “sound it out” doesn’t always work as effectively when it comes to spelling. Expecting a five-year-old to account for long and short vowels and proper phonetics in a letter or doodle is overly ambitious. Don’t be surprised when you see the word “peace” spelled as “pies.” Though your child is more likely to be wishing for “World Pies” than “World Peace” anyway.

Malapropisms Run Rampant with Children 

Children have a pretty limited vocabulary, so they simply aren’t aware of the existence of many of the words that adults use. When children attempt to repeat the words they hear, this can often result in a malapropism because the child is substituting an unknown word or sound for one that they already know. For example, it’s a strong possibility that your child believes that Abraham Lincoln’s name is actually April Ham Lincoln because that makes a lot more sense to him.

Oversimplifying Words Can Often Lead to Trouble 

To be fair, the English language has many confusing and just plain silly rules in it — especially when it comes to spelling. Children will spell things in the most simple way by sounding it out, but this tactic can often lead to some inappropriate, albeit hilarious, misspellings. Try not to get offended when your little boy hands you a drawing of his favorite place with the caption “I love the biach.” Though he just loves the beach, it might seem like he’s down with the latest slang words.

Sometimes, It’s All About Handwriting

Unfortunately, it’s not just spelling mistakes on a child’s drawing or letter that lead to hilarious misunderstandings. Which is why you should never underestimate the importance of good handwriting. Kids aren’t exactly known for the most decipherable writing, which, for example, can result in an “l” being mistaken for an “r” in the word “whole,” within the sentence “I love my whole family.” Yikes.

As you can see, children may not be the world’s best spellers, at least their methods are much more entertaining than correct grammar and spelling. Have you ever seen a grammar or spelling mistake from a child that made you roar with laughter?

What kind of writer are you?

This poll is part of a series that Grammarly is running aimed at better understanding how the public feels about writing, language learning, and grammar.

Please take the poll and share your thoughts in the comments. We can’t wait to hear from you!

If you are interested in more, check out last week’s poll.

Lies Your English Teacher Taught You: Prepositions

Guest post from Brent Calderwood

Writing is like painting. You have to know the rules before you can start experimenting with them. Think about it: Picasso had to paint a lot of pictures of horses with four legs before he started putting noses on people’s foreheads. It’s the same way with words. Good authors are playful and innovative with the English language, but they had to learn the basics first.

What makes English trickier than most languages is that it’s a hodgepodge of dozens of languages, and we keep borrowing words all the time, especially as media, travel, and politics bring different cultures into constant contact with one another.

This is a wonderful thing, but one problem is that some of the first English grammar books, written in the 1600s, were based strictly on Latin, which has a totally different structure from English. These books, and books based on these books, were used all the way into the 20th century, even though their rules didn’t always make sense for our multicultural language. Some teachers still believe these old rules; luckily, though, most English grammar and instruction books published today are setting the record straight.

One of the most common rules that teachers got wrong? Never end a sentence with a preposition.

While it’s true that prepositions usually don’t belong at the end of a sentence, some sentences just sound more “natural” with the preposition at the end. Take this one:

“I like the company I work for.”

This sentence is just fine. If you follow the “Never end a sentence with a preposition” rule, here’s the sentence you’re likely to come up with:

“I like the company for which I work.”

This is grammatically correct, but it sounds “stiff” and old-fashioned. By the way, notice that I didn’t say “Here’s the sentence up with which you’re likely to come.” That would sound ridiculous, wouldn’t it?

But wait, you might be thinking, are you saying I should just go with what sounds right? What kind of rule is that?

So here’s a good rule of thumb: If there’s an easy way to avoid ending your sentence with a preposition, go ahead and avoid it, especially if you’re writing for an academic or business audience.

In those cases, instead of “I like the company I work for,” you might want to say, “I enjoy working for this company.” Instead of “Here’s the sentence you’re likely to come up with,” you might say, “Here is the sentence you’re likely to write.” However, if you find yourself going out of your way to use “for which” or “of which” or especially “up with which” to avoid a preposition at the end of your sentence, there’s a good chance that your sentence will sound better and more natural with a terminal preposition.

And sounding natural is what good writing is all about.

