Take some time to reflect upon and write down the most important experiences of your life, the most influential people in your life, your past accomplishments and your aspirations in life. Try to determine what makes you different from everyone else. What jobs have you had? What is your most unusual experience? What class or teacher did you learn the most from and why? Compiling this list will help you develop the "voice" of the essay, the element that turns the essay into a living document that fully expresses your personality, your goals, and your outlook.
In most cases, you will have two to three pages to develop your essay. If you include too many experiences, you will not be able to delve into much depth and your essay will lack resonance. According to Associated Colleges of the Midwest, colleges are looking to find that "insider's view" of how you see yourself reflected in your essay. Before beginning to write, analyze the essay question and develop a list of possible angles in which to frame your answer. Colleges like to see that you are committed to tasks and that you will follow through. Choose the experiences and people you choose to write about carefully, making sure to draw parallels between your experiences and why you would be a good match with this particular college.
A well-written essay demonstrates not only your competency level for grammar, punctuation and sentence structure but also your ability to express yourself in concise yet emotionally vivid detail. Develop an outline, write a first draft, and then revise it until you are satisfied with the content. Instead of merely telling your reader "I am dedicated and get the job done" relay specific incidents, using strong verbs and nouns, of when you stayed late at work or when you helped another student pass chemistry. Show them, do not tell them, your experiences.
When you have completed a couple of drafts of your essay, give it to four to five people to read with good grammar and reading skills. Ask them what qualities they thought about as they read your essay, then compare that to the intention you had when writing the essay. If your readers did not have the same impression that you intended, determine where in the essay that you may have given them the wrong impression and revise. Once you have the final copy of your essay, set it aside for a couple of days and with fresh eyes, do a final proofreading pass to catch any grammar errors before sending it out.