Drafting your one-and-only college application essay is definitely a stressful experience. Especially if writing is not your strong suit, summing up yourself, your goals and your aspirations in one singular essay is not an easy task. Your college essay is a way for you to set yourself apart from the competition by incorporating elements of creativity and uniqueness. You don’t want to pass on this opportunity.

When you sit down to start churning out your college essay, be sure to follow these tips for making it flow as smoothly as possible.

• Brainstorming: For some people, sitting down and just letting the words flow is how they get their best writing done. For others, it’s important to put some brainstorming into the creative process. If you’re on the fence about what topic you want to pursue, sit down with a pen and start “mapping out” the essay before you write it.
• First draft: We know you probably don’t want to think about how much time your college essay is going to take – but trust us – you want to put the time into this project. You’re going to want to sit down, in one take, and pump out the first You may end up throwing it out, completely revising it, or sticking with the draft.
• Three parts: Make sure your essay follows normal essay standards. That means a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Map out what points you want to hit in the body, and be sure to allude to those points in both the intro and the conclusion.

And of course, be specific. Pick your theme and topic, and be bold about it. Add specifics everywhere you want. These colleges want to get to know you as a person. Provide them with the facts.