College Admission Essays: Dealing with Paper Forms

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Dealing with Paper Forms

It’s the right length, the perfect topic, and the best writing you can possibly produce. So how do you get your college admission essay on the form? Very carefully! Read on.

On separate sheets of paper

Bowing to the reality of a computerized world, a lot of colleges simply ask that you enclose the essay, on separate sheets of paper, with the rest of the application. Smile gratefully at those colleges because they’ve just made your life a lot easier. If the essay is separate from the application blank, you can do it over and over again (either by hand or by machine) until you’ve got it right. You don’t have to worry about messing up their form.

By far the easiest way to create a great-looking, polished-to-perfection essay is with a computer word-processing program. If you don’t have a computer, check your local library or school’s computer department. Also, many photocopy shops rent computer time.

Some guidelines for separate-sheet submissions:

• If you’ve composed the essay on a computer, simply print it out.
• If the essay is typed, be sure that the ink is dark enough to be read easily. (Replace worn out typewriter ribbons before you start. Black ink only.)
• If the essay is handwritten, be extremely careful to write legibly. (Don’t forget, your reader has ploughed through a huge pile of essays and will not enjoy that special extra hour spent deciphering your handwriting.) Blue or black ink only. Also, ballpoint is better than marker or fountain pen ink. If the admissions counselor spills coffee on the essay, ballpoint ink is less likely to run.
• Some applications specify double or single spacing. If nothing is specified, single space is fine for typewritten work. For handwritten essays, skip lines between each line of text. That format is much easier to read!
• Include your full name and social security number at the top of every page of the essay. Don’t create any other sort of heading. In general, you don’t need a title for your college essay, though you may label it “Personal Statement” if you wish.
•                                 If you’re like most people, your name has several variations — with or without middle name or initial, with or without add-ons such as “Jr.” or “Esq.” When you’re applying to college, pick one format and stick with it throughout. You don’t want the college to place your magnum opus in someone else’s file by mistake. The social security number helps, but human nature draws us to names rather than to numbers. Don’t take a chance that the admissions committee will realize that James Fuddled is the same person as James M. Fuddled, Jr.
• If you were given a choice between several questions, indicate the number and letter (if applicable) of the choice you’re responding to. If you like, at the top of the page retype the question in boldface or italics.
• The paper should be normal 8 1/2-x-11-inch letter size, white in color and of normal weight. Don’t use erasable bond. Yes, you can erase more easily, but the ink smudges with the slightest touch of a finger.
• Don’t enclose the essay in a folder, binder, or plastic cover.
• Place the essay in the application envelope they’ve given you.
• If the college hasn’t supplied an envelope, a 9-x-12-inch envelope is a good choice because you won’t have to fold the application or the essay.

On their form

Universities that require you to answer directly on the form are a real pain. I often wonder what they hope to accomplish. True, they’ll see your handwriting or typing, not your word-processing, but what’s the point? If they think such a requirement weeds out the cheats who contract out for essay writing, they’re wrong. Anyone willing to take a dishonest shortcut is not likely to be deterred by the need to recopy someone else’s work. Or perhaps they employ a handwriting analyst? It’s a mystery to me. Plus, this requirement sometimes makes great students decide that applying to such a school is more trouble than it’s worth. Surely the college doesn’t want to discourage applicants.