Admissions Essay Tips

A good college application essay sets its author apart from thousands of other applicants. Here are some steps you can take to make your essay stand out.

STEP 1: Start early. Give yourself enough time to think about your essay and revise it as needed.
STEP 2: Write about something you’re familiar with.
STEP 3: Be yourself. The admissions team is interested in who you are – not someone you think they want you to be.
STEP 4: Be original. Though many college applications will have standardized essay questions, try to put an original, creative spin on your response. Make the essay your own.
STEP 5: Write an essay that shows how you’re unique. For example, one student who wrote about her distinctive laugh got accepted on early decision to Columbia University. Include any experiences or jobs that might set you apart from other applicants.
STEP 6: Be authentic. There’s no need to embellish your experiences. STEP 7: Use a relaxed, comfortable tone of voice but avoid being too familiar, sarcastic or comic.
STEP 8: Check to make sure your essay answers the questions asked. Avoid wandering too far from your subject matter.
STEP 9: Proofread your essay for spelling, punctuation and grammar. STEP 10: Mail your application early to avoid any postal mishaps. Tips & Warnings

Keep in mind that your audience will probably be a group of people very much like your high school teachers, but with slightly higher standards. Try not to be overly safe when writing your essay. You want to write an essay that is memorable.

Ehow.com

Psychology Degrees

Psychology degrees have long been viewed as a proving ground of sorts for higher education. It’s no wonder.

With more than 40 percent of undergraduates in the field eventually going on to law school, business school or some other professional program, the social sciences major ranks among the highest in post-graduate academic attainment.

But what about job prospects for those with only a bachelor’s degree?

At least one college professor insists that opportunities in both the public and private sector abound. And, he says, the perception that a psychology degree is best used as an educational stepping stone is giving college students the wrong idea.

“A lot of people think that in order to do anything with a degree in psychology you must get a Ph.D and become a psychologist,” said Charles Brewer, a psychology professor at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. “Most parents, even if they are professionals in their own right, don’t understand what opportunities are open to psych majors.”

Brewer notes the vast majority of his former students have found successful careers “in almost anything you can name” and he stressed the greatest advantage of a psychology degree is its “flexibility and adaptability.”

Shelly K. Schwartz