Writing
admissions essays is not formulaic; the best essays will have
the most personal detail and passionate writing. However,
if you are suffering from severe writer’s block and need help
piecing together an effective essay, we have provided generic
templates for the most common types of essays. If you stick
strictly to these templates, you will end up with pretty awful
essays; they are solely intended to jumpstart your writing
in its earliest stages.
Warning:
If you rely heavily on these templates in your final draft,
you will write one of the worst admissions essays possible.
Use these templates only to get your own creative juices flowing.
Describe
An Influential Person
The person who
has had the biggest influence in my life is _______. Because
______ was __________ he/she taught me __________ but also
much about __________. I have been close to _______ ever since
I was _____ years old and we ______. I feel a debt of gratitude
to ________ for always being there for me through _________.
__________ has
always been my role model. I have long admired his/her success
in ________, _________, __________, and the way he/she ________.
My goal in life is to be just like him/her, to get the most
I can out of life. Because of ______’s strong influence, I
find _________ fascinating. I am always impressed that he/she
started __________ at my age and rose to be ____________ in
just a few years. _______ has supported my interest in ________,
and was very proud of me when I __________.
I also admire __________’s
devotion to ____________. This was ___________ and quickly
became _____________. This endeavor took up his/her life for
______________ until he/she _____________ in __________. Since
then, ______________ has _____________ in part because of
___________’s efforts.
____________’s
accomplishments have meant _________to me. __________ has
been ___________ in my life, showing me that ___________ and
___________. I hope to inherit his/her virtues and _____________
in order to make him/her proud.
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Discuss
an Activity Outside of the Classroom
________ has been
a crucial part of my life ever since ________. Back in _________
when I started ___________ I never imagined that __________.
_________ used to encourage me/cheer me on/drive me back and
forth as I practiced/continued to __________. During this
time I met ___________, learned ____________, and became better
at ______________.
The best part of
____________ is _________________ because ____________. Doing
____________ means __________. The __________ team/group/club/organization
introduced me to __________. For most of my peers in _______,
the goal was ____________. But for me, my main objective was
____________. I will never forget the time when I/we __________.
This team/organization gave me the opportunity to _________
and learn ___________, which has benefited me in ___________.
In addition to
the fun/competition/other, ___________ has confronted me with
many challenges. I am not naturally a good ___________. I
am not ______, _________, or _________. However, I discovered
that in order to excel at ___________, I needed to ________.
As a result, I am known on my team/organization as _________.
Each day, I become stronger at ________ and _________.
Whether I continue
_______ or not, I know that I have already built strong __________
and skills in ___________. My experiences with ___________
have taught me lessons that I can apply beyond ___________,
and I will always have __________ for years to come.
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Discuss
an Issue of Importance
During the last
__________ years, I have devoted a significant amount of time
to ___________, an issue that is often _______________ because
of ___________. In my quest to ____________, I faced many
obstacles of my own such as ______________. But after _____________,
I realized that I could _________________ and ______________.
One reason why
this issue is so ________ is that ___________. Most people
do not realize that _____________. Moreover, those who find
themselves ___________ do not have ________________. With
___________ and ____________ people who/a society that is
_____________ has little chance to ___________.
In this difficult
___________, I realized there were many _________________
who needed my ______________. By _______________, I helped
___________ to _____________. Finally, in ___________, I reached
a turning point when I ____________ with ______________ at
_____________. At this time, I had the opportunity to _______________.
I helped with _____________ and ___________. I realized that
in order to _______________, I had to _______________ and
______________. I started by ____________ and ____________,
which had the affect of _____________ and ________________.
Since this time
in _____________, I/we have accomplished/managed to/seen ____________.
Many problems remain, such as ____________ and ______________.
But with ____________ in mind, I know/our organization is
prepared to/our society can ________________. My interest
in __________ has taught me that I am __________, that my
group is ___________, and that society/our culture is _______________.
In the future, I would like to continue ____________ for the
sake of ______________ and hope to incorporate ___________
into my time at ____________.
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Move
on to Lesson Four: Style and Tone
