sample essay about myself

HoboStudent is aimed at giving advice, guides, and information to students who are struggling to get by, especially during these times of recession. Basically, the blog’s motto says it all: “Where the broke students go.” Getting by college life is difficult, but the difficulty level rises a few notches when you don’t have the money you need for this. HoboStudent seems to have a mission to inform and aid students how to get through college without much money. The blog has topics like Obtaining Beer with Little to No Money and The Secret to a Free Haircut.

What you’ll like about HoboStudent

HoboStudent has a web design that is very easy to use. With the categories lined horizontally along the heading of the page and other links lined along the right margin, the webpage is easy to navigate. Also, the blog posts are easy to spot and easy to access with large link buttons. Another good feature of HoboStudent is the use of pictures. Including pictures for each blog entry is important if you want to grab the attention of your visitors. The layout of the page is very organized and easy to understand as well.

What’s not so great about this blog

At first sight, it would seem as though HoboStudent has a good concept, albeit rather pessimistic. If I personally planned and conceptualized this site, I would try to have a more optimistic approach to helping less fortunate students get by in college. Instead of teaching students how to get by with no money, why not focus on helping students get out of their financial struggles? When you actually take the time to read some of the posts on this blog, it makes you wonder whether the authors are genuinely trying to help or they are just trying to get some laughs from their readers. From the site name alone, HoboStudent, it’s already hard to take the blog seriously, and the blog entries only prove my point.

Student Bloggers is a blog that has the main objective of building connections between blogs, bloggers, and blog readers. The blogger behind this site is a college student; his target audience includes college students and bloggers. Some of the typical types of blog posts that you will find on Student Bloggers are student stories and featured blogs of the day.

A rather unique perspective

The best thing that Student Blogges has is its unique perspective. Yes, there are numerous other sites out there that seek to link blogs together, but what makes Student Bloggers unique is that it takes an unbiased approach to its aim. Other sites with a similar concept normally link together blogs from a single college or university, or link together blogs about prestigious universities. Student Bloggers, on the other hand, links together practically any student blog, as long as it conforms with the three rules posted on the blog’s “About” page.

Room for improvement

Although Student Bloggers has a good concept, the execution of this concept can be improved. First, the web design and layout needs a revamp. The site looks like a typical blog, with no personality to catch the attention and interest of the visitors. Furthermore, the website lacks color. Although some of the blogs have pictures, the blog site itself doesn’t have much decoration. The layout should also be improved for more convenient navigation and to make it easier on the eyes. Looking through webpages can be a pain on the eyes–both literally and figuratively — and when you have a cluttered layout it only makes it harder for your visitors. Finally, I suggest that Student Blogger increases the number of articles on its page. Most of the blog posts are just “featured blogs of the day,” but there isn’t much original content being produced by the Student Blogger authors.

School Is Hard is a blog that originally had the objective of helping students get through the trials and tribulations of college. As the blog founder matured, however, he took on a broader perspective. Making a strong declaration of his feelings against the modern education system, School Is Hard founder Patrick promotes “knowledge, creativity, and grades.” Although the author is no longer primarily concerned with helping college students specifically, there are still many college student-help articles on the site, like
New Ways to Improve Study Skills. Today, however, the topics are more varied, including articles like why young people should get hired despite a lack of experience, as well as topics like Comedy Central’s open mic challenge.

The good

There is a lot to like about School Is Hard, including its very mantra on knowledge, creativity, and grades. With over 100 articles focused on helping students, the site makes for a good resource. The blog also tackles important issues relating to the recession and its effects, such as unemployment and debt troubles. The integration of video posts also makes for a diverse collection of content.

The bad and the ugly

The bad side of having such diversity in content is that the site also diversifies its audience. In some cases, this can be a good thing, but a relatively small blog like School Is Hard may have some trouble if it does not have a niche audience that will keep returning to the site. Another problem with the website is that it is rather sloppily designed. For example, the entire right margin is full of links that are indistinguishable from each other and from the normal font on the page. In effect, the blog looks cluttered, difficult to navigate, and painful on the eyes. If the author can set his focus and tidy up the School Is Hard design, then there’s lots of potential for growth.

Pimp Dorm is a website that was created by a group of students. The main idea of the blog is to offer ideas, information, and advice for college students who want to improve their dorm room. Whether dorm improvement has to do with decor and cleanliness or throwing parties, Pimp Dorm has loads of information for the college student. Aside from providing some advice for pimping your dorm, the blog also has articles on college life in general.

What’s pimpin’ at Pimp Dorm

One of the best aspects of the Pimp Dorm blog is its design. Bright and bold colors come together in a contemporary design that fits in with the whole “pimp” theme. The blog layout is rather generic, with the main navigation links running down the left margin, while the popular links and ads run down the right margin. Although the layout is generic, it works well and makes it easy for visitors to navigate the site. Another interesting thing about this blog is that it has a “Dorm Video” section where you can find videos about dorm life. There is also a “Dorm Pranks” section for some funny videos of dorm-based practical jokes. Finally, the site also promotes some products for sale, which is a good fit for its theme. These unique features are great for capturing the attention of visitors and for giving visitors a reason to come back to the site.

