The PS is the “unseen interview”!
An outstanding application essay
Often when your grades are similar to others’,
can help you get one step closer to your dream school.
But often, some students, in pursuit of uniqueness,
turn the PS into a rambling autobiography,
some write an expanded version of their resume,
and some turn the PS into a boring academic paper.
After seeing these essays,
admissions officers will just chuckle and throw them in the trash.
So,
how to write an outstanding PS that makes them
teary-eyed,
weak-kneed,
and awestruck?
You should avoid the following pitfalls ↓↓↓
1
Long-winded
Just as there are those who have little to say, there are also those who have too much. Once they start writing, their thoughts pour out uncontrollably, often exceeding 1,500 words. You should know that during the busiest period when admissions officers review materials, no one is willing or has the time to patiently read an overly long essay. Therefore, you need to control the length, grasp the core content, focus on the key points, and use the most representative examples to present yourself.
2
Expanded Resume
Listing all your experiences from childhood to now, from campus to outside school, one by one, without bias, in exhaustive detail in the PS. NO! The PS should be a focused ‘show-off’ of yourself, not an unfocused enumeration of experiences. Therefore, if you have abundant material, even if you have to flip a coin to decide which ones to highlight, you must discard some; otherwise, none of them will be memorable.
3
Using Templates
In Shakespeare’s words, there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand readers’ eyes. But in the application process where templated essays are rampant, thousands of similar ‘Hamlets’ leave admissions officers with confused faces, unable to tell them apart. It can be clearly said that the magical thing called ‘template’ used in essay writing is simply misleading.
4
Flowery Language
Although there is no strict rule against flowery language, the language of the essay should first and foremost be professional and conversational. Never try to prove your writing skills and ‘style’ by looking up complex and advanced vocabulary in a thesaurus. Not to mention that it may not please the admissions officers, and if there is a usage error, wouldn’t that make you a classic example of failed pretentiousness?
5
Bragging
Some students often try to present themselves as a young great person or a super hero. Their entire PS is about how they saved the world, how they criticized a teacher, or how a campus event became a mess without them. Please remember, personal achievements are not equal to personal growth. And the focus of the PS is personal growth.
6
Attention-seeking
Your genuine insights into a field or subject, and a detailed account of how your abilities match, are far more important than mentioning a celebrity you know, a clever pun, or excuses for your failures. If you feel an urgent need to explain a less-than-perfect grade, focus on the positive aspects it brought you, such as the lessons learned, or the research interest in a topic that developed from it.
7
Chinese-style Thinking
Due to different upbringing environments, many students often use Chinese-style thinking when writing their essays. At this point, you will find that you can’t accurately express what you mean, and many students even write in Chinese first and then translate word-for-word into English.
At this point, you must break free from your inherent thinking patterns, read more English works, and learn the way others think and their language logic, so that you can write a qualified application essay.
