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Download These 7 of the Best Biology Apps for Students

Are you studying biology or considering a career in this exciting field? Check out this handy list of the best biology apps for students to download.

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Biology is the study of living organisms. To learn more about these organisms, biologists often use tools such as microscopes, test tubes, beakers, and Bunsen burners. As a student, you’re likely to use these same pieces of equipment during your school labs.

But there is one additional tool that can help you learn more about this important field: a biology app. If this sounds helpful to you, here are some of the best biology apps for students today.

Cell Biology App

One of the first things you learn about in biology is the cell. The Cell Biology app provides a multitude of information about the smallest building block of living things while also offering access to a dictionary that can be used both on- and offline. You can search for definitions, favorite and bookmark certain notes, and even look up terms with voice commands. This biology app has more than 100,000 downloads, highlighting just how many students it has helped over the years.

You can download the Cell Biology app for free in the Google Play store .

ixplain GCSE Biology App

The ixplain GSCE Biology app helps you learn about biology in a fun and easy way. Topics covered include cell structure and function, homeostasis, plant hormones, biodiversity, respiration, reproduction, the genome, and natural selection. If you’re interested in a career in biology, this particular mobile app will also give you ideas of paths to follow, along with testing you on the skills needed to excel in this field.  

This biology app can be downloaded free from Google Play or via Apple’s App Store .

BiologyMaster App

This one made the list of best biology apps for students because it includes access to several topics and quizzes, much like you’d see in your in-person or online college classrooms. BiologyMaster enables you to test your knowledge in a way that will not only help you perform better on an upcoming test but also ensures that you learn the information needed to work in this field if that’s what you’d like to do. It tests what you know about atoms, molecules, cells, living organism classifications, genetics, and evolution.

You can download this biology app free through Google Play or the App Store .

Human Body App

If your area of interest in biology is how the body works, the Human Body app can help you learn this information. This app offers an interactive model of a human being so you can check out the various systems (skeletal, circulatory, muscular, etc.). You can also feed a digital human and watch food travel through the digestive tract. How many biology apps can do that? Not many, which is what sets this one apart from several of the others.

This biology app is available on the App Store for $3.99. It’s also available on Google Play .

Microbiology App

What makes this one of the best biology apps for students? For starters, it is incredibly comprehensive. This one little app contains 158 study lessons, 26 quizzes, and 439 practice questions. These are all divided into 26 study units, covering topics such as acellular pathogens, microbial growth, disease and epidemiology, modern applications of microbial genetics, and infections of the various bodily systems.

This biology app is available for free on Google Play .

Biology Dictionary Offline App

You can’t understand biology if you don’t know what all of the terms in this field of study actually mean. That’s where this biology app comes into play. It provides the definition and meaning of over 3,500 biology terms. You can also test your knowledge of these terms with its in-app quizzes. The Biology Dictionary app is separated into categories to make it easier to find the terms you need to know, some of which include biochemistry, botany, microbiology, anatomy, taxonomy, endocrinology, and zoology.

You can download this free biology app from Google Play or the Apple App Store .

3D Biology + App

Seeing pictures of biological structures is one thing. Viewing 3D images is entirely different, giving you a 360-degree picture of human cells, neurons, and more. That’s the value that the 3D Biology + app provides. You can even download the images from the online library so you can still see them when you’re offline. It also allows you to enable and disable different parts so you can see what you want in the image without having your view obstructed by other parts.

This free biology app is available in the Google Play store for Androids and in the App Store for iOS devices.

These are just a few of the best biology apps for students. You can download one or two, or you can try them all. Either way, you’re sure to find a biology app that you love and that also helps you learn what you need to know when studying this important field.

Consider the Bachelor’s in Biology Degree Program at Saint Leo University

Interested in the vast and exciting field of biology? Check out the BS in biology degree program at Saint Leo University, offering several specializations and areas of study. Biology opens the door to numerous rewarding career tracks, many of which offer lucrative opportunities. In the end, the sky is the limit when it comes to studying biology and using this degree to discover future career success in science.

