sample admission essay

Agent Jade written by Absolut College Girl is a blog by a college student who is currently taking up Geography. The blog has a wide variety of topics that are all brought together by the common theme of a college girl seeking the “Ultimate College Experience.” For example, you can find college-related topics like “Cautionary Notes from a Disgruntled Senior to the Freshman” or more random topics like “Five Reasons Why You Should See Slumdog Millionaire.”

Things to like

What makes this blog is the personality and attitude that shines through in each of the blog entries. The website exudes personality, from the large, bright pink and yellow opening page down to the snappy article titles and the overall perspective of the articles. A quick visit to the “About Me” page and you’ll find out where all of that personality comes from as the author describers herself, her interests, and the purpose of her blog.

Things to improve on

On the good side, AgentJade excels in the one thing that most blogs fail at: having a personality that the audience can relate to. On the bad side, AgentJade has some problems with her overall blog design. First, it is difficult to navigate. Personally, I hate having to scroll all the way down the webpage just to find the site’s navigation links. Perhaps some navigation buttons along the top of the page or on the left margin would make it easier for us visitors. Second, hardly any of the blog entries have pictures. Pictures play a big role in capturing and keeping the interest of the readers. There’s just no excuse not to put some good pictures up there, especially considering the fact that the author enjoys sharing her experiences, feelings, and interests. Finally, there is nothing on the front page of the blog that tells the reader what it is all about. Even though “written by Absolut College Girl” gives readers a hint, there should be some other indication of what people can find on the blog.

College Freshman Survival is a blog that has articles on various topics that are related to college freshmen. Behind the website is a successful television news reporter named John Spiropoulos. Basically, his main goal is to provide a blog with advice, tips, tricks, guides, and information to help freshmen succeed in college. The blog was inspired by a DVD video entitled “College: The Big Change,” which is a “guide for first year students.” Some of the types of topics you can find on College Freshman Survival include up-to-date articles, like “Health Insurance Alert”, or freshman survival tips, such as “College Online Etiquette 101.”

What’s keeping College Freshman Survival afloat?

What I enjoy the most about College Freshman Survival is the design of the website. Unlike many of the other blogs out there, this site has a relatively unique design. Pencil icons, leather hide background, ripped-notebook header, and a good font selection all help to make College Freshman Survival a great looking website that is easy to use and navigate. Another great thing about this website and its program is the fact that it was planned and produced through the combined efforts of professors, all of whom are doctorate degree-holders. Furthermore, the blog has a solid inspiration, “The Big Change” DVD, which can help to spread word about the blog and its purpose. Finally, the blog entries are well-written, providing a great deal of accurate and precise information that fits in perfectly with the theme of the site.

What’s threatening the survival of College Freshman Survival?

The biggest downside of the College Freshman Survival blog is that it lacks articles. As of the beginning of September, the site only has around 14 articles. Although the articles are packed with great information that is relevant, helpful, and well-presented, the lack of articles is a huge threat to the success of the blog.

Green Student U is a website with a clever idea. This blog is dedicated to keeping students updated with the latest news, issues, resources, tips, guides, and information on leading an environmentally conscious life. With articles like “Green Dorm Rooms on Display at University of Virginia”, it’s safe to say that Green Student U’s target audience is the college student. The blog also has articles about pressing issues and news related to green living, which means that it’s a great blog for practically anyone concerned about the environment.

Green Student U goodies

Perhaps the greatest aspect of this blog is its main cause. Not only does Green Student U have a good perspective that is up-to-the-times, but it is also putting forth a positive mission and message. Living an eco-friendly lifestyle can help students save on money and it is also good for the world as a whole. The information that you can find on Green Student U is very useful, practical, and meaningful. For example, many of the blog posts and articles are about pollution concerns, electric vehicles, energy conservation, as well as laws, regulations, and projects related to environmentalism. The site has an attractive design that is soothing on the eyes, with its earth-tone color scheme and well-designed, large icons.

Room for improvement

Despite all the good things that Green Student U has to flaunt, the website can use some upgrades regarding its layout. Larger pictures may be more appealing for visitors and readers. Also, enlarging the pictures will help to fill in the rather large, black gap between the blog entries and the icons along the right margin. A more intuitive web design would be nice as well, to help in making the blog more unique in design and decoration. For example, expanding menus under each category tab would be a great improvement both in design and ease-of-navigation.

Living in a dorm with roommates you hardly know can be quite difficult and, at times, downright frustrating. For many people though, college life is practically synonymous with dorm life. For all of those college students who are having a hard time with dorm life,
Dorm Delicious may be right up their alley. Dorm Delicious is a blog that discusses practically anything that has to do with dorm life, including decor ideas and decoration advice. Aside from dorm-related topics, the blog also features college-related topics, like how to meet people in college.

Tasty treats of Dorm Delicious

What’s delicious about Dorm Delicious is that the blog is doing almost everything right. The blog has a specific target audience, content that speaks to that audience, and a solid web layout. The color scheme, article pictures, link arrangement, and general layout all give the page a distinct style and feel that is unique and easily recognizable. The blog articles themselves are well-written and relevant.

