26 Outstanding College Essay Examples 2020

26 Outstanding College Essay Examples 2020 Clubs and activities provide endless ways to broaden your horizons. Consider taking a community college course while you’re still in high school. That will allow you to gauge your interest in a field of study while earning college credit. CFNC can help you figure out what interests you and ultimately help you choose a career you will enjoy. If you’re interested in politics, try joining student government. If you just want a break from studying, find out when the Ultimate Frisbee Club meets. Colleges ask for a lot of materials when you apply, including your high school transcript, standardized test scores, the extracurriculars you were in, personal statements, and letters of recommendation. This is enough for them to get a good idea of who you are and what type of student you are. Middle school grades wouldn't add any useful information. This is why many students begin with courses like AP Human Geography or Psychology in freshman or sophomore year. The exams are comparatively less difficult, and younger students are more likely to have completed prerequisite courses for them. Your target schedule could also look different if you spend a huge amount of time on one activity, like playing an instrument or doing a sport, speech and debate, or college-level research. This is especially true if you compete or participate at a national level. For these schools, the number of AP classes you take is up to you and your goalsâ€"for example, which classes would you want to get over with in high school so you can focus on harder classes in college? Living away from home for the first time can be intimidating. Try joining clubs and organizations to develop a new community and to make new friends with similar interests. Activities can also help you build confidence while developing important leadership and teamwork skills. Don’t be afraid to take classes that will improve your skills and make you more confident. Every class you take does not have to apply to your major. If you are a communications major, but computer science has always interested you, take a computer class. Overcome your fear of public speaking by taking a theater or speech class. Make sure that you are confident in your essay and accept feedback, but don’t allow others to change your essay in any way that will cause it to lose its original message. Parents should always help their child in a positive way as long as they are not writing the ideas for the student. Editing is vastly different from original writing so this needs to be clarified first, as it has to be the voice and personal memories of the applicant not the parent. The sooner the family treats this as a team effort it will be much easier for the 12th grader to feel as though they are not alone in this process. My preference (and admissions officers’) would be that parents are minimally involved in the essay. Become a better writer by taking a writing class. College can be the bridge between childhood and adulthood. The transition is an opportunity for you to reflect on the person you were in high school, and the adult you want to become. If you quietly sat in the back of every class in high school, use your college experience to become more outgoing! Editing for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes is fine, but don’t change the voice of the essay. If an essay is too “polished” it may seem inauthentic, creating confusion in the reader. Believe me, those admissions officers are experienced and they can definitely spot the difference between a 50 year-old businessperson’s phraseology and a 17-year-old senior’s own voice and manner of expression. Additionally, by working hard in middle school, you'll acquire good study and testing habits that you can continue to use in high school, making it easier for you to get high grades in your high school classes. You don't want to enter high school without knowing how to properly read a chapter in a textbook or study for a big test. Learn these things in middle school so you'll be as prepared as possible for your high school classes and can start your freshman year off strong. Colleges also have plenty of better information to figure out what kind of student you are that they don't need your middle school grades. This is because most state schools accept AP classes for credit but don't require them for admission. In short, APs can be a huge boost to your college application, but if you take too many, they could actually hurt your chances. Finally, taking AP classes is a great way to challenge yourself and also to show colleges you're taking on the toughest courses available to you.