Short Essay Samples

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Below is a pdf link to personal statements and application essays representing
strong efforts by students applying for both undergraduate and graduate
opportunities. These ten essays have one thing in common: They were all written by
students under the constraint of the essay being 1-2 pages due to the target
program’s explicit instructions. In such circumstances, writers must attend
carefully to the essay prompt (sometimes as simple as “Write a one-page summary of
your reasons for wanting to pursue graduate study”) and recognize that evaluators
tend to judge these essays on the same fundamental principles, as follows:

First, you are typically expected to provide a window into your personal
motivations, offer a summary of your field, your research, or your background, set
some long-term goals, and note specific interest in the program to which you are
applying.
Second, you are expected to provide some personal detail and to communicate
effectively and efficiently. Failure to do so can greatly limit your chances of
acceptance.
Good writers accomplish these tasks by immediately establishing each paragraph’s
topic and maintaining paragraph unity, by using concrete, personal examples to
demonstrate their points, and by not prolonging the ending of the essay needlessly.
Also, good writers study the target opportunity as carefully as they can, seeking
to become an “insider,” perhaps even communicating with a professor they would like
to work with at the target program, and tailoring the material accordingly so that
evaluators can gauge the sincerity of their interest