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You have an ace up your sleeve in the college admissions process: the written response. Your essay can make all of difference between getting in or not.
The essay you write for your college application can make you stand out from the stacks and stacks of applications collecting dust on a college admission officer’s desk. Here are four tips on how to get through the essay writing process.

1. Be yourself: Stick to what you know. Write in your own voice. You can’t fake the real thing. The best application is honest writing. You don’t have to be a great writer to put compelling thoughts, your thoughts, on paper. Relying too heavily on a thesaurus can make you sound rehearsed. Use clear and lively writing. Here’s a simple rule of thumb: If you had to look up the definition of a word in your essay don’t use it.

2. Give yourself time. Writing in a hurry is a disaster waiting to happen. If you’re in a hurry you are more inclined to make silly mistakes. Your essay’s train of thought may also jump around if you hurry to cram all your thoughts down quickly. Give yourself time to brainstorm and outline. Write a rough draft. Reread your work. The version you send in to colleges should be polished.

3. Hook the reader. Yours isn’t the only essay colleges will be reading. Even small universities receive hundreds of letters and essays. Colleges may spend only a few minutes on your application. They may not even read the whole application. Make your first sentences compelling. Grab the reader’s attention and don’t let go.

4. Proofread, proofread, proofread! They’re/their/there. You’re/your. Don’t rely on spell check alone! Let teachers, parents and friends proof your college application essay. You could be the second coming of Shakespeare, but most college officials won’t waste their time with sloppy copy.

Stick with being yourself, don’t panic, give yourself plenty of time, and get used to it. This is merely the beginning of your academic writing career. Now, all you need is something to write about.