Brent Calderwood is a writer, editor and activist. His award-winning essays and reviews have appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times and Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review. A two-time Lambda Literary Fellowship recipient for poetry, he currently lives in San Francisco.

Check Your Answers for Grammar Skills Test—Intermediate

So, you want to know what your English grammar level is? You’ve come to the right place. This post will cover the answers and additional learning resources for “Grammar Skills Test—Intermediate.” The Intermediate test covers subject-verb agreement, modifiers, word order, tenses, conditionals, negative constructions, and auxiliary verbs.

Correct answers are highlighted. Links go to additional learning resources to help you continue improving.

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences:

1 He was very busy so he ___ to the party.

• went not
• did not went
• did not go
• does not went

Subject(s) Tested: Negative construction, auxiliary verbs

2 Do you want to return it or ___ it for another one?

• exchange
• cash

Subject(s) Tested: Word choice

[num value=3] The moral of the story is, “___ much pride leads to destruction.”

• Very
• [key]Too
• How

Subject(s) Tested: Intensifying modifiers

4 What’s the correct word order?

• We decided to go on a picnic.
• We to go on a picnic decided.

Subject(s) Tested: Word order

5Which sentence is correct?

• She stroked with her hand his back.
• She stroked his back with her hand.

Subject(s) Tested: Word order

6 His kids are ___ students.

• well
• good

Subject(s) Tested: Adjectives and adverbs

7 It goes without ___ that John is the best student in his class.

• saying
• say
• telling
• tell

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation (continuous)

8 Look at the ___ baby.

• sleeping
• asleep

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation (continuous)

9 Please call me back later. I can’t speak right now because I _________ an English lesson.

• had
• have had
• am having
• am going to have

Both answers are correct.

“I’m having” is correct if you get the call during the lesson. Though, it is more common to simply say “I’m in an English lesson.”

“I’m going to have” is useful when you know that you have the lesson coming up and there is not enough time to chat.

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation, auxiliary verbs, perfect form

10While on holiday in the USA, every night we ______ in a different city.

• stay
• are stay
• staying
• are staying

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation

11 How much ____ do you pay a month?

• fees
• rent
• rental
• lodging

Subject(s) Tested: Word choice

12If the temperature falls below 0° C, water ___ into ice.

• turned
• turns
• would turn
• turn

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation, conditionals

13 If she had studied harder, she ___ the test.

• would have passed
• would pass
• would passed
• passed

Subject(s) Tested: Conditionals

14Would you like ____________ fruit?

• much/li>
• some
• more
• many

“Some” is used if you are offering someone fruit for the first time.

“More” is used if you have already given some fruit and want to offer another portion.

Subject(s) Tested: Quantifying modifiers

15You can’t turn here. You _______ turn left there.

• must
• will
• could
• have to

Subject(s) Tested: Modal verbs

Learn more: Helping verbs Negative construction Intensifying modifiers Adverb overuse Past perfect Conditionals Modal verbs

Think you’re ready for the next level of learning? Take the Master Grammar Skills Test!

What Does Lmao Mean?

• Lmao is an abbreviation of the phrase “laughing my ass off.
• It is used to indicate that something is funny.

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Lmao is a phrase that comes into mind when we’re laughing very hard, even though we rarely lose body parts to laughing.

The Meaning of Lmao

Lmao stands for laughing my ass off. Typically people use it in written conversations to show that they think something is funny. You can think of it as a stronger version of lol, which stands for laughing out loud. Lmao came about at the beginning of 1990s, and the people who used it first were early adopters of online communication. Today, it’s a part of textspeak and Internet slang. After all, it’s a lot more convenient to write lmao than “that was funny” or “that really made me laugh.”

How to Use Lmao

Lmao is not a phrase you should use in formal communication. Save lmao for social networks, instant-messaging apps, and text messages. You can write lmao in uppercase or in lowercase, but if you really need to use the abbreviation in a more formal context (an article about the abbreviation, for example) remember to stick to one set of capitalization rules.

There are a couple of ways you can build on lmao to show that you’re really, really laughing. Writing the acronym in all caps is one of the ways, but you can also add o’s to the end of the abbreviation: lmaoo is laughing my ass off and off. Some people also add the f-word, to get lmfao.

