Tag Archive for: essay

How to Write an Effective College Essay

How to Write an Effective College Application Essay

/in /by

How to Write an Effective College Application Essay

How to Write an Effective College Essay

You’ve worked hard in class to get the grades and you studied up for the SAT. Now it’s time to write your college application essay! This is your chance to show your personality and let the admissions committee get to know you beyond the numbers. Below, we’ll guide you through writing an effective college application essay.


Understanding the Importance of the College Application Essay

Your college application essay is an opportunity to share your experiences, dreams, and personality with college admissions committees. This is your chance to let them know what your values are, what kind of person you are, and who you want to be. Your college application essay can be what differentiates you from an identical applicant who has a similar GPA and exam score.


Choosing the Right Topic

Like any writing assignment, sometimes the hardest part is starting, and to start you’ll need to pick your topic. A good place to begin is to reflect on your personal experiences and what’s important to you. Think about moments that have impacted your life, influenced your perspective, or taught you lessons. What challenges have you overcome? When did you have to stand up for what you believe in? Did you ever have to work really hard to achieve a goal? These are stories that are personal and resonate with admissions officers.

Keep in mind that many students write about similar activities like sports, volunteering, and student leadership in their essays. It’s perfectly fine to write about a sports victory or volunteer trip, but focus on your unique perspective and personal growth. Whatever you choose, make sure it aligns with the prompt and highlights your individuality.


Crafting a Compelling Narrative

The best college application essays tell a story. Don’t list your achievements or describe an event with a play-by-play of what happened. Instead, create a narrative that engages the reader. How were you feeling? What did you notice? Share your perspective and use descriptive language to paint a picture for the reader and allow them to experience the moment with you.

Remember that authenticity is important. Don’t simply write what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Authentic stories, even if they’re about small, everyday experiences, can be incredibly powerful and tell a lot about who you are.

Don’t forget that the most compelling essays often highlight personal growth and self-reflection. How did the experience challenge you or change you? What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about the world around you?


Structuring the Essay

A well-structured essay is easy to read and more impactful than a poorly structured essay. Start with an attention-grabbing introduction. This could be a surprising fact, a question, or a vivid description that sets the scene for your story.

In the body of your essay, develop your main ideas in clear, concise paragraphs. Make sure each paragraph transitions smoothly to the next one and build on the story. Keep your reader engaged with a logical progression and avoid unnecessary tangents.

The conclusion of your essay should tie everything together and reinforce the main message of your essay. The reader should finish with a clear understanding of your story and the message you shared.


Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your College Application Essay

  1. Being too generic: Your essay should be specific to you and reflect your personal experiences. Essays that are too broad or could apply to anyone will not stand out.
  2. Overusing complex vocabulary: While it’s important to demonstrate your writing skills, using big words just for the sake of it can make your essay sound forced and unnatural. Write in your own voice and let your personality shine through.
  3. Going over the word limit: Admissions officers have hundreds of essays to read, and if your essay is too long, it could be cut off or even disregarded altogether.
  4. Not fully addressing the prompt: It’s easy to get carried away with your story and forget to answer the question being asked. Review the prompt carefully and ensure that your essay provides a complete response.


Conclusion

Writing a college application essay can be daunting, but it’s an opportunity to reflect on your experiences and share who you are with the admissions committee. Remember that your first draft won’t be perfect, and that’s okay. With time, effort, and the right guidance, you can write an essay that truly represents who you are and stands out in a crowded admissions pool.

If you’re feeling stuck or unsure of where to start, Hodis Learning & Music can help. We offer personalized guidance to help you brainstorm ideas, refine your writing, and create a standout essay. Call or submit a form on our website today to schedule a session.

The Do’s & Don’ts Of Finding Research Paper Sources

The Do’s & Don’ts of Finding Research Paper Sources

/in /by

The Do’s & Don’ts of Finding Research Paper Sources

The Do’s & Don’ts Of Finding Research Paper Sources

The foundation of any good research paper is made up of high-quality, primary sources. This resource post serves as a quick guide for finding good sources and avoiding the bad ones.

DO make sure you know how many and what kinds of sources you need for your assignment. Can all your sources be from online, or do you need sources from academic journals and books as well? Meeting the minimum source requirements is an easy way to get points on your paper.

DO use reputable sources when you’re searching online. A tip for ensuring that you find good online sources is by using URL links that end in .gov or .edu.

DO take advantage of academic journal databases. You can usually get free access to paid articles in databases like JSTOR, ProQuest, OVID, or Google Scholar with a student email address.

DO rely on your local or school library. Librarians can be helpful in your source search as they are familiar with the library contents and can direct you on where to find relevant books. Many can also offer guidance with online database or archive searches. Libraries may also have scholarly journals that you can borrow for your research.

DON’T simply use Wikipedia summaries. You will likely need to have primary sources to support your research claims. Primary sources are first-hand accounts of an event or topic. Wikipedia articles are not first-hand accounts and can be changed by anyone, so you don’t want to rely on potentially false information. Wikipedia can be a starting point for gaining a basic understanding of a topic, but follow the citations at the bottom of the page to find where the information is coming from.

