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
From ESSAYS THAT WILL GET YOU INTO COLLEGE, by Amy Burnham, Daniel Kaufman, and
Chris Dowhan.
Copyright 1998 by Dan Kaufman. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational
Series, Inc.
