This month

Understanding college admissions

• Feature — Writing effective essays
• Web quest — Essay writing tips
• Stay on track — A checklist of "to-dos"
• Take notice — Important dates
• All about AIEmail — Subscribe, suggest, review

Feature

Writing effective essays

You may be avoiding starting your college applications or research assignments because you don't like writing. However, because effective writing will play a significant role in the admissions process, it is important that you tackle the task head on. Allow yourself plenty of time.

An important thing to remember is that your college admissions essay will only be one part of your full application — there are many other factors that admissions officers will consider to determine whether you will be successful at their school. Nevertheless, you should do your best when preparing the written portion of your application.

College applications serve many purposes. One of these purposes is to learn more about you as a person through the way you express yourself in writing. Another reason that schools request essays is that they give the admissions officers an opportunity to evaluate your organizational and critical thinking skills.

Most applications that request an essay offer you at least two options for topics you may write about. Choose the topic that you have more interest in, and try to prepare an essay that shows your uniqueness and individualism. Although it is important to show your knowledge, try to write in a way that is clear, focused, and unique to you. If you include too many complicated words, complex sentences, and abstract language, you may actually hurt your chances.

Many college admissions officers find that the essay gives them a chance to see the "student behind the application," particularly if the school does not require an admissions interview. Concentrate on showing the reader "the real you," and your essay is likely to generate the interest necessary for selection, or at least further consideration.

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Web quest

Essay writing tips

Next to public speaking, writing is probably one of the least-liked activities for many people — students included. However, there are several tips you can use to improve your writing. Use the following guidelines when preparing your essays.

Put your ideas on paper

Forget about writing perfect sentences in your first attempt. Just write down your ideas. Prepare an outline and shuffle your ideas around. Think about what you want to say and how you want to organize your thoughts on paper.

Draft paragraphs of your individual ideas

If you've written down and shuffled around your ideas, your next step should be to start to draft out paragraphs. Think about each individual idea and what you want to say about it. Write ideas that support your point.

Pull the pieces together

Now that you've prepared some draft paragraphs, it's time to bring them together. Write transition sentences — sentences that show your reader how you're connecting the dots. It helps when the last sentence in your paragraph hints to your reader about what's coming up in the next paragraph. The first sentence in the new paragraph introduces the new point. Weave your paragraphs together.

Write your conclusion

Your final paragraph should be your conclusion; it should wrap things up. Consider writing the paragraph by explaining the bigger idea behind your work and touching quickly on some of the points explained.

Write your introduction

As strange as it may sound, it's almost always easier to write your introduction after you have completed writing the rest of your essay — and it can sometimes be the easiest part. Write your introduction by bringing the reader into your essay and offering a preview of what is to come.

Set your work aside — then read later

When you have completed your essay, put it away and read it after a day or two has passed. You'd be surprised how many ideas you'll have to improve your essay.

Share with others

When you have written and reviewed your essay, share it with your teachers, parents, and others. They can review your writing, offer suggestions for improvement, and give you ideas on how to enhance your piece. Often, someone else is able to identify errors you might have missed.

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Stay on track

Checklist for this week

For freshmen and sophomores

• As the school weeks progress and you get settled into your academic activities, try to discover other ways to make your high school experience meaningful. Get involved!
• Listen to your school's daily announcements and look for activity postings. Check your student handbook for club listings. Get a friend to go with you to a meeting.
• Choose activities that you enjoy and that match your interests. Check out the opportunities in your school and neighborhood. If no organization interests you, see about starting one yourself.
• Make a difference and have some fun!

For juniors

• Work to make your grades the very best you can make them. Colleges and future employers look more closely at the grades you make your junior year than in previous years.
• Choose activities that you enjoy and that match your interests. Activities can range from school clubs and community service assistance to working at a business establishment.
• Check out the opportunities available at your school and in your community.

For seniors

It's college application time. Start preparing your applications and gathering the information you need to complete them.

• Determine how many transcripts you will need from your school and who needs to receive them. Request these as early as possible.
• Prepare a resume of your academic participation and your extracurricular activities and achievements in a computer word processing file so that you can copy-and-paste information as you complete applications.
• Work with your counselors, teachers, employers, and others to get the letters of recommendation that you need to submit for various applications.
• Write thank-you notes to all the people that help you.
• Spend ample time preparing your admissions essays. Make sure your completed writing is free of errors and ask others to review your work.
• Review your calendar and make sure you are keeping up with all the necessary deadlines.

For parents

• As your teenager gets settled in with the academic demands of the year, there are other aspects of high school that make the experience meaningful. Encourage your teenager to get involved.
• Whether it is on the athletic field, in a school club, or at your family's church or synagogue, encourage your teenager to volunteer his or her time and talents. Some schools provide a student handbook listing all the school clubs and organizations. Advise your teen to choose activities that he or she will enjoy and that will match his or her interests.
• As you are guiding your teenager to make the most of his or her time outside the classroom, watch to make sure your child does not go into overload. Being involved does not mean joining every club or activity in sight, or filling every spare moment of the day. Help your teen set realistic limits to his or her schedule. Teaching a child to set priorities and to make choices is an important activity during these high school years.
• Encourage your teenager to make a difference, have some fun, and keep a balanced lifestyle.

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Take notice

Important dates

Mark down these dates.

To get more information on the SAT or SAT Subject Tests, access useful tools, or register, visit the College Board's Web Site(www.collegeboard.com) or call (609) 771-7600.

To get more information on the ACT, access useful tools, or register, visit the ACT Web Site (www.act.org) or call (319) 337-1270.

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