Examples

That’s one funny kitten! LMAO!

OMG dat joke w/ polar bear, lmao.

I lmao whenever I hear a pun.

You like puns, lmao!

Grammar Skills Test: Master

Warning: If You Don’t Know These Top 11 English Expressions, Your Life Abroad Could Be Really Hard

Guest Post By Akmal Akbarov at EnglishClubPro.com

Have you ever been in this situation? You meet with your friend, start the conversation, and suddenly stop because you can’t remember a certain word.

Or here is another situation. You may be abroad. You go to a shop and either don’t remember or simply don’t know the exact the word for this “tool you need for that certain thing that you have to do with the other thing.”

So what you do? You usually end up mimicking. If you are happy with mimicking all the time, this may be fine. What if you are on the phone? What if different gestures mean completely different things in other cultures? In the worst cases, you may end up insulting the person for no obvious reason.

Today, I am going to give you 11 language expressions you may find very useful to explain what you need and to enjoy using English.

1. It’s one of those things you … 2. It’s long and thin and … 3. It looks like … 4. It’s the stuff you … 5. It’s used for … 6. They’re made of … 7. It’s a kind of … 8. It’s something you use when … 9. You know! It’s got a … 10. I need one of those things you use to … 11. I’m looking for some of that stuff you use to …

Still confused? Wondering how to use? See these examples below.

1. It’s one of those things you use to put an announcement on the information board. – answer: thumb tacks or tacks

2. It’s long and thin and you use them to eat Chinese meals. – answer: chopsticks

3. It looks like a mobile phone. – answer: a remote control

4. It’s the stuff you wash clothes with. – answer: powder or detergent

5. It’s used for covering body injuries. – answer: bandages

6. They’re made of metal. – answer: nails

7. It’s a kind of ruler. – answer: tape measure

8. It’s something you use when taking hot meals out of the oven. – answer: kitchen gloves or pot holders

9. You know! It’s got a round metal bit at one end. – answer: padlock

10. I need one of those things you use to make dresses. – answer: knitting needles.

11. I’m looking for some of that stuff you use to correct mistakes on paper. – answer: correction liquid.

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Hi, my name is Akmal. I’m an English language enthusiast, blogger, writer, and entrepreneur. In addition to being the founder of EnglishClubPro.com, I’m also a teacher of English with more than ten years of experience. I love helping aspiring English learners to master their English.

Post adapted from original post.

How to Write a Catchy Headline in 1 Minute and 7 Seconds

Guest post from Nick Marquet

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

If you are a writer, your goal is probably for your work to be consumed by an interested audience who will rave about it to their friends. Yet, if you write the most insightful, thought-provoking, earth-shattering blog post or newspaper article — and no one reads it – it’s not very likely that your writing will resonate with a wide audience.

Learning how to write a catchy headline can be the difference between a well-distributed piece of writing, or a dud. So, let’s take a look at the steps required to write a headline that will attract the readers you’re looking for.

Know your audience.

Keep your audience in mind when drafting a headline. The world’s most shocking title may contain the words “sex,” “lies,” and “videotape,” but it could be a complete turn-off to an audience of monks.

SEO optimize.

Include a “focus keyword” to help your writing to get discovered in search engines. Build the headline around the most important keyword in your written text and ensure that it is fewer than 70 characters. Additional words are considered too long for Google to index.

Create a knowledge vacuum.

A headline that leaves the reader wanting more has done its job. Take this one for example: “These Pieces Of Advice Found On Instagram Could Change Your Life.” Does it make you want more? Does it intrigue you? Your readers will probably look for more information in the rest of your article.

Solve a problem.

After reading a headline, readers may wonder, “Why should I read on?” Many decide to do so because they believe from the title of the post that you, the author, can solve their problem. Consider the headline of this post; perhaps you are reading with the hope it will solve your headline-writing problem?!

Use numbers.

People love numbers, especially in headlines. Numbers are something we know and feel comfortable with; they give us a sense of familiarity and advise our brains on how long an article may take to read. With numbers we can justify the exchange of information for our time – especially with numbers that describe how many points will be covered. For example: “10 Ways to cook eggs that your mother never told you about.”

