myUface Blog

Here’s my advice for a great way to edit your essays:

1. Pick a friend (or a few friends) who know you very well.
2. Ask them to read your essay.
3. DO NOT ask them what they thought of your essay. This is the question almost everyone asks of their friends in this situation.  “So, guys, what did you think?”  This is a terrible questions because:  a) they are your friends, so even if your essay is terrible they’re going to tell you it’s awesome; and b) what are they?  Writing professors?  Are you sure they’re qualified to judge the quality of your essay?
4. INSTEAD, ask them this far superior question: “When you read this essay, do you recognize me in it?  Can you tell I wrote it?  Why or why not?“
5. LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY TO THEIR ANSWERS.
6. If they can’t recognize you – if the essay describes a person they don’t recognize – then it’s not a good essay.  Period.  It doesn’t matter how perfect the English, how wonderful the storytelling.  If you are not sharing who you genuinely are, if you are not highlighting what makes you unique, you are completely missing the point of the essay.  Your friends can tell you better than anyone if the person they know (you) is in the essay you wrote.
7. If necessary, rewrite the essay until your friends DO recognize your voice in it.

VOILA!  There we have it – The Greatest Editing Trick For College Application Essays.

Posts in this Series

1. Tell Us About Yourself: Final Advice for Essay Writing - 08 Oct
2. Should You Pay To Have Your Essay Edited? - 01 Oct
3. The Greatest Editing Trick For College Application Essays (This post)
4. How To Edit Your Essay - 28 Sep
5. The "What They Want to Hear" Mistake - 17 Sep
6. Know Your Reader, Part Four - 16 Sep
7. Know Your Reader, Part Three - 15 Sep
8. Know Your Reader, Part Two - 14 Sep
9. Know Your Reader, Part One - 13 Sep
10. Listen to an Admissions Officer Discuss Essays - 11 Sep
11. How to Write an Essay for University Applications - 09 Sep

OK, so you’ve written your college application essay.  What now?

Well, writing it isn’t enough.   Now you need to edit it, again and again, until it’s perfect.

A lot of students think editing means they need to improve their essay – as if their initial work wasn’t good enough, and they need to add something to make it better.  This is the wrong way to think about editing your essay.

Instead, think of editing as refining.  Imagine that your essay is a large chunk of rock, with a precious bit of gold inside.  When you edit the essay, you need to peel off all the pieces of useless rock, to reveal the true gold inside.

Here’s what to look for:

• unnecessary words. Chances are at least 33% of the words you’ve written aren’t needed.  When we’re nervous we tend to say or write a lot of ineffective words – words that make sense, but aren’t 100% needed.  For example, “I hope to come back to help to develop my country” should be “I hope to develop my country.”
• “complicated” words – many students, in an attempt to show how smart they are, use very long words when short ones would do.  Remember, saying something clearly and simply is usually going to be your best bet.
• overly long sentences. Keep your sentences short and to the point.  Don’t run on and on in an attempt to seem hyper-intelligent.  Remember, the essay is not a test of intelligence, or even of writing.  It’s a chance to show something unique and positive about yourself.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about what is, in my opinion, The Greatest Editing Technique Of All Time.

1. Tell Us About Yourself: Final Advice for Essay Writing - 08 Oct
2. Should You Pay To Have Your Essay Edited? - 01 Oct
3. The Greatest Editing Trick For College Application Essays - 29 Sep
4. How To Edit Your Essay (This post)
5. The "What They Want to Hear" Mistake - 17 Sep
6. Know Your Reader, Part Four - 16 Sep
7. Know Your Reader, Part Three - 15 Sep
8. Know Your Reader, Part Two - 14 Sep
9. Know Your Reader, Part One - 13 Sep
10. Listen to an Admissions Officer Discuss Essays - 11 Sep
11. How to Write an Essay for University Applications - 09 Sep

According to this article in the Washington Post, thousands of students who had planned on attending “traditional” four-year institutions are choosing instead to go to community colleges.

Community college enrollment in the Washington region rose by nearly 12,000 students this fall, a 10 percent bump. The recession diverted large numbers of high school seniors from four-year colleges to less-expensive two-year colleges.

“I’ve heard stories of high school students who were accepted at U-Va. or Virginia Tech, and what their parents have done is ask them to wait out a year, come here for a year, purely for economics,” said Deborah DiCroce, president of Tidewater Community College in the South Hampton Roads region of Virginia. Fall enrollment at Tidewater was projected to rise to 30,500 this year from 26,898 last year.

As a result, community colleges have expanded their faculty, and increased their working hours.  At some community college campuses, you can take classes at midnight!

What does this mean for you?  It means that you might consider community colleges as a first step in the American educational system.  More and more, they are attracting high quality students, high quality professors, and high quality technology – and offering it to students at a fraction of the cost charged by “traditional” universities.

