Posted by on Dec 4, 2011 in
College And University
When you apply to a college or university, you will probably be asked to write an essay or personal statement. The application essay is a crucial part of the application package, because the essay adds personality and character to your test scores and grades. Another advantage of the essay is that it helps you reflect on important times in your life, offering a great opportunity to write about challenges and hardships that have made you a better person. If you want to make an excellent application essay based on the challenges that you encountered in high school, keep reading.
What makes an experience challenging?
The term “challenging” can be used in many ways to describe a variety of situations and circumstances. When determining what challenging experience to write about in your application essay, you may want to choose challenges that have made your life more meaningful and your personality stronger. For example, you can choose to write about the challenge of overcoming your fears to deliver a speech or the challenge of working while taking up high school. You may even want to talk about the challenge of adjusting to a new environment or place, especially for foreign students or those who moved to a new area during their high school life. Basically, the main objective is to describe how you have developed, learned, and grown from such challenges.
Writing about how the experience changed you and what you’ve learned from the experience
Now that you know have an idea of how to go about integrating your challenging high school experiences into your essay, it’s time to do a little research. Before you start writing, you may want to check out how others have written their admissions essays based on hardships, failures, and shortcomings. By reading sample admissions essays, you can better understand how to develop your essay. Numerous Internet sources have sample personal statements that you can look over. Try to analyze what types of topics otherpeople talked about, how they discussed the challenges, and what overall tone they used.
Here are some basic tips on writing your admissions essay:
- Try not to dwell too much on the negative aspects of the challenge, but make sure that you give the reader a well-rounded description of your experience.
- Focus on the positive by discussing how you responded to the challenge and how you triumphed over the odds.
- Remember to mention the virtues, character traits, and values that you gained from the experiences. Explain how, as a result of going through such challenges, you are better disposed to be successful in college and in life in general.
Stating what you plan on doing if faced with similar challenges in the future
Perhaps the best way to prove that you have learned and grown from such challenging high school experiences is to discuss how you would tackle a similar challenge in the future. As you grow older, you are likely to encounter more challenging experiences. Explain how you are ready to deal with such challenges head-on, because of what you have learned through your experience in the past.
Tags: Application, Challenging, Essays, Experiences, High, School, Topic
body { border-style: none; background: Window; color: WindowText; } #ljcutbegin { width: 100%; height: 1px; border: 1px dashed black; } #ljcutend { width: 100%; height: 1px; border: 1px dashed gray; } blockquote { border-left: 3px solid silver; padding-left: 10px; margin-left: 10px; } .bjspell { border-bottom: 1px dotted red; } }
When you are looking towards writing a personal experience essay, the first thing you want to be thinking about is the subject of that particular essay. When you are writing about your personal experiences it can sometimes, well most times, be awkward to write down and communicate, onto paper, the experiences that you have had. In essence, you are communicating your beliefs, attitudes and character to people who are going to be reading the essay.
When you are looking at writing a personal essay, your course leader isn’t looking for a five or even three thousand worded essay, as most personal essays are in the region of six hundred to one thousand words in length - that’s roughly around two to three pages.
When you are looking for an example of an experience to write about you will need to think in terms of how the actual experience has made you feel, how it has affected you and, most importantly, what you have learned from the actual experience. You will, therefore, need to add specific information and narrative to the paper (though concisely) to increase the credibility of what you have learned and why.
Whilst putting together and refining your essay, you will be establishing your own understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and why you have them. However, what you also need to keep in mind, whilst writing the essay, is that you don’t become overwhelmed will the subject and too attached; some people do become a little emotional when writing this type of paper. The important thing to remember is that becoming emotional is fine, so long as you write an effective piece that communicates all of the above to the reader. After all, you don’t want to put down your thoughts and feelings on paper, only to curse yourself about going off track, when you come to the reviewing stage of the process.
Therefore, the editing stage, in this type of essay, becomes increasingly important, as you don’t want to include ‘fluff’ or ‘drivvel’ that will be of no interest, and more importantly, have no impact/meaning to the reader.
In many of these types of essays, you, as the writer, will come with an individual aspect and approach to life – more importantly, this will be different from your colleagues and lecturer. It is important, then, the essay is from your point of view and ‘has a stamp of you’ in the writing. However, you shouldn’t consider this to be a place to stop, as you should too conduct some research on the area that you are writing about. Maybe it is about you getting over your fear of heights whilst on holiday; you will then look at some previously conducted research that analyses why people have such a fear, and how they overcome it.
