Admission Essays
A good editor should review
your essays for both content and grammar – both for what you say and for how
effectively you say it. We prefer to look at content first, and proofread
for grammar at the end of the process. Focusing on grammar too early can
distract you from the task of putting your ideas into words. Besides,
grammar will change as you revise your text. Why proofread each revision for
grammar when you can do a comprehensive, careful proofreading of the final
draft?
Admission
Essays Content Editing
There are six questions to
ask about the content of your essays:
1.
Does each essay answer to the question that was asked? Delete
anything that is not relevant to the question at hand.
2. Do
your essays show original analysis and introspection? ‘Original’ does not
mean that you have to say something that has never been said before. It does
mean that anyone reading the essay should believe that these are your
ideas, based on your thinking, experience, and values.
3.
Will your essay help the admissions committee picture you as an
individual? Will it help a reader distinguish you from other applicants with
similar grades and test scores?
4.
Does your writing use the proper tone? Is it too stiff, or too
informal? Does it sound boastful, or self-deprecating?
5.
Is there anything extraneous in your essays? Delete any passages that
do not address or support the application question being asked.
6. Could
anyone on the admissions committee read your essay and understand it the way
you mean them to? Do you need to add information, or explain any unusual
words or references? Would it be helpful if you changed the order in which
you present information, or used more precise wording to explain an idea?
Admission
Essays Grammar Editing
The best way to make sure
that your essays are grammatically correct is to have someone with a good
eye for grammar proofread them. Even professional writers have a hard time
proofing their own writing. When you write something, you spend so much time
thinking about what you are trying to say that it becomes embedded in your
mind – and what you ‘read’ when you review your text is what you have
memorized instead of what you actually have put on paper. This makes it easy
to miss seeing grammatical and spelling mistakes.
Keep in mind that,
even if you do not care that much about grammar, chances are that someone on
the admissions staff or committee does. They may overlook or excuse one
small mistake, but a pattern of grammatical errors and misspellings will
make even an outstanding applicant look like a dud.
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