ESSAY DO’S AND DON’TS
To end this chapter, here are a series of other essay tips that are best demonstrated as Do’s and Don’ts.

DO	DON'T
1. Write short, concise essays that inform, reveal, and/or amuse.	1. Try to say too much, ramble on; think that more is better: it’s not.
2. Appear to be humble, even somewhat self- effacing. Show how you have taken advantage of the resources made available to you.	2. Appear to be self-centered, boastful, a person who likes to toot his/her own horn.
3. Give the impression that you take very seriously the college application process, and especially the essay questions; you value education and learning and will exceed the college’s expectations.	3. Give the impression that you dislike or are tired of the application process, especially the essay questions; that you want to go to college only to have a good time.
4. Be yourself.	4. Write as if you’re trying to impress the essay reader by using affected words or dealing with ostentatious subjects.
5. Give the message that you are mature, positive, sensitive, upbeat, modest, reflective, thoughtful, intelligent, contemplative, secure, confident, persistent, tenacious, courageous, curious.	5. Give the message that you are arrogant, disrespectful, sarcastic, melodramatic, overly emotional, money-grubbing, superficial, insecure, a slacker, prissy, judgmental, negative or holier than thou.
6. Show evidence of having done research about a particular college; having real knowledge about a campus, its programs and activities, as well as its students.	6. Give the impression that you know little about a college by writing trite things, e.g., it has a beautiful campus, a great football team, is prestigious.
7. Write about anything that is counter intuitive about yourself: a football player who has an academic passion, a girl who is interested in math or physics, a guy who is interested in education.	7. Make something up about yourself to impress the application reader.
8. Use a variety of words or phrases to describe a certain idea.	8. Use the same words over and over (certainly more than twice).
9. Explain anything that needs explaining: an illness, a tragedy, a bad quarter, etc.	9. Make excuses for anything such as bad grades, an infringement of rules.
10. Go for a smile or a giggle. Use your sense of humor.	10. Try to be funny but end up sounding immature or inappropriate.