First and foremost, tell your own story. Do not rely on cliches or stories found online. Talk about something that is truly personal and important to you.

Do not avoid niche, weird, quirky or harrowing stories. If you think nobody will care about your passion for flags or butterflies you are sorely mistaken. It is better to mention something that drives you than create a fake act.

Do not tell the admissions officers what they already know or what should be expected, such as that you are a good student, receiving straight As. That is neither unique nor particularly noteworthy. What is more interesting is your dream for the world, your vision for yourself or the challenges you had to overcome to become a great student.

Remain clear and concise. Pick a topic and really delve into it. Do not go on tangents or try to fit numerous topics into one. Go through your topic, elaborate on what you have done, what skills you have gained and how it fits into your overall story.

Truly great essays manage to build a strong story, in which students manage to tie together their academic achievements, personal stories and work experiences into a single path that point to their future study at the educational institution of their choice.

That choice also has to be substantiated, why this university and not another. And no “this is something I dreamt about since I was a child” does not cut it here. Name programs, teachers, departments, and things that excite you and you see yourself jumping into if given a chance. Identify it, reflect on it, and write about it!

Lastly, a student demonstrates concrete desires for the future whether in terms of broad goals (developing new biomedical applications for robotics) or personal aims (to run for the Parliament in 10 years).

Here at Atlas, we prepare students for their university applications by building the best possible academic and career portfolios, resumes and stories possible.