What needs pimpin’ at Pimp Dorm

My main concern with Pimp Dorm is the lack of articles. While the articles like “Maximizing Your Dorm Room?s Space” are quite useful and relevant to the target audience, there aren’t very many articles to go through. Even a blog with the best design and an amazing concept will be worth little without a good amount of content to keep visitors busy. In time, perhaps this blog will continue to develop, adding more content, more videos, more products, and, ultimately, more reasons to keep the traffic coming.

My U Search is a website that has two main purposes. It serves as an “honest” and “objective” college search tool for students. The tool is meant to gather information about the visiting student, then suggest a number of colleges and universities based on the given information. The second purpose of the site is to provide a blog full of articles for helping students get through college life and all of the ups and downs it presents. A typical type of topic that you can find on this blog is Top 10 Tips for Your College Move-in Day.

What My U Search is doing right

My U Search is a great website and blog. Not only does it have a specific purpose and mission, but it also provides useful content to its target audience. From topics on choosing your majors to tips on getting good grades, it’s easy to see why students would find My U Search to be helpful. The blog and the website as a whole are well-designed, with categories, recommended links, and other links lined down the left margin and ads along the right margin. The header also allows visitors to easily navigate around the website, giving links to access the forum, blog, college search and match system, and other links within the site.

What My U Search is doing wrong

Truthfully, there isn’t much to complain about this blog. If anything, I would suggest a little more eye-catching design along the header of the page. Right now, all that can be seen along the header is the MyUSearch.com logo. There is a lot of room for more pictures or some other easy design upgrade. Overall, however, My U Search is a well-designed blog with loads of articles and information for students and anyone else who wants to be in the know about college life.

As with anything in life, there are always two side of a coin, the pros and cons. It is just a matter of weighing things out. If the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, then that is the only time you can decide on hiring professional services to do the editing for you.

What are professional editing services and how can you find companies offering these services?

Editing services are provided by companies that hire professional editors and writers. Usually, clients submit their work for editing and professional proofreading. These companies may be found online and are proven to give you great satisfaction with their service. However, should you wish to do the editing yourself, there are various checkers online that might help you correct your own mistakes for grammar and spelling. They do not charge any fee, but you can’t expect them to be nearly as good as professional editors.

Pros and cons of using professional essay editing service

Getting the services of an editing company might be good for a writer who is all tied up with his or her writing stints and responsibilities. Those applying for college or university admission may employ the service of professional editors to make sure that their personal statements are error-free. This increases their chances of getting admitted to their chosen school. The editor will edit the essay to make it seem free-flowing, cohesive, and professionally done.

One disadvantage though is the expense of having to hire their services. Maybe it is not commensurate to having to pay so much for something you can actually do yourself. Nevertheless, it might be good to have someone who will proofread your spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, and inconsistencies of writing to be assured of your admission in the school you have chosen. In the end, what matters most is your own voice and originality.

Related links:

Improving your writing – Tips on how to improve your writing
Proofreading tips – Basic proofreading tips
Essay for admission – How your personal statement can serve as a marketing tool for admission
SWOT analysis – Doing the SWOT analysis when writing your essay
Winning personal statements – How to turn your essay into a winning personal statement

There are so many overused styles to avoid when writing your admission essay for college. One of them is the use of cliches in writing and other trite expressions. Another tip is to only use the passive voice when needed. Otherwise, make do with the active voice when writing a personal statement. Using vague words or ambiguous expressions is not a good writing habit anymore. If before, it is thought of as creating a sense of mystique or mystery for your readers, now, it is seen as inappropriate and unnecessary, especially when writing an essay for college admission.

Starting or ending with a quote

It is good to employ the use of quotes when writing your essay. Just remember to lay out your chosen quotes correctly. You must start with a new line and indent on the second line where you will put the quote you have decided to use in your essay. Also, remember to introduce your chosen quote with a colon and quotation marks. It is necessary to place quotes correctly because it will indicate that you are professional about how you write.

Ending the essay with unfounded generalizations

The rule of thumb is to never end your essay with unfounded generalizations that will only leave your readers guessing, or what?s worse, will get your readers confused with what you are talking about in your essay. Make sure that when you conclude your essay, it does not only end with a big bang, but it also delivers what the admissions officers are looking for in your personal statement. The key here is to always give utmost consideration to your audience.

Trying to be witty (difference between trying to be witty and being genuinely witty)

Each year, countless students struggle to write their admissions essays. They exhaust all efforts and time to come up with an outstanding essay, which will guarantee that they will stand out among the other potential candidates in line. Some students, perhaps out of extreme eagerness to qualify, try to be witty or funny to make their admissions essays stand out. However, they do not realize that they must always be careful with infusing wit or humor as well, because the admissions officers would always know if the student is just pretending or faking it. It might even work against you. Therefore, never leave your readers an impression that you are too good to be true or simply trying too hard.

