How to Write an Application Essay for US Universities

How to Write an Application Essay for US Universities

Edited By Prabhjyot Kaur | Updated on Sep 05, 2024 05:13 PM IST

So, how to write essays for US universities is one of the concerns while gathering the application support documents for studies in USA. To write a perfect US university essay, it is essential to present an original narrative idea on a meaningful topic that is relevant to you highlighting your personal uniqueness beyond academic achievements. Hence, crafting strong and perfect essays for US university applications is a crucial element in admission decisions.

Application essays help you to showcase your true personality, enthusiasm and future goals in a narrative format. Here, we will navigate through the strategies that are helpful for writing essays for US universities. It is with the help of sample essays for university application in USA, tips from admission counsellors, and more!

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Why Is the College Essay So Important?

  • Securing admission to US universities is quite challenging for international students since a large number of applications are submitted each year and limited seats for admission are offered. Hence, it is a piece of work for Indian students to stand out from others. Here, a strong essay for a US university application plays a role in providing an impactful impression.

  • It is a crucial element while granting admission decisions. When there are thousands of academically qualified applicants with high GPAs, skilful extracurricular activities, and LORS, admission authorities in the education institutions in USA use a personal essay written by the student to evaluate on an individual basis.

  • A personal statement offers an opportunity for international students to demonstrate their unique talents and skills. One has a unique interests, background and personality. This is their chance to tell a story (or at least part of it) reflecting them.

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How many essays do I need to write for a US college?

Generally, top institutions require one large essay for US university application and some require subject-specific essays. So, an applicant with around 8 college lists needs to write approximately 16 to 24 essays. One can look for various College essay examples to know the format and what to add to the statement. The word limit for a college essay generally ranges from 100 words to 650 words.

Word limit for application essays in USA:

Application platform

Word limit

Common App essay

250 to 650 words (supplemental essays are less than 250 words)

Coalition Application essay

500 to 650 words

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How to write an application essay for US universities

After completing the application form and attempting other important entrance exams, one needs to stand out from the crowd. Writing a persuasive college essay helps to impress the admission authorities of US institutions. So, it is a significant evaluation document for acceptance or rejection. A few of the strategies to craft an unforgettable essay that will grab the reader’s attention are mentioned below:

Be Original

Always choose a topic that is relevant to your real personality. Never use templates available on the internet offering the best application essays. These are all scams and universities in USA have software to detect such templates. Moreover, use your own tone, humour, way of speaking, and genuine intent while writing on a specific topic. Using stuffy language and choosing irrelevant topics can depict your inauthenticity.

Pick a Meaningful Topic

Always pick a compelling topic for writing a college essay for a USA application. It must reveal some memorable and relevant stories to readers. The topic selected must hold a personal value for them; so that they can write on it with more originality, dedication, and enthusiasm. Do not focus on How to impress authorities through a US university essay, rather try to be more vocal about writing something you are passionate about.

Start with a compelling introduction

Try to hook the reader with your perception from the first paragraph itself. Provide an eye-catching introduction with the help of bold statements, a crucial question, a descriptive scene, or a thoughtful quote. It must reveal the content of the essay using an anecdote or a story.

Make Yourself the Star

The essay must highlight the accomplishments and attributes of the applicant rather than someone else. The essay must demonstrate your personal traits in a compelling manner that will help the reader to understand the REAL you. Do not make someone else the star of the essay.

Prioritize Experiences Over Goals

One must try to focus on their accomplishments and not future goals in the personal statements. To make an essay perfect, your essay must reflect your perspective on the topic. It must include real-life experiences that bring out your skills and uniqueness.

Avoid Cliche’s

Avoiding clichés in your application essay to study abroad is important for international students to make a memorable impression in the reader’s mind. It generally includes overused phrases and thoughts that are tempered by others. Hence, one must re-read their application essay for US universities and remove any data that sounds like a cliche. Originality is a must.

Write With the Reader in Mind

One must write from a reader’s perspective. The US university essay must demonstrate a clear and logical point of view that sounds natural and not artificial. Try to use varied transitions along with ideas that help readers understand the proper illustration of your theme. What you have written must make sense, grab the reader's attention and provide enough background information.

Go through multiple Drafts

One must start writing an application essay for USA universities quite early and practice it several times before the final essay. There may be a chance that one’s initial ideas may be good but the final idea after many edits and thought processing always brings out the enhanced version of the essay.

College Essay Tips from Admission Counsellors

  • Select a topic to write about that is important to you. It can be a book, an experience, or a person.

  • While giving out experiences, do not just provide the facts such as the itinerary. Describe the learning edge from the provided experience and how that changed you personally.

  • Use sarcasm very carefully. There might be things that you find funny but they are not the admission authorities. Hence, beware of one-liners, sarcastic comments, limericks, etc.

  • Do not repeat and contradict the information. For example, there is something you wrote in your personal statement that contradicts the other academic and personal certifications provided by you with the application. It will negatively affect the admission decision.