Cheat.

Yes, you heard right. Don’t be afraid to look for inspiration wherever you can. If you write for a publication, review older copies and look for examples that you know would work with your audience and tweak them. ViralNova.com, a website that repackages content that is already available, does a great job of writing compelling headlines. Tim Ferris created multiple titles for his book, The 4 Hour Work Week, before settling on the mega hit. He ran a series of Google ads and looked at the click through rates, simply choosing the one with the highest.

Use technology.

There is a tool called Portent’s Content Idea Generator, and it is a piece of brilliance. Plug in your topic or focus keyword into the little text box, hit a button, and bam – out pops a catchy headline in less time than one minute and seven seconds. At the very least, it could trigger ideas.

Overall, a catchy headline should speak directly to the part of the brain that subconsciously cares. However, a catchy headline is nothing without quality, thoughtful, engaging content that is shared and admired. Remember: that’s the reason we wanted the catchy headline in the first place. And until we start reading from the bottom up, catchy headlines are here to stay.

About the Author

Husband of Lorna Marquet and father of three young boys, Nick Marquet is the co-author of the book, Mommies Making Money Online (due to publish early Oct)and runs www.MommiesMakingMoneyOnline.comwith Lorna. He has 11 years’ experience in newspaper, magazine and digital advertising, and more than five years running successful online businesses. His main goals are to provide a fun, fulfilling life for his family and to help Moms succeed in their own online endeavours. Sign-up to their newsletter here.

24 of the Most Basic Grammar Rules

Have you mastered these basic grammar rules? If you’d like to answer yes, review your knowledge with the articles below. You might be surprised at how many rules you remember and how many rules you still need to learn.

The nouns that pronouns replace are antecedents. The antecedents must correspond to the nouns they refer to in gender and number.

What are some of the most commonly confused phrases in English and how can you say them correctly?

What is the objective case? A direct object receives the action of a transitive verb, and you can usually distinguish it from an indirect object with one simple question.

“I” and “me” confuse people sometimes, but there is an easy trick to help you.

To compare two things in the same sentence, we use comparatives.

Defining clauses provide essential information about the words they modify. Nondefining clauses give supplementary information and can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Grammar cases such as subjective, objective, and possessive tell you the special roles that pronouns play in a sentence.

Direct objects are key to understanding the difference between intransitive and transitive verbs.

In an inverted sentence, the subject comes before the verb to ask a question or add variety to a paragraph.

Irregular comparatives describe one object in relation to another object, but their forms do not follow the general patterns.

What are the basic parts of speech and how do they work?

Some other agent (not the subject of the sentence) performs the action in a sentence written in the passive voice.

Possessive pronouns show that something belongs to something or someone.

Prepositions describe the relationship between certain words in a sentence.

How do subjects and verbs agree?

Superlatives express the highest or most extreme degree of a quality.

You can use the pronoun “they” as a gender-neutral replacement for singular “he” or “she.”

“To be” has an irregular conjugation in the past simple and perfect form.

Whom can serve as a direct object of a verb, the object of a preposition, or describe the object of a relative clause.

In a sentence, how should words be organized? Learn word order in English.

Verbing is the practice of making a verb from a noun.

These basic grammar rules aren’t too hard to master. After you’ve reviewed each article, why not practice with a friend? How many grammar concepts can you explain?

Cheque vs. Check

• Cheque and check appear in British English, and check appears in American English.
• In British English, cheque refers to a document used to pay from a person’s account. For other contexts, Brits usually use check.

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Have you seen check spelled cheque? You might have wondered whether it was a spelling error or a new word that you don’t know. Let’s look into this word and how it differs from check.

Cheque Meaning

A cheque is a document used by an account holder to pay out funds from her account. In Australia and New Zealand, it refers to your wages. If you are American, you probably call this a check. The cheque spelling comes from France. The French spelling had some use in the United States centuries ago, but now check is standard.

Check vs. Cheque

Did you think cheque was a spelling error? If you are looking at American writing, it might be. However, if you are reading something British, chances are you’ve found an example of their word for a financial document that withdraws money from a banking account. In the US, the same document is better known as a check. Keep the difference in mind if you write for a British audience.

