To complete your application to your online school of choice, you will most likely have to complete a personal essay. The prerequisite essays required of applicants vary widely. For some programs, you may have to explain in one or two paragraphs why you want to go to that institution. Or you may have to write on a more creative topic, such as the person who influenced you the most. For online graduate business programs, the application may call for two or three, or even more, prerequisite essays on different topics.
The admission committee for your online school gleans a lot of information from what you write. But committee members can also tell a lot from how you write. If your writing is clear and conveys your ideas effectively, you demonstrate your ability to communicate. If your writing is free of grammatical and spelling errors, you demonstrate your attention to detail.
Looking for prerequisite essay ideas? How about:
• Your personal and professional goals and their relationship to your education
• How and why you became interested in a particular field
• Aspects of your life that make you uniquely qualified to pursue study in this field
• Experiences or qualities that distinguish you from other applicants
• Unusual hardships or obstacles that you have overcome
• Unusual accomplishments, whether personal, professional, or academic
• Professional experiences that have contributed to your personal growth
• How your skills and personal characteristics will contribute to your success
• What appeals to you about a particular program
• How your interests and strengths match the program needs
Tips for Writing a Solid Personal Essay for School
1. Read the instructions for your online school’s prerequisite essay. Answer the question posed. Small differences in wording can affect how you approach each essay.
2. If instructions say keep it to one page, do so. If instructions say 100 words, stick to 100 words. If the length is not specified, write no more than two pages.
3. Write a strong opening paragraph that grabs the attention of the reader. Admission committee members might read fifty essays in a day.
4. Do not write a boilerplate essay. Use the knowledge you gained from researching the program to explain why you think the program is a good match. Your reasons should reflect your knowledge of the program.
5. Describe your goals, even if you are not exactly sure what you want to do professionally. Indicating that you have a purpose in obtaining your degree shows that you are focused and motivated and have a real sense of the possibilities.
6. Be yourself. This is the most common advice from admission directors. You want to be accepted by a program that is a good match for you. At the same time, frame your weaknesses in a positive light.
Things to Remember
The essay is the primary tool admission officers of your online school use to decide among hundreds or even thousands of applicants with comparable experience and academic credentials, even in online degree programs. In fact, more than one third of the time an admission officer spends on your application is spent evaluating your essay. To stand out, your essay must not only demonstrate your grasp of grammar and ability to write lucid, structured prose, it must also paint a vivid picture of your personality and character, one that compels a busy admission officer to admit you. Take the time and make the essay the best representation of you possible!
