Your essay should focus on a single point, otherwise known as a thesis, and this should directly reflect or respond to the essay topic. According to Sarah Myers McGinty of the College Board, your reader should be able to find your main idea easily and follow it from beginning to end. Read the instructions carefully and make sure you understand the topic before you begin. When you finish, reread your essay and ask yourself, "Did I completely answer the topic question?" Get rid of anything that seems random or doesn't flow with your thesis. It's better to stick with one specific idea than a broad range. The committee wants to know about one facet of your life, not your entire biography.
Provide lots of interesting and specific facts, details and examples. Use your five senses to describe people and places about which you write. Express your thoughts and feelings about your topic. McGinty recommends avoiding cliches and generic statements such as "I like to help people." Instead, provide details about how you want to help, why you are inspired to help and how it makes you feel to help others. It's OK to start with generalizations in your first draft and then change them to more specific examples or details as you revise.
Don't just tell the reader what you think he wants to hear. Bring something new to the table. Your admissions essay gives you the chance to show the committee who you are and what you stand for, so be yourself. Write in your own voice; you don't want to sound like a textbook. This essay should reflect your perspective, experiences, thoughts and emotions. Keep the reader interested in what you have to say and make her excited about what you have to offer her university. Your readers will have thousands of essays to peruse, so make sure yours stands out. Avoid hyperbole, slang and overly dramatic language.
Reread your essay several times and ask others to read it as well. Read your essay out loud to check for sentences that sound awkward, choppy or too wordy. Eliminate unnecessary words and repetition. According to McGinty, typos and spelling or grammatical errors will be interpreted as carelessness or bad writing. Mistakes distract the reader from what you're trying to say. Don't rely on your computer's spell check, because it can miss basic errors. Eliminate any information that you already stated on your application.