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How to Write a Biology Essay

By: Tasha Kolesnikova

How to Write a Biology Essay

Studying natural sciences and biology in particular, you’ll deal with essays as one of the ways to assess your knowledge and skills. Professors believe that this assignment helps students to develop their skills regardless of the major you pursue. Future biologists should organize their ideas in a structured and transparent manner, using reliable sources and persuasive examples to support your perspective. Even if you’ll work in laboratories, you will deal with written reports.

What is a Biology Essay?

Select the topic for your essay, select a research question, create an outline, essay introduction, thesis statement, essay conclusion, citation and references, look for samples, practice your writing, plan your writing process, ask for feedback, appropriate language for complexity science, writing services, editing proofreading services, what is biology as science, what is the importance of biology in our life, major concepts and topics in biology.

Don’t worry if you don’t have enough experience and doubt your ability to deliver a perfect paper. We have prepared useful tips to help you write a killer biology essay and deliver it on time.

A biology essay is a piece of student writing where you provide arguments and ideas concerning a particular biological topic.

There are various academic essay types, and you can adhere to one of them. For example, you can write a descriptive paper explaining a biological subject. Or an argumentative paper, providing evidence to support your point of view. One of the most common essay types is a cause and effect piece where you explain the reasons and the consequences of some events. You can also come up with the “how-to” instruction or a detailed analysis . The concrete type depends on your professor’s requirements and your preference.

How to Write a Good Essay in Biology

Some people consider writing an art process. However, it is a work that requires your time and effort. You should organize the whole process if you want to get the desired result. There is a step-by-step instruction to follow.

If you want to get a good grade, it is important not only to make your paper informative but also enjoyable. It depends on the topic you choose. And it is crucial to stay on something that you wish to explore. Try to find something you want to investigate.

It is not easy because you may have many ideas in your head, but once you start writing, they disappear. That’s why studying at college, you should always have a notebook at hand, to write down things that come to mind.

The most effective way to select the topic is a brainstorming technique. Let your brain provide you with 30-50 decent options, and then research to create the shortlist with the best ones.

Writing a biology essay, you should use a scientific approach. Come up with a research question you want to answer in your paper. Of course, you shouldn’t choose something too complicated that it is impossible to work through in terms of one piece. It shouldn’t be too obvious as well. Connect your research question with the topic.

Starting a paper, you should have a clear plan to follow. Most student papers have a 5-paragraph structure with specific instructions. It would be almost impossible to keep the main idea and develop good arguments if you just begin. It would help if you started with the outline to keep it in mind when writing.

Don’t worry about how it looks. Nobody will check your plan (if your professor didn’t ask you to deliver it as well). You can organize your thoughts the way you like. Sketches, paints, mind maps, and so on. Use anything you need to make your paper structured. Get rid of all ideas that don’t work for your research question, even if they seem reasonable. You may use them in another paper.

Whenever you need it, you can make some amends and correct your outline.

It is the first paragraph that is intended to attract the readers’ attention. Writing it, you should consider your target audience.

If you’re preparing a paper for newbies, you should provide some basic knowledge, interesting facts, and statistics to introduce the topic.

However, the experienced audience may find such an introduction a bit boring. They already know the main point, and they have a single question: why is this topic important? So, you should provide them with an explanation of why you have chosen this issue and which directions you see for further development.

The introduction finishes with the thesis. It is your research question or the statement you’re going to develop in the body paragraphs. In other words, you should synthesize the overall essay, meaning just in one sentence. It will explain to your readers what the paper is about and your point of view. Without a strong thesis statement, the whole piece becomes useless, given that the audience cannot understand your position.

Body paragraphs are the essay core because they are most voluminous and informative. Once you’ve grabbed the readers’ attention, you should provide them with food for thought.

In a classic 5-paragraph essay structure body takes 3 paragraphs. Each of them is intended to reveal just one idea. You need to provide a short thesis, an explanation, and an example to illustrate your point.

It would help if you were very attentive in writing the essay body because it is easy to lose your way. This is where your outline may be helpful.

Once your readers finish the paper, they have a question “So what?” If you leave them with it, you’ll fail. Your task is to provide an answer to explain how the audience can use the information you’ve written in the body.