Here are some quotes containing check and cheque:

The youth centre, which has recently been saved from closure by STEPS the Charity, has been presented with a cheque for £1,500 by Weymouth Rotary Club.

Dorset Echo

The man was later told by his bank that someone had used a cloned check — #485 — to withdraw another $1,650 from their account, stated the deputy.

Okeechobee News

In the above quotes, you will notice that cheque and check appear in financial contexts. However, dictionaries list dozens of definitions for check. Outside of the financial world, even the United Kingdom favors the check spelling.

Here are some examples of check used in nonfinancial contexts.

A dog does not check its watch. Deer do not fret over passing birthdays. Man alone measures time. Man alone chimes the hour.

Mitch Albom,The Time Keeper

“Your king is in check,” said Woland. “Very well, very well,” responded the cat, and he began studying the chessboard through his opera glasses.

Mikhail Bulgakov,The Master and Margarita

What’s Your Grammar Level and How Can You Improve?

Test your grammar with our linguist-developed quiz series.

If you’re not sure where to start, try the beginning!

Grammar Skills Test: Starter

Grammar Skills Test: Intermediate

Grammar Skills Test: Master

11 Risks of Not Proofreading Your Application Essay

Guest Post from Leslie Anglesey, Professor at California State University, Sacramento

Writing an application essay is no easy task, but reading it should be. College admission boards consider a number of things when reviewing an application. While most students understand the importance of extra-curricular activities and GPAs, the admission essay often gets overlooked. As a result, admission boards may skip reading the essay altogether or, worse yet, actually read the entire thing and determine you never made it past English 101.

In order to clearly get across to students everywhere just how important it is to proofread your college application essays, I’ve put together a list of eleven hazards of poor editing that could negatively impact your chances of being accepted to the school of your dreams.

1. No One’s Going to Read it!

That’s right. At the first sight of egregious grammatical errors, or issues with syntax and coherency, admissions offers will send your essay straight to the paper shredding machine. Competition to get into top schools is fierce, and it is important to do all you can to stay in the running.

2. You Miss a Moment to Shine

Your application essay is an incredible opportunity to speak directly to admissions officers at your dream school. Don’t take this lightly. This is your chance to show the college who you are, what you’re made of, and how you’re a great fit for the school. By not proofreading, you’ll blend into the background and get lost in the shuffle of other applicants.

3. You’ll Undermine Your Hard Work in Other Areas

You ran track, volunteered at soup kitchens, ran for student council and participated in drama, chess, and sports throughout your high school career. On top of all that, you did it while maintaining an impressive GPA. You’ve worked hard for four straight years and turning in a poorly written admission essay can derail all that hard work. It won’t matter how many extra-curricular activities you have under your belt if your essay is riddled with misspelled words, poor grammar, and word choices that are on par with a junior high writing level.

4. You Seem Less Than Serious

If your writing is sloppy or incoherent and messy, what does that indicate about how serious you are? Application boards look at essays not only to determine how well you can communicate, but also how much attention to detail and independent work you can put into a small assignment. Your admission essay is the tip of the iceberg in terms of the work that will be expected of you. If you slack off and rush through even this simple assignment, it implies you’ll treat subsequent assignments the same way.

5. Your Abilities Look Amateurish

Maybe in the passionate drive to write an epic essay you forget to highlight certain skills that you’ve garnered over the years that would be a perfect fit for your intended area of study. By proofreading your work, you can go back and showcase these skills more effectively. It also gives you a chance to polish your writing, making you look as professional as possible.

6. You Increase Your Waiting Period

Applying to any college is time consuming. First you have to take the time to produce an application and an essay, then send it off and wait for a reply. What happens if you get denied? How much longer will you have to wait and how much will this set back your education or career goals? By proofreading your essay you’ll increase your chances of acceptance and fast-track your application through the admissions process. Poorly written essays may earn a debate among admission boards, but that time to discuss a student takes additional time. Polish your work, put your best foot forward and you’ll be a clear-cut winner.

7. You Are Not Being Concise

One of the most powerful tools that proofreading provides is the ability to be concise, critical, direct, etc. There’s only so much room in any essay, and you need to make a great argument/presentation without overtly weighing it down with too much abstraction. Choose your words wisely!

