Getting a Word In

College admissions can be very stressful. The most time-consuming part is filling in all of those college applications. One of the major deciding factors for the admissions committee is the essay. If you don't get this right, you can seriously hurt your chances of being accepted into the college of your choice. Here are a few tips that will help you write a successful essay:

1. Answer the question. Some schools will accept an essay that you wrote for another college, but most will you to write one especially for them. The application will have one or more topics (or questions) for you to choose from. Don't just send in some essay that you wrote for another school that doesn't address the topic in question. Make sure that the essay answers the exact question on the application.

2. Be original. The admissions officers have to read thousands of essays on the exact same topic. If you want to stand out, avoid clichés. Try to approach the topic from a unique perspective. Let your personality come through in between the lines.

3. Be specific. Don't talk in generalities. Don't say things like, "I'm a team player", unless you have a specific story that illustrates your claim.

4. Don't overwrite. You only have 500 words. Make the best use of every one of them. Don't use 50 words to say something when 5 will do. Look at every sentence. Do you absolutely need it to get your point across? If not, cross it out. This isn't the time to be precious.

5. Don't use the essay to summarize the rest of your application. No one wants to read the same information for the second time. This is your chance to talk about things that cannot be summarized in bullet points.