Don’t use any new data; just conclude the thoughts you’ve already declared. Are they important in any sense? Can readers conduct their research and gain more insights? Should they be more attentive to environmental issues?

You’ve written a paper with a particular goal (except for getting a good grade), so show your readers whether you’ve achieved it.

Most academic papers require authors to provide additional information. For example, a list of references you’ve used. It is impossible to write a biology essay without data from books, websites, research papers, and so on. And if you use any journal or other source, you should cite it correctly since, in the other case, your piece would be considered plagiarism.

You should adhere to a particular citation style. When it comes to biology, the academic society uses the APA and the CSE format. Make sure you know what style your professor prefers. You also need a relevant guide with all requirements to follow.

Some Essay Tips for Successful Writing

Whatever major you pursue, you’ll deal with written assignments that affect your academic performance. That’s why you need to develop your writing skills. Here you’ll find some actionable tips to follow.

If you want to write well, you should read well. There are various modern sources where you can find many biology papers. It goes about scientific books and journals, specific web-portals. Don’t undervalue the fiction literature as well. You need to understand how other people write and to learn from them.

Once you’ve noticed something interesting that is worth your attention, write it down. You may use these notes in your future writings.

Coming up with a perfect piece, you should understand what the “perfect” stands for. Please take a look at some essays or a research paper example and analyze them.

It doesn’t mean that all samples that are published online are excellent. They have advantages and disadvantages, and you should mention them.

However, don’t copy and paste these samples. Your paper should be unique, and it goes not about paraphrasing some sentences only. The ideas and concepts you use should be fresh as well. Even if you’re just a student, without tremendous research opportunities, you may look at the issue from an interesting angle. Essay samples will show you the right direction.

You shouldn’t expect that your first paper will be outstanding. You have to submit dozens of poor essays until you succeed. It means you should use any opportunity to write something. Whether it is a note, a blog post, a lab report, or an experiment description, you should master your ability to formulate thoughts and choose the best words to convey your ideas.

Don’t leave these texts without attention since you can’t become a better writer if you don’t know your mistakes. Find a mentor who will provide you with essential tips. There are many useful resources online, and you can always hire a professional tutor who will support you.

You can’t sit and wait for the inspiration. Your professor won’t understand the excuse that you aren't in an appropriate mood to write a paper. Therefore you should be able to organize yourself and the work process.

Firstly, define stages, e.g., the research stage, the introduction writing, and so on. Think about how many times you’re going to devote to each of them and include these tasks in your calendar. You can use different strategies, starting with the most complicated part, or, vice versa, from the easiest one. It doesn’t matter if you’re able to provide a good result.

It is also important to get rid of all distractors in advance. Switch off your smartphone and make sure you have anything you need to come up with a paper. It won’t leave the space for procrastination.

People are usually biased when it goes to work. You can’t define for sure whether your biology essay deserves an A-grade. And it would be the wrong decision to wait until your professor spoils your academic performance. You can then discuss your writing with your friends, fellow students, instructors at the college club. If you think someone can provide you with professional assistance, ask for it. Feedback will show your strengths to focus on and weaknesses to work out.

Writing a research paper, you should use a language of scientific thought to explain your ideas. Think about the audience and its level of education. If your paper is full of specific terms, most readers won’t understand it. However, it should not be too simple at the same time since you’re a future biologist and should speak this language at a decent level.

It is also important to know all requirements and follow them. Each paper has its features, so make sure you understand the essay, analysis paper, or a lab report format before writing.

Get Biology Essay From Us

Modern students are lucky in some way. They have unlimited educational opportunities. Most likely, you can find any information you need just in a couple of minutes. However, it imposes on you a particular responsibility that leads to immense stress. Even the term FOMO, fear of missing out, is common for many people these days.

It means that if you can’t cope with a bunch of tasks, you should take a pause and relax. Our professional writing service is here to help you with any assignment. Just fill in the order form and provide us with your requirements. We’ll deliver your biology essay exactly on time!

