Students, it’s time to start putting the finishing touches on your college essays. While many of you may be nervous, possibly a little bit freaked out, and for sure so ready to click send, please slow down and resist the temptation to submit your applications. Not yet.
First, make sure your college essay and your entire application package reflect a healthy respect for the rules of the written language.
In a word, proofread! This is not the time to make content changes. Proofreading is the final stage of the editing and review process; it focuses on surface errors, such as:
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- Typos
- Misspellings
- Punctuation
Wow’s College Essay Tips
Here are some tips to help you master the proofreading task:
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Print it Out: Do this first! Of course you can read your college essay, resume or entire application on the computer screen. But if you print it out, you might catch more errors. Read it word-by-word, line-by-line, and then read each sentence backward, starting with the last line.
Read your college essay out loud: After you print out your application and college essay, read them out loud to help you flag run-on sentences and other mistakes. Sometimes mistakes are easier to hear than to read.
Let someone else proof it: Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty says, “It’s nearly impossible for someone to accurately proofread their own writing and be consistently successful.” Make the instructions to your reader clear: You are looking for typos, misspellings and punctuation errors; that is it.
Pause before you click send: When you think you are done, set the college essay and application aside for 24 hours. Then give the package one final proofread before submitting it.
Do not depend on spellcheckers: Computer programs that check for spelling and other errors often make mistakes. Use them cautiously when checking spelling and usage on college essays. These programs should not replace a set of human eyes. In fact, while writing this blog, spell-check flagged the word it’s, a contraction for it is, and suggested I make it ‘its.’ WRONG!
Stand Out in College Essay
These links to Grammar Girl blogs featuring common grammatical errors and myths can help you stand out in your college essay:
Would you like someone else to read your essay one last time? Send it to Wow for a final review. We’ll get it back to you in time to meet your deadlines!
Kim Lifton is president of Wow Writing Workshop. You can read Kim’s blogs and get useful writing tips by signing up for Wow’s newsletter. Wow is also on Facebook and Twitter. Check our schedule to sign up for webinars and workshops that will help you and your students write great college admissions essays. Remember this: YOU are your perfect college essay subject.
