When applying to college, of course, you want to stand out from the pack. In many cases, an essay gives you an opportunity to complement your admission package with additional personal information that lets you make the right impression on the admissions committee. All you need is to capture this opportunity.
Your application essay aims to give admissions officers an idea of who you are beyond the classroom. Often called a “personal statement,” this essay needs to showcase your unique personality.
In this guide, we’ll tell you about the right college essay format that should help you accomplish these goals.
How to Format a College Essay for Different Submission Types
Check the application guidelines of the chosen school to clarify formatting requirements. Generally, admissions done through the Common Application require you to simply paste your personal statement into a relevant box.
There are three main formats that can be used:
Submitting Through the Common Application
The Common Application doesn’t require you to attach your personal statements as a document. You can write them in Microsoft Word or Google Docs and copy-paste the result into a relevant box.
If you submit your essay this way, look out for:
- Word count - It may be slightly different in the box compared to your tool.
- Indents and spacing - You may need to reapply them as text input fields may undo them.
- Special formatting - Bold, underlined, and italics may disappear after you paste your essay.
- Font - Input fields often support one font, so check if you use a standardized one.
Submitting as a Document
If you are attaching your essay as a document, you should pay additional attention to formatting. You need to make it look well-structured and appealing and consider the file type:
MS Word File
You can use a standard MS Word .doc or .docx file. The benefit of these file types is that they can be viewed in almost any text processing program. The primary drawback is that there are common conflicts between older and newer MS Word versions, which can affect the formatting.
PDF File
PDF files become a better choice if maintaining the same formatting and look of your essay is important for admission. Unlike MS Word files, PDFs typically remain unchanged, no matter how you view them. The downside is that not all admissions officers may be prepared to view PDF files, which is why double-checking instructions is important.
If PDF files are accepted for application, use the following general formatting tips to ensure proper formatting and:
- Set standard 1-inch margins on all sides. This is the default setting, for example, in MS Word. However, you may want to double-check this in your tool.
- Pick standardized (serif) fonts, such as Times New Roman, Courier, and Garamond.
- Set a standard 12-point font size.
- Set spacing to 1.5 or double for readability.
- Separate paragraphs by pressing “ENTER” twice.
- Create a header that contains the required information, including your first name, last name, university, etc.
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College Essay Format: Practical Tips for Success
An essay for college admission needs to tell a story and offer admissions officers a glimpse into your personality, interests, and values. While there are no strict rules regarding the format for a college essay, there are some tips that can help you make the most out of your statement.
Consider Adding a Title
Personal statements often don’t require you to have a title. Nevertheless, a snappy and intriguing title can help you stand out from the pack and engage the admissions officers from the first line. You can come up with one once your essay is ready to align it better. However, if you are short on word count, consider skipping this tip.
Use a Captivating Hook
The first sentence of your essay is what sets the tone for the rest of it and captures readers. Here are some ideas for a good hook for your essay:
- Start with a question that will make readers curious. For example, “Have you ever believed in destiny? For most of my life, I knew I didn’t.”
- Start with a shocking fact. Capture readers with an impressive fact that relates to your story. For example, “According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), more than one-third of students are first-generation college attendees. The same is true for me.”
- Start in the middle. Place your readers straight to the heart of your story to capture their attention. For example, “And there I ended up contemplating the meaning of life as I stood at the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building.”
Set the Scene for Your Story
After you capture readers with a hook, use the rest of your introduction to set the scene for your story. Use up to four or five sentences to create the right setting. And remember not to give out everything right away, only give basic information.
Use the Body Paragraphs to Share Your Story
After setting everything up, jump straight to your narration. Typically, the maximum word count suggested for an admissions essay is 650 words. That is, you’ll have roughly 100 words for your intro and conclusion and around 450 words for the body of your essay. Consider splitting the body word count into three to five paragraphs, each centering around a specific idea or point.
While sharing your story, keep it concise, clear, and logical. You want to ensure that the information flows naturally and isn’t confusing to the reader. Also, make sure to stick to a narrative style with vivid details to give your essay a personal touch.
Most importantly, your essay needs to reflect your unique values and personality. So feel free to be yourself. However, remember that this essay will affect your admission, so it’s important to keep it focused and highlight your strengths and best qualities in it.