8. Your Opener is Weak

Often, potential students focus far too much on the body of their essays. The two most important parts of your essay are the opener and the closer. Proofreading gives you a chance to really home in on both of these sections. Your opener should engage readers, while presenting them with an overview of the topic you plan to cover. Your closer should seal the deal.

9. Avoid Cliches Like the Plague

Don’t proofread your essay directly after you write the first draft. Give yourself some time to disengage and refresh. Sleep on it. When you return you’ll likely find all the more generic or cliché statements that sounded brilliant yesterday are not as witty today.

10. You Devalue Future Applications

First impressions are a big deal. That’s no joke. You only get one . . .  so don’t risk ruining it with a college you’re really trying to get into. Most people know they need to dress a certain way or present themselves in the best possible light at a job interview. When it comes to applying to schools, however, it won’t matter how well you do your hair or how great you look all dressed up. Your essay is your first impression. How well or poorly it’s written gives the admission board their initial impression of you, so make the most of it.

11. You’re Wasting Application Fees!

Didn’t anyone ever tell you money doesn’t grow on trees? Most applications have an ever-so-lovely application fee that comes along with them. Should you be denied, your second application will include another fee. Don’t throw money away on something you could have easily avoided through a quick proofread.

Your admission essay carries more weight than you may think. Simply put, your essay is your first impression. As such, it’s something you should put energy, time and focus into, just as you would for your first appearance at a job interview. Proofreading your essay to ensure it is error free and showcases your ability to communicate effectively is your best bet in convincing your school of choice that you are the kind of student they want and the professional of tomorrow the world needs.

Happy applying!

About the Author

Leslie Anglesey, Ph.D., is a writing coach and a professor in the University of Southern California.

She blogs on her website and has been featured in Chicago Tribune, Business Insider, Live Write Thrive and other publications.

Possessive Case of Nouns: Rules and Examples

The possessive case shows ownership. With the addition of ’s (or sometimes just the apostrophe), a noun can change from a simple person, place, or thing to a person, place, or thing that owns something. There are a few different ways to form the possessive of a noun. We’ll discuss these ways below.

If the noun doesn’t end with an s, add ’s to the end of the noun. See the following examples:

This is Mary and her dog. The dog is Mary’s pet; Mary is not the dog’s pet.

This thick curtain is capable of shutting out the summer sun’s heat and light.

This is the way to the men’s room.

She got a job in the children’s section of the library.

Do we add another s for the possessive form of a name ending with s? Which is correct, Chris’s chair or Chris’ chair? James’s car or James’ car? Actually, both ways are correct. If a proper name ends with an s, you can add just the apostrophe or an apostrophe and an s. See the examples below for an illustration of this type of possessive noun.

You’re sitting in Chis’ chair.

You’re sitting in Chis’s chair.

Have you seen James’ car?

Have you seen James’s car?

Where is Jess’ book bag?

Where is Jess’s book bag?

I’m in Ms. Jones’ class this year.

I’m in Ms. Jones’s class this year.

But when you have a plural noun that ends in s, add just the apostrophe. This is also true when you have a proper noun that’s plural.

This is the boys’ bedroom.

My parents’ house is a lovely old one.

The scissors’ handles just snapped off.

The Jeffersons’ yard is always beautifully landscaped.

Here’s a tip: Should you write student’s or students’?

When you have an ordinary noun like student, you can tell whether the possessive form refers to one student or many students by looking at where the apostrophe is. When you’re talking about one student, add apostrophe + s:

The student’s favorite subject was science.

In the sentence above, we are talking about the favorite subject of one student. When you’re talking about many students, add an apostrophe.

The students’ favorite subject was science.

In the sentence above, we are talking about several students who all share the same favorite subject.

 

If you have a compound noun (for example, when you’re talking about two people who jointly own one thing), change only the last noun to the possessive. The examples below illustrate this usage of the possessive case.

Mike and Amanda’s new loft apartment is really neat.

Please tell Annie and Mary’s mother that they’ll be late getting home from school.

If the possessor is a building, an object, or a piece of furniture, you don’t need to add an apostrophe to show possession. See the examples below for reference:

The maid cleaned the hotel’s room.