Related links:

Making good impression – How to make good impression on your essay
Controversial essay topics -About tackling controversial topics
Essay themes – Using religion as theme for the essay
College applications – All about college applications and personal statement
Good personal statements – About how to write a good personal statement

When writing your admission essay or personal statement, adopt a writing style that allows for use of sentence variety. However, make sure you do not overdo it, or it will only make your essay seem out of focus. Simplifying your essay is much more important than trying to appear intelligent. Thus, the use of complicated sentences in your essay is not always advisable.

Purpose of using sentence variety

Although sentence variety is recommended, remember that simplicity is still better than having so many complicated words in one sentence. Do not ever copy the writing style of the inexperienced writers who use longer and more complex sentences, thinking that doing so would manifest their level of intelligence. Veteran writers, on the other hand, know that your essay becomes more powerful and persuasive when the message is directly conveyed and concisely written.

Impact of sentence variety on your college essay

What is the impact of having sentence variety in your college essay? It makes your essay more interesting to read, free-flowing, and coherent. It breaks away from monotony or elementary style of writing. Just remember that in having sentence variety, simplicity of sentences and choice of words should never be ignored. Make sure that the sentences are easy to understand and still convey the right message.

Tips in adding sentence variety to your essay

When writing your essay or personal statement, never start your introductory paragraph with sentences that are long and are more complicated than necessary. This is because ideas do not automatically put themselves together in our minds, neither will they present themselves to your reader as an essay having clear and direct structure. Your personal statement will be considered an excellently written essay if the ideas are all tied up and very well presented in a cohesive manner.

Related links:

Essay writing guide – Tips on what NOT to include in your essay
Essay writing strategies – Basics tips on writing an admission essay
Essay themes – Using religion as theme for the essay
College applications – About college applications and the right majors
Admission essay tips – How to think like a marketer when writing your essay

Using subheadings when writing your personal statement for school admission can be an advantage if you really want to earn the coveted slot in your chosen school or university. Although they have their own pros and cons, you can use this style to present facts about yourself or highlight main ideas in your admission essay.

Basic purpose of using subheads in an essay

The ultimate purpose of using subheadings is to give the essay a much clearer introduction, a more centered argument, a better rationalized structure, and a more effective use of proof. These subheadings allow your readers to easily follow your argument. They make it more interesting for your readers to understand what you are saying.

Pros and cons of using subheads

There are advantages and disadvantages to using subheadings when writing an essay. However, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. As mentioned earlier, you can use subheads to make your writing more effective. This is because the subheadings actually serve as signposts, guiding readers to your subtopics and main ideas. It makes essay writing more effective by breaking down one big piece of content into chunks of relevant information. Another advantage of using subheads is that the skimmer type of readers can easily browse through the parts of the article or essay.

Choosing a style that’s most effective for you

You can use subheads when writing your personal statements . This is truly an effective way of maintaining your readers? interest in your essay. No one would ever want to read a huge block of content and dissect bits of information by him or herself. Subheadings make reading your essay simpler and more convenient. Just make sure that you keep your paragraphs short and direct to the point. Edit and revise to weed out irrelevant information and find the best style of writing that suits you.

Related links:

Essay writing guide – Tips on what NOT to include in your essay
Essay writing strategies – Basics tips on writing an admission essay
Writing about experiences – Guide to discussing experiences in your essay
Personal statement advice – Tips on writing your personal statement
Writing your essay – On how to write admission essays

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When writing your personal statement for school admission, you may always use your personal experiences as a main topic. Explore your experiences, highlight and capitalize on them by writing about how such life experiences changed you as a person. It will do your application good if you emphasize how they have greatly and significantly affected your life, eventually molding you into a stronger and renewed person that you are.

Unforgettable experiences as essay topics

To pique your reader?s interest, it is best to choose an unforgettable experience as your essay topic. You can use it as a main topic and then support it with further details and evidence to create a more meaningful depth to your personal statement. This way, the admissions officers will be convinced that you deserve to be admitted to their school and be part of their academic community.

Tips in exploring your experiences in your essay

Remember, you can transform even the seemingly dull topics into excellent admission essays by applying a more innovative approach. When writing your essay, you must always bear in mind your main objectives. First is to persuade the admissions panel that you are extremely deserving of admission. Second is that you go beyond having high scores or good test results. What is more important is your determination and perseverance that enables you to overcome the challenges you’ve had. With good qualities for leadership and exemplary character traits, you may be aligned with the same values upheld by the school.

Revealing yourself through your experiences

Talk about your experiences as if you’re merely conversing with your readers. When doing so, be honest and sincere. Make sure that you never get too personal when writing your personal statement as this may also backfire on you. You may lose focus on your real objectives and turn the admission essay into an autobiography of sorts.

Related links:

Making good impression – How to make good impression on your essay
Controversial essay topics -About tackling controversial topics
Essay themes – Using religion as theme for the essay
College essay tips – The dos and don’ts in writing your college application essay
Personal statements – About creating a personal statement