Not so delicious nuggets

Despite all of the positive features of Dorm Delicious, there is one big factor that it failed at. The DormDelicious blog has the motto: “making the world more delicious one room at a time.” My gripe with this is that the website itself doesn’t look delicious, so how can you get your audience to believe and buy-into what you are trying to present. If Dorm Delicious can turn its web design into something that is more attractive, appealing, and tasty, then visitors would truly understand and see the mission and vision of Dorm Delicious to “make the world more delicious.” Although the design is unique (as mentioned above), it lacks that professional-quality web design that would put it over the top. Still, the blog is doing well with its large pool of content and its solid user base.

College Jolt is a blog with the main purpose of “keeping students awake.” Basically, the website focuses on various topics on up-to-date issues, college life, and practically anything that has to do with college. Some of the categories on the site include college life, college prep, buzz, food and fitness, guys and girls, style, and wired. A good example of some of the topics that are commonly blogged about on College Jolt is the article on “How to Survive the SATs”.

Positive jolt

College Jolt has a recognizable icon that is easy to spot and easy to like. The black, white, green, and blue theme is easy on the eyes. The website has a web app that flashes some of the popular topics on the site. Not only does the applet look good, but it functions well also. Not all blogs have such features and it helps to set College Jolt apart from the other student-help sites. The site is also well-designed in that it doesn’t bombard the eyes of the visitors with loads of links, tags, categories, and other website-cluttering things. Another great aspect of College Jolt is that it has some great topics. College life isn’t all about academics and College Jolt understands this concept, which is why the blog has various categories that all relate to college life. Also, the fact that College Jolt is looking to hire more college writers and photographers is a sign that the site is dedicated to having authentic content created by students for students.

Negative jolt

On the other side of the spectrum, College Jolt has some areas in which it can further improve. Although the design is rather simple and useful, it can be made more convenient by adding extra links under the category drop-down tabs. An “About Us” page would also be a great help, especially for visitors who want to learn more about College Jolt and its mission.

Top 5 Tips on How to Prepare your Essay with the Help of a Sample Admission Essay

We are inspired to think when we read something very stimulating.  That is why using a sample essay to make your own admission essay is a good idea.  The ideas, coherence, and arrangement of topics in a sample essay can help you substantially.  You can also use a sample essay for research purposes.  Below are the top 5 tips that you can use in using a sample essay to start with your own.

1.  Choose the right essay.

There are essays that appeal strongly because they are excellently written.  However, these essays may not be the right ones for you.  You must remember that the authors of those essays are able to write a high-quality piece because they chose the right topics for them.  So the first step that you should take is to choose an essay that deals with a topic that you know well.  This topic must also interest you so you will be more motivated in making your essay.

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Generally, most books and online essay-writing resources advice applicants to steer clear of sensitive topics.  In the college application essay, sex, religion, and politics are eggshell-thin China cups that will surely crack at the slightest drop or pressure.  Current events are also subjects that most applicants try not to write about, for fear of sounding too op-ed or trying hard to be op-ed.  However, these so-called forbidden subjects will not necessarily hamper one’s chances of getting into one’s dream college or university if incorporated into a college admission essay well.  Here are just a few guidelines that can help you craft that essay should you feel the need to write about sensitive topics for your college applications.

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If you’re all set to apply for college yet have just the average grades to make it, boost your chances of getting in by writing an excellent college admissions essay.  Members of college admissions panels are usually seasoned at judging students based on the essays that they’ve written and could very well get tired of those that not only reveal a little about the student but are generally boring and poorly written.  Some colleges and universities however have gotten past the boring 250-word essays about one’s skills and have instead devised application topics and questions that are wacky, wild, and outright weird.  The University of Chicago is one such institution that is famous for having weird topics and questions that not only encourage creativity but make the application process a fun and memorable one.(1)  Some found the approach to be even more difficult than writing about why one wants to go to a certain college.  However, the answers to these questions often reveal more about the applicant.  So dredge up those wild, wacky and weird memories and turn them into the winning pieces that will get you into the college of your dreams.
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The chance to enter into a prestigious college or university is not only for those who are on top of their class.  Average students can also have good chances of getting admitted in reputable universities.  So if you are one of those students who don’t have excellent grades in high school, you don’t have to feel discouraged when applying for the university where you want to study.  Just as long as you are confident that you have written a college admissions essay that the admissions officers would notice, you can really increase your chances of getting into your dream school.

Tip #1: List college admissions essay topics before writing college admissions essays.

In most colleges, there is no specific topic given to the applicants.  You are the one who would be deciding upon the topic of your essay.  Selecting a topic is a very crucial stage in the writing process.  For one, all your writing efforts would revolve around your topic.  This is why you have to make sure that you like the topic that you choose.  Your topic and the way you expound it will reveal various things about you such as your preferences, your values, and how you think.(1)

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Your college admission essays will give the college admission committee the chance to get to know more about yourself.  It is these college application essays that will provide them with some insight into your identity and how you are as a person.  Because of this, it is necessary for you to exert much time and effort when writing your essay.  If you’re having a hard time trying to think of college essay topics, you might want to take a look at sample college admission essays to see how others have written theirs.

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