DON’T use the first source you find. Keep a list of each source you find, and make sure any piece of information you plan to use is verified by a high-quality, reputable, primary source. It’s better to have multiple sources to reference, than to have too few.

DON’T just copy and paste your source URLs at the end of your paper. Make sure you understand the formatting requirements for your paper as that will likely be part of the grading criteria on your assignment. Use sources like Purdue Online Writing Lab to learn about writing styles and proper citations. You can also find online citation builders like EasyBib that can help you organize your sources properly.

Additionally, Hodis Learning & Music has expert writing tutors who can help you throughout the process of writing your research paper. If you think you might need more assistance in planning and writing a paper, contact Hodis Learning & Music here to get started with a tutor today.

Why you should hire a tutor for essay help.

Why You Should Hire a Tutor for Essay Help

/in /by

Why You Should Hire a Tutor for Essay Help

Why you should hire a tutor for essay help.

Hiring a tutor doesn’t always have to be on a long-term basis. Here at Hodis Learning & Music, we offer on-call tutoring for occasions when you only need a tutor for a short period of time. One of those times just might be when you have an essay to write. Whether it’s an English essay, research paper, or your personal statement for college applications, our expert tutors at HLM can make writing your next essay a breeze! So how exactly can our tutors help you with your essay writing?


The Brainstorm Session

The first step for writing any assignment is to figure out what to write about. Your tutor can help you focus on the topic of your essay to make it relevant and easy to compose. Tell us what book your essay is based on, and we’ll help determine the best angle to focus your writing on. If it’s a personal statement, all of our tutors have experience with the competitive college application process. We’ll offer advice on how to make your essay stand out to college admissions.


Outlining Your Essay

Once you and your tutor have established a topic, we’ll work with you to outline your essay. Every essay must be constructed around a solid thesis statement, which your tutor will perfect with you. If you’re unfamiliar with an essay format, your tutor will guide you through the process and make it easy to understand. Additionally, your tutor can help you find supporting evidence in your text, or direct you on where to find relevant and reliable sources.


Editing and Proofreading

After you’ve written the first draft, your tutor will edit and proofread your essay. From spelling and grammar mistakes to word choice to paragraph topics, your tutor will offer feedback that can strengthen your essay for the next draft. And of course, your tutor can be the last set of eyes on your essay before you submit your final version.

From these sessions, you’ll learn the tools and skills you’ll need to ace any essay or report!

To see who our expert writing tutors are, click here. And learn more about Hodis Learning & Music on-call rates, or reach out to our team to get help with your essay writing today.

Hiring a tutor

When Should You Hire a Tutor?

/in /by

When Should You Hire a Tutor?

 

Hiring a tutor

 

With the end of the semester approaching, it seems like the perfect time to get a tutor to help your student study for finals or nail down those challenging concepts. But this isn’t the only time you should consider hiring a tutor. Below are some other times you might want someone to help your student with school work.


At the Beginning of a New Semester

Start off a new term on the right foot by scheduling a tutor right away! This will be particularly important if your student struggled the previous semester or school year and you don’t want them to fall behind. Because teachers will introduce new concepts that build upon previous lessons, a tutor can help reinforce those old concepts and integrate how those relate to what your student is learning in class in real-time.


After a Big Exam

Okay, you’ve had the first big test of the semester and your student gets their grade back. If it’s not what you or your student were expecting, or if your student knows there were concepts they didn’t understand on the test, this is the perfect time to hire a tutor! Discuss with the teacher, or have your student meet with their teacher, to learn which questions they missed. With that information, the tutor can hone in on exactly what areas and concepts to go over with your student. A tutor can also offer test-taking tips, so your student can manage their time effectively and strategically approach exams.


If Your Student Lacks Confidence in a Subject

Is your student scared to read out loud during class? Do they drag their feet doing math homework? Maybe they never participate in Spanish class discussions. These could be signs that they lack confidence in a certain subject, even if they are smart and capable. A tutor can help your student gain confidence by ensuring they understand the basics of a subject. “Usually that’s where I see students struggling with confidence, because they don’t know the basic concepts and they’re afraid to ask for help or feel like it’s too late to learn,” shares Hodis Learning & Music President Drew Hodis. A tutor can break down difficult lessons, explain concepts in new ways, and slow down students so they understand the work they’re doing.


Before an Essay is Due

A tutor can help your student with essay writing at whatever stage they may be at. From brainstorming topics and forming a strong thesis statement, to integrating supporting evidence and constructing paragraphs, a tutor can take your student’s writing to the next level, help them ace their essay and improve their writing skills.

Hiring a tutor under any circumstance can be an important and necessary step to ensure your student feels confident in class and understands concepts. School and learning can feel overwhelming, but having the right tutor can make even the most intimidating or confusing subject material more approachable.

Schedule a session with one of our tutors today!