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How do I write a college essay specific to one college ("why this college") How do I write one that showcases my unique interests? ?

I am a current senior in High school. I would like to get a neuroscience major. I like nature a lot and music has helped me with my mental health stability. I sometimes feel like I don't know how to put my thoughts into words, how can I improve on that?

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Michelle’s Answer

You probably have hidden writing skills that you may not be aware of. I would suggest keeping a notebook and writing everyday. In your essay to the school, you can mention the things you like about the particular college in general. Also talk about how you're interested in and or impressed with their neuroscience department. A visit in person to the school most likely will also inspire you. Talk about your acheivements in the essay, too.

If you can't find a word that feels like a good fit, use a Thesaurus. There are many on the internet. Do not be hesitant to ask for help on sentence structure and punctuation. Ask friends or family to proof read the essay and make suggestions. This is basically general advice about writing anything.

You can also mention any experience you have with neuroscience and what your long term goals might be and how that school has impressed you as being the best for you and why. You will want to cite any experience you have with clinical research or in the health field even if it is volunteer work.

Take this one step at a time. Organize your thoughts on paper and, if it helps, record your thoughts and listen to it and see if that inspires new ideas. Taking it slowly will reduce any stress you may be feeling.

Putting one's thoughts into words comes with practice. Just remember to be honest and use the tools that help you along, such as assistance from friends or family, a thesaurus, but most of all your unique thoughts and ideas that will make you stand out as individual and unique.

Best wishes with the essay and all of your writing !
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much for your guidance! Pragnya
Thank you comment icon You are very welcome, Pragnya ! Michelle M.
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Celeste’s Answer

First, get yourself properly prepared with info! Know yourself, and your goals for studying neuroscience and how that aligns with the program at this college specifically. I'd definitely recommend doing research on the college itself to make sure you're fully aware of the type of program offered, as that will help you get your writing started off on the right foot! Knowing the specifics of the program at the college can give you an outline of what points to speak to during your writing. Speaking of outlines - it might help to actually make one! A simple outline can look like this:

-intro paragraph with thesis statement (your main points in the essay)
- point 1
-point 2
- point 3
- conclusion

Personally, I used to Google "essay outline" and look in Google Images to give myself visuals of how the different sections of an essay can be broken down. Just make sure you're using one that works for this specific writing purpose - this is super important in writing for colleges, because any formatting issues can cause readers to overlook too quickly!

For formatting specifics take a look at Purdue Owl, as it will break down the whys and hows of writing for different formats, just in case your essay has to be in a format other than MLA.
Thank you comment icon I really appreciate the sample outline, thank you so much! Pragnya
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Tiarra’s Answer

Do some research on the college and maybe even peruse the college website to get a better understanding of the college and the program you are interested in joining. Begin enhancing your writing skills by using semi-free websites like Grammarly.com and ProWriting Ad. These sites will check your writing for errors. Some colleges provide free services for Grammarly, allowing students to copy and paste entire sentences, paragraphs, and essays for grammar error checks. Also, Purdue Owl is a great website to learn about formatting. Most undergraduate schools and programs use MLA and this website is a good place to look at MLA formatting. So start learning how to format your Works Cited page and this is also known as your Bibliography and/or Reference page. Begin practicing now with the paragraphs and essays you have to write in high school, not just to impress your teachers but to give you a head start for college. You're going to do great!
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much! Pragnya
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