Are you looking for a high quality education in the United States, but don’t want to spend four years away from home or hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition?  Community colleges might be the answer you’re looking for.  Community colleges generally offer two-year degrees, called “associates degrees,” in a variety of fields.  Generally speaking, community colleges provide education in emerging technologies or in technical skills.

Dr. Jill Biden, an instructor at community colleges herself, and the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, toured some community colleges alongside President Obama, and had this to say:

Every day in my classroom I also see the power of education to break down barriers and to open students’ eyes to the possibilities around them.

I saw that power again as President Obama and I toured several high-tech classrooms and spoke with students who are being trained in cutting-edge and emerging technologies to meet the workforce needs of their region. There is no doubt that the education gained on [community college] campuses . . . will provide the knowledge that will power the American and global economies of the 21st century.

I have always said community colleges are one of America’s best kept secrets – and I am so pleased that now we have a president who is highlighting their contribution, making a historic commitment to higher education, and bringing more and more students to [community] colleges . . . so they, too, can gain the skills and the confidence they need to succeed in a new era.

You might want to consider a community college for your U.S. education.  Barack Obama certainly thinks so!

Dear blog readers and myUface users,

A quick note today:  we’re opening a new page on the blog, entitled “Frequently Asked Questions.”  This will be the place where you can visit to learn the answers to common questions about myUface.  Over time, this page will grow to include every possible bit of information about myUface.com.

If you have a question of your own, don’t be shy!  Submit it here, and we’ll answer it on the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Yes, it’s true:  Opportunity Grants offer up to $10,000 to help cover the costs of your U.S. education.

This is Michael Curtis, writing today on a very important subject.  On June 22, Nate made a very important blog entry focused on US Government financed educational opportunities. Nate hit some great points – there are numerous opportunities for students to study at little or no cost in the U.S. Perhaps more importantly, most of these programs begin recruiting students right now! September generally is the start of recruitment for most high school, undergraduate and graduate programs.

Many tens of thousands of students will apply for these fellowships. Unfortunately, not all will be chosen. That’s where myUface comes in. However, as we’ve mentioned, myUface doesn’t guarantee 100% financing for your education. In all likelihood, you will have to come up with at least a portion of the cost of your education and living expenses while in the U.S. While this is often difficult, don’t despair! The US State Department funds a fantastic program in numerous countries that can cover up to $10,000 for things like:

• test preparation
• visa and application fees;
• transportation costs;
• books;
• English language courses ; and
• (in some cases) top-off funds toward tuition.

The program is called “Opportunity Grants” and it represents one of the most exiting ways for many students to help with covering some of the costs of education. While these grants are not offered in each country, many students will benefit from them.

How do you go about finding out more about opportunity grants and how they might make your dream of studying in the US a bit closer to reality? Check out the website of your local US embassy! For instance, if you are a citizen of Kazakhstan, you would find the information here. You could also read the following, available  for download.

Don’t forget about opportunity grants when you are determining whether or not you can afford to study in the US!  Visit the website of your U.S. Embassy or Educational Advising Center to see if Opportunity Grants are a possibility for you!

Update: According to the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan, students from the following countries are eligible for Opportunity Grants:

Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen. Beginning summer 2009, students from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama will also be eligible to apply through the local EducationUSA advising office.

myUface is free for students. That means that you can create and publish an online profile for U.S. universities to look at for free.

Go BACK to “Questions and Answers.”

myUface doesn’t have control over the admissions decisions of U.S. universities, so we can’t promise that by using our service you’ll get into a U.S. university. However, we can greatly improve your chances of finding a U.S. university by:

• simplifying the application process
• providing you with a way to advertise yourself to many different universities at the same time
• giving you advice about how to improve your application

The truth is, the process of getting into a U.S. university is not as complicated as it seems. You can do it, if you are dedicated and willing to work hard. And remember, you’re not alone: we will be there to help.

Go BACK to “Questions and Answers.”

At myUface.com we will help you create a student profile and application and share it with our university partners. Your profile includes everything a university needs to know about you – your educational goals, your financial information, your application materials (like essay and test scores), and even fun things like sports you play or hobbies you enjoy.

Once we walk you through the creation of your profile, myUface will help find the right university and program for you. What’s even better, our universities will be able to review your profile and contact you if they think you would be a good fit for them.

When we find a university that fits your needs, and that university likes your profile, the university will invite you to apply.

Go BACK to “Questions and Answers.”

Unfortunately, no. But some of our university partners may offer scholarships to outstanding international students. In addition, at the myUface.com blog we will give some advice about international financial aid opportunities.

Go BACK to “Questions and Answers.”