Editing Personal Statements and Supplemental Essays
By Jennifer Joseph
Looking for resume writing and tutoring services that actually make a difference? We help professionals and students stand out with personalized support and strong communication skills. There’s an art and science to resume writing. HR departments receive hundreds of applications per job, and many are reviewed in under 30 seconds.
You have now written the essay(s) after choosing the topic(s) for your personal statement and/or supplemental essays.
The Common and proprietary applications’ personal statementsmust be no more than 650 words. Supplemental essays are typically shorter. Any essay that runs either far under or over the word count does not necessarily make for a better essay.
Read on for guidance on how to edit a college essay.
Editing
All essays must always be edited given that rough drafts usually are rough! You will notice and correct more errors when editing at least 1 day after completing the draft. Allow up to 2 weeks for editing essay(s) multiple times for different purposes. Expect to significantly decrease the total drafted word count after edits.
Proofread the document forwards for content looking for errors such as awkwardly worded sentences, overly worded sentences, misplaced and dangling modifiers, and inconsistent verb tenses.
Proofread the document backwards word by word for any missed spelling errors. Look for spelling errors that Spell Check doesn’t catch, such as to, too and though, through, and thought.
Editing tips:
Read each sentence out loud to “hear” the errors
Cohesively blend sentences within a paragraph
Check subject/verb agreement in every sentence
Maintain a consistent verb tense in all paragraphs
Use many action verbs
Check for and edit run-on sentences of 3 – 4 lines or more typed text
Check for dependent clauses (no subject and verb) masquerading as sentences (contains subject and verb)
Explain abbreviations for a title or company the first time referenced, use the abbreviation thereafter, ex. Department of Commerce (DOC)
Avoid using too many prepositional phrases, i.e., “hands of the clock” becomes “clock hands”
Avoid ending sentences with a preposition or a verb
Do not start sentences with “There is”, “There are”, “So”, “But” or “Because”
Employing the full process of writing will allow you to write a tightly-worded, strongly-voiced essay guaranteed to command the attention of admissions staff at your desired university. Let the editing begin!
Editing Personal Statements and Supplemental Essays
By Jennifer Joseph
Looking for resume writing and tutoring services that actually make a difference? We help professionals and students stand out with personalized support and strong communication skills. There’s an art and science to resume writing. HR departments receive hundreds of applications per job, and many are reviewed in under 30 seconds.
You have now written the essay(s) after choosing the topic(s) for your personal statement and/or supplemental essays.
The Common and proprietary applications’ personal statementsmust be no more than 650 words. Supplemental essays are typically shorter. Any essay that runs either far under or over the word count does not necessarily make for a better essay.
Read on for guidance on how to edit a college essay.
Editing
All essays must always be edited given that rough drafts usually are rough! You will notice and correct more errors when editing at least 1 day after completing the draft. Allow up to 2 weeks for editing essay(s) multiple times for different purposes. Expect to significantly decrease the total drafted word count after edits.
Proofread the document forwards for content looking for errors such as awkwardly worded sentences, overly worded sentences, misplaced and dangling modifiers, and inconsistent verb tenses.
Proofread the document backwards word by word for any missed spelling errors. Look for spelling errors that Spell Check doesn’t catch, such as to, too and though, through, and thought.
Editing tips:
Employing the full process of writing will allow you to write a tightly-worded, strongly-voiced essay guaranteed to command the attention of admissions staff at your desired university. Let the editing begin!
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