The Essay. The Key That Opens The Door To The College Of Your Choice!
Yes. The college essay. Striking fear into the hearts of college-bound students and their shell-shocked parents.
Have no fear. College Connection is here!
If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then your college essay is the reflection of your life, at least in the eyes of the college admissions counselor, who must distinguish you from thousands of other highly qualified applicants.
What will set you apart? Your GPA? Test scores? Extracurriculars? Perhaps. It is your essay, however, that gives the folks at the college admissions office a glimpse at the real you, beyond that screen shot matrix of grades, scores, references, and after-school activities.
The essay is your one chance to shine, to stand above the crowd, to impress, and, quite frankly, to give you the edge over the other guy or gal, whose stats, background, and all those other mundane factors look so very much like your own.
So, how's your college essay coming along? Is it up to snuff? Have you even given it a thought?
At College Connection, we can help you develop a theme, weave a story, create a vivid image, and meld it all together -- typically, in 500 to 1000 words -- into that perfect essay. The one that really describes who you are and what you're all about, in your own immutable voice.
Imagine taking your college essay from this --
Ah, my college essay. One of the scariest moments any teenager will encounter in their lifetime. They say this essay must stand out, must make the colleges want you over everyone else. I can’t do a handstand – impossible to do on paper, I can’t show you how well I play the guitar or how funny I can be at times. What I can do is tell you about a contest I entered in middle school that was one of the starting points on my road to a career in Art.
Back in the 7th grade my science class went on a field trip to the Buehler Challenger and Science Center. Prior to the field trip we were given an assignment to design a drawing that had something to do with science or space. Schools from all over the United States could submit a design and if your design won it would be turned into a patch. This patch would be worn by all of the students on the field trip and would be permanently displayed at the center. Only one student would be picked from each school as a winner. I was told there might even be the possibility that some day the patch might be worn into space by one of the astronauts.
Now, I had never entered a contest like this before and thought there is no way that I could possibly win out of all the schools and all the drawings that were going to be submitted. Science was not one of my preferred subjects but I was a pretty good artist for a middle school student. And I was really fascinated about the possibility that it could be my design to go up in space! That was my motivation.
So I started thinking of what to draw. I spent days and nights starting an idea only to crumple it up and throw it in the garbage. I contemplated giving up at one point since I felt I was never going to win anyway. Then one day I drew a design of an astronaut putting a flag up on the moon while a space ship was flying overhead with an American flag in the background. It was pretty good. My drawing to me represented the first man landing on the moon and the American flag was my country.
I submitted my
drawing and for weeks waited to hear the final results. So much time passed
that I almost forgot that I even entered the contest. When the day finally came
to announce the winner to my disbelief I won. When I heard my name called over
the loud speaker my heart raced so fast. My patch was chosen from approximately
100 other student entries in my grade. I still remember winning like it was
yesterday. And I still feel my heart race and feel the same excitement every
time I talk about this contest. I was so proud of this accomplishment. My interest
in art has expanded through the years to an interest in Architecture. I wait for
the day that I can feel the same excitement from getting my degree in
Architecture as I felt that day back in 7th grade.
To this --
Space. The final frontier. Exploring strange, new worlds. Daring to go where no high school student has gone before.
Back in the 7th grade, my science class went on a field trip to the Buehler Challenger and Science Center. We had been given an assignment to design a drawing that had something to do with science or space. Students from all over the United States would submit a design for competition and judging, and the winner would be made into a patch, similar to those worn by astronauts. This patch would be worn by all of the students on the field trip and would be on permanent display at the center. Only one student’s design would be chosen from each school as a winner. Why, there was even the possibility that some day the patch might be worn into space.
Wow! The closest I had ever come to space travel was a Luke Skywalker Halloween costume. Now, here was the opportunity, not only to demonstrate my drawing skills, but to reach higher – to the stars, in fact – where the possibilities, as with the boundaries of space, are seemingly infinite. My motivation was not in the possibility of winning this competition, but rather, in the journey itself.
What to draw? What could make my patch stand out from the rest? Colored pen to paper. A first effort, followed by many, many more. Despite failed attempts – and trash cans full of crumpled renditions – I was destined to succeed.
Aim high. Take flight. Correct the course. Warp speed, straight on through to morning!
The patch, in concept, at least, was finished. To me, it represented the first man landing on the moon, planting the American flag, accomplishing a mission a decade or more in the works.
I submitted my drawing, anticipating the results, and, for weeks, heard nothing. So much time passed that I had almost forgotten I even entered the contest. When the announcement was finally made, my design having been selected, I was ecstatic. I was both proud of this accomplishment, and humbled as well. After all, this patch was, for me, but that one small step toward a giant leap.
As I enter that void of time and space once more – the college admissions process – reaching for the stars yet again, the continuing mission clear, the guidance and telemetry set, and I am “ready and go” for launch. The journey continues, and I am prepared for the ride of a lifetime!
With the help of your College Connection counselor, you can, and you will!
So what are you waiting for? Call College Connection TODAY at 516-345-8766, and take your essay from drab and dismal to daring and dapper.
Together, we'll turn the ordinary into the extraordinary!