  • Proofread your essay or have someone who can edit it for you. A teacher or college counsellor is your best resource.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How to write an application essay for university?

One can write a compelling application essay for universities abroad by keeping in mind the following points:

  • Understanding the prompt

  • Giving out personal experiences, achievements, and challenges that relate to the prompt.

  • Following the format

  • Make application essay drafts several times

  • Edit and revise the essay

2. Do US universities require essays?

Yes, most of the top universities in the USA require international students to present the institution with an application essay to understand the student easily. It helps in the admission process. 

3. How do I write an application for university admission?

First thing to remember while writing an university application essay is follow the format, start with a formal greeting, then introduce yourself, state your purpose clearly, and highlight you qualifications.

4. How do you write a personal statement for US university?

Writing a personal statement for a US university is a crucial part of your application. It’s your chance to showcase who you are, what motivates you, and why you’re a great fit for the program. Hence a personal statement must include your strength, enthusiasm, passion, and aspirations.

5. How long is a 650 word essay?

A 650-word essay is typically about 1.3 pages single-spaced or 2.6 pages double-spaced when using a standard 12-point font and standard margins. It is an ideal essay word length for US admission application essays.

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Hi there

Yes you can try to learn various courses that are for approximately 3 months to 6 months in duration.

Yes you can learn before going to us. Learning skills definitively adds some value to the life of a candidate and also improves in getting good recognition in life..

Below i have mentioned some courses  that you can try before visiting us:

  • Social media marketing
  • Content writer
  • Content creation
  • Video editing
  • Photography skills
  • Digital marketing
  • Stiching
  • Makeup artist course
  • Hairstyling course.

So these are some courses you can try.

Hope this answer will help you. Revert incase of any query.

Thank you and good luck:)

Hello Samarasimha,

YES, you can MS in UA after completing Bsc in Statistics. . All you have to do is score good marks in your PG and prepare for GRE. You should also decide upon the country and the university in which you are going to study.

Furthermore, the requirements to pursue MS in USA are as follows :

  • 3 to 4 years bachelors degree in relevant field.
  • 3.5 or higher GPA, equivalent to 87% in bachelors.
  • GRE score of 330 or above.
  • Statement of Purpose.
  • Research Internships/ Published Research Papers.
  • Project work/Seminars.
  • 2-3 Letter of Recommendation.
  • Social & Leadership Activities.

Further, requirements for Software jobs in USA are as follows :

  • Enroll in a software development program. The first step to becoming a software engineer is to enroll in a software development degree program. ...
  • Gain internship experience. ...
  • Choose your specialty. ...
  • Pursue industry certifications. ...
  • Continue your education.

I hope that this will help.

Dear aspirant hope you are doing well..

To study at foreign universities/abroad in U. S , the admission process will require the candidate to give one language exam and one standardized exam. However, depending on the country, course, college, or university you are applying for you may be exempted from standardized exams. The language test will showcase your English proficiency skills. These exams are required for pursuing almost all courses abroad. Different countries have different language exams such as

  • TOEFL exam for getting admission to the universities in the US and Canada. The score of this exam is valid for two years after the declaration of results
  • There are plenty of universities abroad where you can apply to do master-level course, MSc in statistics, MSc in Operation Research, and Applied Mathematics, MSc in Mathematical Modeling, etc are some of the Master level Course in Mathematics that are available abroad. Students who have completed their graduation or bachelor's degree in Mathematics can apply for these courses. Foreign universities like Uppsala University, Dublin City University, Oxford Brookes University, University of York, University of Liverpool, etc offer all the above-mentioned courses in mathematics.

Top university of The USA for master degree courses

  • John Carroll University
  • Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Michigan State University
  • West Virginia University
  • Rhode Island College
  • University of Arkansas
  • Vanderbilt University
  • DePaul University
  • Delaware State University
  • Texas A&M University-Commerce
  • University of South Florida
  • California State University Northridge

You can get the detailed information about the process how to apply for MS in USA. read the given article. Link is given below

https://studyabroad.careers360.com/articles/how-apply-for-ms-in-usa/amp

Hope it's helpful for you..

Thank you

There are many ways to choose your university such as fees, the ranking of the university, which state it is located and scholarships. My suggestion is to choose your research focus and write academic papers. In the US, PhD in Commerce admission into the university depends on what you want to study (your area of research) and your already completed research papers. You can begin your research by searching online for US universities offering PhD in Business Administration. One example is University of California Los Angeles (https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/degrees/phd-program/admissions#app-req) .


Hello  Student

You are aBHM means Bachelor in Hotel Management so after doing BHM,to gain a bright future  inthis trade you have to do MSc in Hotel Management,post graduation in Hospitality Management,Master degree in travel and tourism management,or MBA in hotel management,AFter doing post graduation in Hotel management or travel and tourism management will give you the best return in employment opportunity.

Hope this will help.


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