Are you ready to write a college essay?

It's time to start looking at the qualities of a good college essay. All of you have likely begun writing your college essay. However, to help you develop one that will leave a strong impression on whoever reads it, it is important that you take the time to first read some samples and explore some of the resources out there for you.

First of all, it's important to know that there is no one right formula for writing a college essay just waiting for you somewhere. I'm going to assume you have a topic or you have already begun to think about some ideas for your essay. Your topic is a crucial first step. Good writing can make almost any topic seem interesting, but keep in mind that if you're looking to stand out to a college admissions officer, you have to make it so.

What we've been learning in this class are strategies and techniques to build strong writing skills. That's what is going to Writing the Essay is how to You must write clearly, expressively, and confidently. Above all, you must write well. And you must be willing to revise, revise, revise.

So here goes. Check out some of the following sites and see what you can learn from them. Then, in your own blog entry write a posting that reflects on what makes writing a college essay so challenging and/or so important. Feel free to use ideas you glean from your reading. What are your thoughts on this entire process? What do you intend to do?

Here are some links to help provide you guidance on the college-essay writing process:

• Quintessential Careers.com spells out several important tips for you to consider.
• Here's an unusual take on the standard college essay, but if that doesn't work at school try this link
• Poke around through here to see dozens of college essays in progress from a school in Colorado.
• Here's a short tidbit from the New York Times about how the college essay plays a part in the overall application process.
• Still more tips about how to make a winning college essay.

What should be apparent in all this is that there is an abundance of advice, tips, and examples for you out there. Essentially it comes down to what you are going to do with your essay to make it stand out. This class is not designed for your college essay, but to help you write better. That's what's going to get you noticed in any writing you do.

Good luck.