The maid cleaned the hotel room.

We met in the office’s lobby.

We met in the office lobby.

Shut the car’s door.

Shut the car door.

11 Adorable Canine Readers

It’s the cutest day of the year—March 21, National Puppy Day! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to look at dog pictures and wanted to share our favorites. These adorable reading buddies will make your heart melt.

Potato plans to pick up reading habit now!

A photo posted by Abhilash KV (@abhilash_kv) on Mar 3, 2016 at 1:32am PST

just planning out our meals for the week ?#ChickenWithBacon #Bacon #AndMoreBacon #Muwahahaha

A photo posted by Rambo the Puppy (@rambothepuppy) on Jan 17, 2016 at 5:50pm PST

“Just one more chapter I promise!” #petsandpaperbacks ? to @pooch_books_and_more #terriers #terrier #blackdogs #fluffydogs #dogsandbooks #petsandbooks #booksandpets #cairnterrier #cairnsofinstagram #thebest #cozy #bookreads #paperbacks #love #dogsreading #adorable #literature #adventure #cuddle #excited #words #gray

A photo posted by @petsandpaperbacks on Mar 7, 2016 at 5:30am PST

{Happy Birthday to my beautiful girl, Tessa!} ? #iheartbooks #bookstagram #bookstagramfeature #books #reading #write #igreads #read #literature #booklove #writer #bibliophile #booksandbeans #booksofinstagram #booknerdigans #BookPost #bookporn #instabooks #bookshelves #booknerd #quotes #photooftheday #bookphotography #bookaholic #mebeforeyou #dogsandbooks

A photo posted by Lisa (@lblovesbooks) on Mar 1, 2016 at 5:02pm PST

#pitbulls #permapuppy #pittbullsofinstagram #pitbullpointer #pocketpittie #pocketpitbull #dogsandbooks #sittomi #tomithebanshee

A photo posted by Tomi The Banshee (@kisskisstomi) on Mar 2, 2016 at 4:56pm PST

‘Books and Dogs’??❤️ |? @abundleofbooks__ #womenwhoread #ilovebooks #dogsandbooks #booksanddogs #idratherbereading #bookclub #booknerd #read #reading

A photo posted by Women Who Read™ (@womenwhoread) on Aug 7, 2015 at 10:14am PDT

Trying to finish #asylum by #madeleineroux, and this happens…. Someone needs attention NOW! #dogsofinstagram #dogsandbooks #instabook #instaread #dogs

A photo posted by The Geekery Book Review (@thegeekerybookreview) on Feb 15, 2016 at 3:55pm PST

It’s a good night. #dog #weinerdog #dogsofinstagram #dachshund #dachshundsofinstagram #amreading #bookworm #dogsandbooks #booksanddogs #book

A photo posted by Clara Blanche Lystrom (@ironblanche) on Jan 4, 2016 at 7:06pm PST

Zipper is diggin’ the Reading Rocket being at @denver_flea all weekend! Our #librarian made sure to give him an excellent recommendation. #dogsandbooks #denverflea #bookmobile #shopsmall #shoplocal #denver #library #holidayflea

A photo posted by Denver Public Library (@denverlibrary) on Dec 5, 2015 at 11:22am PST

This pup is keeping my company while I’m feeling under the weather #dogdayafternoon #dogsandbooks #dogsofinstagram #ridgebackmix

A photo posted by Kristen (@kristenlea5) on Nov 12, 2015 at 4:39pm PST

Perfect fall weather to catch up on a bit of reading ???? #harrypotter #dogsandbooks #hpforlife #nerdydog #miagrace #instagramdogs #dogsofcanada #dogsofinstagram #dogstagram #instadog #bestwoof #ilovemydog #gsd #gsdmalinoislove #muttnation #germanshepherdsofinstagram #germanshepherd #shepherdmix #husky #huskiesofinstagram #rescuedogsofinstagram #rescuedog #muttskickbutt #mydogiscutest #weeklyfluff #adoptdontshop #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookworm #books

A photo posted by Mia Grace (@livingthelifeofmia) on Nov 1, 2015 at 4:56pm PST

Looking for more book buddies? Check out #dogsandbooks on Instagram.