Tips for African students on writing an effective admission essay to enter a US university

Studying in the US university is a dream of many African students. Unfortunately, the competition is very high, so a lot of students end up just dreaming of it. Nevertheless, some manage to fulfill the dream and become the proud students of the best colleges and universities in America. How do they do that? What makes them stand out? What to start with? We’re about to tell you all the tricks. 

What’s important in the admission process?

 This might be the most important paper in your student life. In such a case, it’s highly recommended to get some inspiration from the samples online and maybe even your older siblings or friends’ papers. If that’s not an option, you can always find GradesFixer database and choose the ones you like to follow the structure or style. Moreover, you can do it absolutely for free. If you do a quick research on what is important when applying to the US university from abroad, you will most likely see the following: 

•       Your previous coursework is considered. The US institutions have high standards, and the American university average GPA is almost 4, which means you have to have the majority of A’s in your school certificate or the BA diploma.

•       Test scores (SAT and ACT mainly). Do not overestimate or underestimate them, though. The test score is important but not to the extent of rejecting or accepting you. You have a chance to pass both tests multiple times, so just check the target university’s average score and aim to be in that line.

•       Admission essay is something that can become your strongest asset, so this is our main focus for today. How did those lucky undergrads write essays that worked? Were they using some universal college essay tips?

Admission college essay tips you need to know

Once you know the admission term at the universities of your choice, start to plan your essay writing. This may sound funny, and you’ve got no idea why you even should plan the essay instead of just writing it. Believe us – you’d better do so. This essay is your persuasive tool in the race against other candidates. Use a Grammarly tool to auto check your grammatical errors. Check out Grammarly Review for more information.

•       The first step is planning. Think about the admissions board and their way of thinking. What kind of candidate do they expect to see? Are you ambitious and motivated? Will you succeed once accepted? Will you bring prestige to the university once you graduate? Think about the arguments that will prove all the mentioned factors. Show that you have the same values as the university of your dreams.

– Your essay is your business card, your face. Find the best free ways to include any

extracurricular activities, relevant jobs, etc. you’ve had so that they could highlight the needed personality traits of yours.                                                           

– Find ways to stand out. Lots of students will use the same techniques to charm the university board so you must be very creative at this point. The best way is to show how you can contribute to the good of your college. Do you have excellent administrative skills? Are you able to organize study groups or clubs? Mention that for sure to gain extra points. 

– Don’t forget about the college essay prompts. This is your main help actually. Answering the questions from the university gives you the structure to follow along with the space for creativity.

•       The writing part.

○   The more examples you read, the better. If the aim is to impress the admission board, you need to demonstrate the college level style of writing. The format, style, and choice of words should be very thorough. To achieve that, you are going to practice a lot, obviously. Pay special attention to making any examples in the essay really specific and to the point. How can you know the essay is perfect?

○       Proofreading is your everything. Make sure you ask other people to do it for you. And again, the more, the better. Ask friends, parents, even your English teacher (especially) to check the essay on the subject of grammar, diction, and organization. All these aspects will influence the quality of the essay and therefore, the impression it’s supposed to make on the board.

Now when you are all armed with the needed tips and tricks, there’s nothing to worry about. Simply remember about being prepared, organized, specific. Plan in advance, mind the deadlines, don’t panic and then you’re surely about to start your higher education in the US university.