Just because it is a personal experience essay, it does not mean that you should not consult previously researched material and academic sources.
Tags: Effectively, Essays, Experiences, Personal, write
Posted by on Dec 24, 2009 in
Resume Programs

dominiccorey asked:
Dissertation writing is not an easy task and it is extremely challenging for almost all students. Dissertation writing is the most important part of your degree. It requires dedication, perseverance, ability to do in-depth research and determination. Writing a dissertation is challenging but not impossible and you should try to facilitate your dissertation writing process by following these valuable tips:
1. The most important thing you need to do, when it comes to dissertation writing, is not to procrastinate at all. Set up a plan that how you are going to be writing your dissertation and make sure you stick to it.
2. Idea development is something that can procrastinate your dissertation writing process dramatically. This is the part where students struggle a lot. What you need to do now is to write down the topics that you find interesting. When you are in class or listening to a lecture or reading an article, etc, just write down what you find interesting. Then you can discuss your ideas with your advisor and fellow students to decide the theme for your dissertation. However, you must prepare yourself to struggle; it’s not an easy task at all.
3. Don’t choose a topic that doesn’t fascinate you. If you choose a topic that doesn’t fascinate you and you find it difficult then you will never be able to finish writing your dissertation on time. You will also end up procrastinating. Writing about something that you find interesting will keep you motivated and focused. Therefore, choose a topic that you find interesting.
4. If you need to find out about any particular experience or problem faced by general public and its impact on their lives, then do not limit yourself to your friends and family. Talk to people you don’t even know and ask them if they faced this problem and what their experiences were.
5. Ask your friends and fellow students about what you can add to your dissertation. Discussing your topic with them and getting their valuable tips will enable you to add quality content to your dissertation.
6. Make sure you stay in touch with your advisor and talk to him whenever you get stuck or feel confused. If you can only stay in touch with your advisor, you will notice that the motivation you get from him encourages you to stay on track and write your dissertation successfully.
Consider dissertation writing to be something extremely fascinating. I understand that it will be difficult for you to think about your dissertation like this but it will at least keep you calm mentally. Thinking about dissertation writing as something almost impossible to accomplish, won’t do any good. First, tell yourself that you can write your dissertation, then follow the tips mentioned in this article, do thorough research and get your degree.
Tags: Dissertation Writing, Experiences, Perseverance, Writing A Dissertation, Writing Process
Posted by on Oct 27, 2009 in
Article Marketing

Patrika Vaughn asked:
Writing a book is a lot like getting married. It is intensely personal, it calls for a big commitment, and it requires a sustained effort. And like marriage, it carries no guarantee of success. Books and marriages often fail for the same reasons. The most common reason is that the writer doesn’t know enough about the four essential components of a successful book. It may surprise you to know that the first and most important of these components is the self.
1) self — Many writers get an idea and jump into writing about it, never giving any thought to the motive behind writing it. Yet why you want to write helps determine what you write. The second component is:
2) the subject –Do you know enough about your topic to convey how your (or your character’s) experiences felt? Do you know enough to teach your readers what they want to know about the subject? The third essential component is
3) the readers — Are you clear about who you are writing this book for? Do you know the profile of the ideal reader of this book? The fourth component is, of course, the actual writing of the book. This includes the format, mechanics, style, tone, etc. 4) the writing– Do you know the writing techniques that will create and sustain reader interest in your book? If you have sufficient knowledge about your motives, your subject and your readers, you’ve already solved many of the most aggravating problems of writing. Successful writing requires a harmonious blend of writer, subject and reader. When this is achieved, an alchemy takes place. This alchemy informs the writing process, cutting through the common problems writers face. Once the alchemy is there, a writer can usually work swiftly and efficiently, avoiding many writing pitfalls and completing the book in less time than (s)he expected it to take. Achieving this alchemy depends on knowing a number of things about yourself, the writer, and your motives; about the subject to be written about, and knowing some essentials about the people you hope will read your book. Let’s take a look at each of them:
WHY YOU WANT TO WRITE: Maybe you’ve always dreamed of achieving fame and fortune as an author. You’ve pictured yourself chatting with David Letterman or Jay Leno, or being interviewed on Good Morning, America. You see yourself autographing books for a long line of admiring readers or standing before large audiences, telling them about your book. Perhaps you see your book being made into a movie. Do you know what kind of book to write to turn this dream into a reality? Maybe you want to write as a means of self-actualization. You know you have things to say that others will find interesting but you’ve never taken the time to organize them into a meaningful text. Writing a book can create just the opportunity you need to organize your vast body of knowledge on a subject, or to explore your own psychological depths. Do you know who would be interested in reading this book? Or maybe you hope to gain immortality, to perpetuate yourself through your autobiography. Other reasons for writing an autobiography include creating a legacy for your family, to give children and grandchildren a sense of belonging and continuity. Your motive for writing a book might be to help others. You may have pioneered an experience (anything from a self-cure for cancer to roller blading across the U.S.) or discovered a new or better way to do something. What you’ve done or learned could help others, and you want to write a book to share. Do you know who would welcome this information? Recording knowledge, experience or history is a valuable contribution. It can bring fame and fortune, help you self-actualize, advance your career or be a way to spend your spare time constructively. Your book could provide an important teaching tool. It is important for you to know which of the above motives are your reasons for wanting to write, because your reasons are tightly connected to whether or not the kind of book you write will be a success.