Clear Up Your Core Idea in the Conclusion
In the conclusion, give your story a logical conclusion that clarifies the idea you wanted to convey. For example, depending on the story you shared, a conclusion can elaborate on the personal values you wanted to communicate or explain the lessons you’ve learned from a given experience. After clarifying the core idea, use the last sentence of your conclusion to reinforce that idea and leave readers with a sense of completion. Approach this part of your essay with due care, as your conclusion will determine the final impression it leaves.
How to Elaborate Your Story in an Admission Essay
So, you already know how to format your college essay. Now, let’s see how to develop a story you tell.
Analyze Past Prompts for College Essays
Analyzing past essay prompts is a great way to get started. This can help you brainstorm ideas and outline the future college essay format.
The Common Application is a place where you can look up lots of great prompts. At the moment, the app has over 1,000 member colleges and universities and announces new essay prompts every year.
Here are just a few examples of what prompts you may come across:
Tell about an event that contributed to your understanding of yourself.
- Discuss an accomplishment that paved the way for your personal growth.
- Share a story when you had to choose whether to stay safe or take a risk.
- Tell about a massive problem that you want to solve.
- Reflect on a time that represented your shift from childhood to adulthood.
- Discuss a topic that you have changed your mind on within the past years.
- Reflect on your favorite quote that you connect with.
- Share a story about an embarrassing moment and the lessons you’ve learned from it.
- Tell what you would want to talk about if you were invited to a TED talk.
- Discuss your skills or abilities that can help you make a significant contribution to your community.
Select a Central Topic That Resonates
After analyzing the prompts, you need to pick a topic for your own essay. This is a very responsible step. A good place to start with your choice is to write down three positive traits (adjectives) that you think describe you best. After this, write down several real-life stories in which you demonstrated these traits. This can give you an idea of what you can write about in your personal statement.
If you’re having a hard time generating ideas, you can rely on other people’s opinions about you. For example, you can ask friends and family the following questions to see what they say:
- What do you think describes my personality best?
- Without which traits, interests, or talents would I be incomplete?
- What do you think makes me unique?
- What are my biggest strengths?
- What odd traits do I have?
Asking others questions like these can help you understand your uniqueness and personality better. It can help you come up with what you should convey in your essay. In the end, remember that you don’t necessarily have to write about something fundamental, like a life-changing event. You can write about simple things, too, as long as they highlight who you are.
Keep the Word Count in Mind
When you have your topic, the next thing you should do is consider the suitable length of your essay. Sometimes, academic institutions will specify the suggested limits. However, if they don’t, you will need to determine the word count yourself.
The general rule of thumb is to keep a personal statement between 250 and 650 words. Don’t attempt to hit the highest limit. Instead, try to make your essay straight to the point.
Easily count the words in your essay using:
- Google Docs: Tools → Word Count; you can choose to keep the count displayed as you type.
- Microsoft Word: Word count is usually shown in the bottom left corner.
Outline Your College Essay
Though it might be tempting to skip this step and save time, outlining your essay helps plan its composition and main points. It will help you ensure that you don’t miss out on anything important and let you ensure you stay on topic. Besides, it can help make the writing process faster and more straightforward.
The best outline for your essay is a simple one that consists of the main essay parts:
- Introduction: Hook + background info
- Body: Several paragraphs presenting a key point
- Conclusion: Communication of the central idea of the essay
Make an outline using this sample structure and stick to it when you start writing your personal statement.
5 Tips for Writing Your College Essay
When you have a detailed outline, you can finally write your essay. Here are five baseline tips that should help you make it look great:
- Carefully study the recommendations of the selected school.
- Pick a topic thoughtfully. It has to align with your unique personality, values, and experience and tell who you are beyond the classroom. It also should resonate with you so that you stay engaged in the process.
- Don’t try to share your entire life story. Instead, pick a narrow focus, such as a specific time of your life or story that shows your strengths.
- Show instead of telling. In an admissions essay, you don’t need to be afraid of giving details, using anecdotes, or sharing vivid examples. Feel free to make it personal.
- Carefully revise, edit, and format a college application essay to make it look perfect.
Use these tips to create an essay that stands out!
Sources
Coursera Staff (2024, January 24). College Essay Format: Top Writing and Editing Tips for 2024. Coursera. Retrieved January 13, 2025. https://www.coursera.org/articles/college-essay-format
Testa, M. (2023, May 31). College Essay Format & Structure | Example Outlines. Scribbr. Retrieved January 13, 2025, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/format-outline-structure/
Tips for a Good College Essay. Hamilton College. Retrieved January 13, 2025. https://www.hamilton.edu/admission/apply/college-essays-that-worked/tips-for-a-good-college-essay
