Applying to college is always stressful. And writing an essay to complement your application might be the hardest part. The best college essays use vivid details, tell personal stories, and emphasize your personality. They also avoid clichés and focus on your individuality. But how do you create one?
This article is meant to help you! Here you’ll find a pack of downloadable PDF examples of a good college essay that will help you craft a strong essay and get noticed.
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9 Examples of Good College Essays That Work
If you’re stuck with your essay, looking at a good college essay sample can really help. It will show you what a great essay looks like and give inspiration for writing. In this section, you will find 9 great college essay examples PDF files that you can download for free.
Essay Example #1
A good college essay reflects on events that helped shape your identity and values. Our first example shows how a student discovers a big purpose through standing with their community.
Why this college essay example works:
- It starts with a bold and intriguing statement.
- The essay shares a voluntary experience and community commitment.
- It reflects on the lessons learned and shows how they helped the student explore their purpose.
- It shows real action and responsibility.
- It has a clear structure.
- It is very human and reveals the true personality of the student, which is among the first (and one of the main) points in our college essay checklist for students.
Essay Example #2
Our next college essay sample also talks about social responsibility and a purpose, though it takes a slightly different perspective. It talks about action, resilience, and passion discovered through adversity.
Why this college essay example works:
- The topic is not cliché.
- This sample uses sensory details to capture attention.
- It explains the motivation for studying a particular field of science based on personal experience.
- It emphasizes the student’s social responsibility and interest in volunteering.
- It highlights leadership quality and problem-solving.
- The sample uses reflection on real-life experiences.
- It demonstrates the student’s ability for self-learning.
- It aligns future study with professional aspirations.
- It effectively shows the student’s personality, beliefs, and values.
Essay Example #3
Although reflecting on community and volunteering works great, not every essay must be like that. Sometimes, a more personal experience can also work great, such as one in this example.
Why this college essay example works:
- The example starts with a question that creates a sense of connection with the audience.
- It doesn’t focus on big community problems. And this makes it much more personal.
- It combines a challenge, commitment, and personal growth that resulted from a family problem.
- It emphasizes compassion and commitment.
- It also highlights the student’s ability to get through challenges and learn.
- Like other good essay examples for college, it aligns future study with personal experiences.
Essay Example #4
Compared to previous examples, the next one isn’t about major challenges. It’s all about exploring a passion that a student wants to carry on. It’s about work and pursuing dreams.
Why this college essay example works:
- It might be less exciting or deep. However, this example speaks about the student’s true passion.
- The sample explains how and when the student developed an interest in their target field of study.
- It connects future career aspirations with the chosen field of study.
- At the same time, it emphasizes some of the important personality traits, such as resilience and accountability.
- This essay feels real and very grounded, which is why it makes an impression.
Essay Example #5
Another good way to write a college essay is to tell a story about a turning point that has changed your life and future goals. The example below shows how.
Why this college essay example works:
- Firstly, this sample is quite intriguing. It captures the reader’s attention with a statement that sounds odd and then explains it.
- It shares a story in which the student has demonstrated leadership, problem-solving, and commitment.
- It demonstrates a number of crucial life skills and qualities.
- It explains the motivation for studying the chosen major.
- At the same time, the sample links the student’s interest in a particular field of study to a bigger goal.
Essay Example #6
Qualities like compassion, assistance to others, and determination are highly valued by admission committees. The sample below shows how you can emphasize these traits in your essay.
Why this college essay example works:
- This sample shows a student who finds it important to help others using their knowledge and skills.
- Such examples of good college essay don’t look generic.
- It emphasizes the unique personality and highlights strong character qualities that schools value.
- It also shows responsibility and attention to detail.
- It provides an explanation of why the student wants to study in a particular major.
- The essay sounds grounded and reflective.
- Such college essay topics sound mature.
Essay Example #7
While many students avoid speaking about tragic events in their essays, such topics can really help you stand out if they have a purpose behind them. Check out a sample.
Why this college essay example works:
- The essay begins with a philosophic statement that pretty much any person can relate to. This captures attention.
- It tells about a tragic event, which makes it sound incredibly personal.
- It’s frank.
- It’s important that the sample doesn’t make readers feel pity for the author. On the contrary, it turns a tragedy into a personal strength and aligns it with future study and career aspirations.
- It focuses on observation and reflection rather than blame.
Essay Example #8
Sometimes, small and seemingly unimportant stories can have a massive impact on personality formation and future aspirations. The next essay sample shows how a non-trivial story can really capture attention.
Why this college essay example works:
- Topics like this one can make good examples of college essays because they are not widespread. This is a great opportunity to capture attention.
- It quietly emphasizes such important character traits as responsibility and reliability.
- The story demonstrates the student’s ability to be focused and attentive to detail, as well as the ability to focus on the process, not performance.
- It shows a clear academic interest.
- It links personal interest to future study goals.
Essay Example #9
The last sample in our guide speaks about a big and challenging part of a student’s life. It tells about hurdles, but shows how they can be seen as strengths.
Why this college essay example works:
- This sample shares a very vulnerable and personal story that has obviously impacted the student’s identity.
- It explains the hardships but doesn’t focus on them too much. Instead, it explains how the obstacle became a personal strength.
- The essay also emphasizes important life skills that colleges and universities are often looking for.
- It demonstrates flexibility and reflection.
- It sounds forward-focused and logically connects the student’s life experience to their choice of a college major.
Key Features of Strong College Essays
Now you have examples of good college essays. What do they have in common?
Based on samples of essays that worked and our professional experience, we can point out the following key features of the best college essays:
- Focus and specificity.
- Personal narrative.
- Good organization and logical flow.
- A strong opening that hooks the reader from the start.
- A focus on deeper, personal topics rather than just a restatement of achievements.
- A unique perspective and no clichés.
- Reflection on events.
- Vivid details and a “show, don’t tell” approach.
- A punchy “kicker” line for a lasting impression.
Leverage our essay examples to create an essay that has it all. Use proven writing strategies like crafting multiple drafts, reading your essay aloud, and asking someone else to take a look at it.
The Bottom Line
Creating a college essay that gets you noticed by the admission committee has never been easy. Many students struggle with it for weeks, trying to find their authentic voice and a way to stand out. Luckily, now you have a list of examples of good college essays that can inspire your writing. Use the samples from this guide to understand the proper structure and flow of a winning college essay.
Need more help? If you’re still struggling with your essay, even with samples at hand, EssayWriter is a perfect solution for professional help with any academic task, including college essays.
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- "Top Ten Tips for Writing a College Essay." National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). https://www.nacacnet.org/top-ten-tips-for-writing-a-college-essay/
- Pamela Reynolds. "12 Strategies to Writing the Perfect College Essay." Harvard Summer School, 26, Jul. 2022. https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/12-strategies-to-writing-the-perfect-college-essay/
- "Essays That Worked." Johns Hopkins University. https://apply.jhu.edu/college-planning-guide/essays-that-worked/
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