WHAT YOU WANT TO WRITE
First, what types of books are there? Books can be broken down into fiction or non-fiction. Fiction includes general, romance, Gothic and historical novels; westerns; mysteries; suspense and adventure stories; children’s books. Nonfiction includes all factual books: how-to’s; cookbooks; books on history; art; travel, plus academic books on any area of knowledge. There are also hundreds of professional and trade journals which print articles in specific areas of interest. These can be written in any of the following nonfiction forms: news, feature, analysis, how-to, opinion, speculation, interview, inspirational, evaluative, study, narrative, history, journal, observations, creative nonfiction, summary, list or satire. Now, how can your motive influence the success of the kind of book you want to write? Well, consider these facts. According to the Writer’s Market, only 5% of writers earn over $80,000 a year. Your chances of attaining fame and fortune will be better, therefore, if you write the type of book that the greatest number of people want to read. It helps if it’s the kind of book that will translate well into film or video format. The most popular kinds of fiction books are love stories and legal thrillers. The most popular non-fiction books are how-to’s, followed by books on health care; men/women relationships; business and management advice; spiritual and psychological works, and dieting If your motive is self actualization or to help others, the popularity of your book will be a minimal factor for you. You may already know that your book will appeal to only a limited market. Who over 40, for instance, will be interested in roller blading across the United States? How many people will be interested in reading the history of your home town, or your opinions, evaluations, or your life story? Perhaps your main motive is career advancement. Will this purpose be best served by targeting beginners in your field as your audience? Your peers? Those who have been in the field longer than you? Do you know what differences in approach are needed to write successfully for these three different markets? The same questions apply to those who want to write a book to help others. Who are these people? How much do you know about them? Is your reason for helping them to impress them, to encourage them or to inform them? These are all factors in determining the contents and style of your book. Now you need to know if you have what it takes to write that book.
IF YOU CAN WRITE
Do you have the time to write? Do you like to write? Are you an idea person? Do you have patience? Do you have the training to be a polished writer? Can you make the emotional commitment to the type of solitude and perseverance required to write your book? Don’t get discouraged if you’ve answered no to some of these questions. By following the step-by-step approach outlined in my book, you’ll find that a time commitment of as little as one hour a day can get the job done. The essential part is your emotional commitment. You’ve got to believe in your project and believe in yourself. You have to be convinced of the importance of writing this book. You have to commit to it, and the best way to do that is to make a contract with yourself. Your contract is your vow. Decide on a time of day when you can consistently devote time to writing. Then assess how much time you can spend at it daily. Don’t overestimate. It’s important for you to write consistently each day, at the same time and if possible in the same location. If all you can realistically expect to devote to writing on a daily basis is fifteen minutes, then contract with yourself for fifteen minutes. Then, if it turns out that you can spend two hours at it on some days, consider that bonus time. Once you’re clear with yourself about when, where, and what time you can give to your writing, write a simple contract with yourself: Here’s an example:
I am a writer, now engaged in the writing of a book about __________________. I pledge to devote __________(minutes/hours) to this project every day, from __________ (hour) to__________ (hour). Signed: Date:
Don’t over look this step. It seals your commitment to yourself to follow through on this project and solemnizes the importance of this task. It also formalizes exactly what part of your life you will carve out to make way for this accomplishment, and it commits you to getting into the habit of writing. Now inform your family, friends and associates that you will be unavailable at those times. It’s important that your writing time be uninterrupted. Other people will have to take it as seriously as you do, allowing you quality time for your work.
Tags: Experiences, Motive, Motives, Success Books, Writing A Book