Firstly, you can hire a professional essay writer who will prepare the biology paper from scratch. We work with people who have a Master’s or Ph.D. degree in natural science, as well as the writing experience. Having prepared dozens of assignments for students from different educational institutions, they know what professors expect. So, if you want to unload your head, without worsening your academic performance, rely on our authors.

The papers we deliver are always high-quality. They don’t contain any plagiarism and mistakes. If you have some objections, contact our customer support for qualified help.

If you have written the paper on yourself, you’ve covered a lot of ground. The writing process is exhausting, and sometimes there is no opportunity to read the final draft several times and make sure it is flawless. Before you deliver the paper, it is vital to get rid of all mistakes and typos. Our professional proofreaders will read the text with a keen eye and make necessary changes.

Don’t hesitate to use professional help since it is your chance to provide a fantastic result with fewer hurdles!

Biology is a science that studies our life in different ways. Students learn about organisms and living creatures that inhabit the planet, their functions, behavior, interaction, and their individual and historical development.

Modern biology covers various sub-topics, such as virology that studies viruses, botany that studies plants, the anatomy that studies the human’s body, etc. Some students choose a particular direction to work in, but all these subjects are united. It would be best if you had morphology and genetics knowledge to succeed with microbiology, and vice versa.

Writing a biology essay, you should think about their final purpose. Some papers are intended to provide people with a fresh look, e.g., when you find exciting information and want to share it with your colleagues. At the same time, you can write a paper for people who don’t have solid biology knowledge. These essays will be very different, so you need to approach this task with all responsibility.

Biology knowledge is important regardless of your career plans. Many facets point to this. First, this science is mainly studying life that is surrounding us. Second, it is important to have an understanding of how all organisms interact with each other. And the next reason that is no less important is the diversity of our life. Thanks to biology knowledge, people treat illnesses, improve food quality, and take care of the whole ecosystem.

It is the study of life that helps people shape the world and provides them with answers that explain why things happen.

Studying biology, you’ll deal with the following topics:

  • Cellular structure and function;
  • Evolution and natural selection;
  • Heredity and genetics;
  • Ecosystems and interdependence.

Many concepts are accepted by modern biology science. These are ideas and understandings that professors want you to remember. For example, all organisms share a standard set of important life processes. It goes about movement, respiration, reproduction, nutrition, and others. All organisms use the same genetic system to maintain continuity. The next essential concept is about species that arise, change, and become extinct over time. Diverse adaptations are the reason why evolution results and ensures survival.

Writing your paper, you should show your knowledge and understanding of significant biology concepts and topics. It would be an excellent platform to create powerful, evidence-based content.

And of course, if you need a  website that writes an essay for you , you're on the right page! Feel free to send us your request!

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Tips on How to Write a Biology Essay: Learn from the Example of Jellyfish Essay

Tips on How to Write a Biology Essay

How to Write a Biology Essay

In this article, we will guide you on how to write a perfect biology essay from scratch. You’ll find various tips to help you excel in writing your essay and creating a paper worth the highest grades. We also prepared a jellyfish essay example for you, so it can be easier to enhance all the specifics and structure of this kind of paper.

What is Biology Essay

A biology essay is a student-written work where you present arguments and ideas about a particular biological topic. The essay on biology can take different forms like argumentative, cause-and-effect, descriptive, detailed analysis, or ‘how-to’ instruction, depending on the professor’s guidelines and writer’s preferences. 

A descriptive paper can explain a biological subject, while an argumentative one provides evidence to support a point of view. It’s up to you to choose which type is more suitable for the topic you’re writing about. The most common type is a cause-and-effect essay explaining an event’s reasons and consequences. 

How to Craft a Perfect Essay About Biology

Writing is an art form that requires time and effort. But if you prefer someone else to write the paper for you, you can just text the experts, ‘ do my homework for me ,’ and consider it done. 

Here is the step by step instruction to organize the process for desired results. 

How to Craft a Perfect Essay About Biology

Choose Your Biology Essay Topic

To get a good grade:

  • make your paper informative and enjoyable by choosing a topic you wish to explore. 
  • Use a brainstorming technique to generate 30-50 options for biology essay topics and research to create a shortlist. 
  • Keep a notebook to jot down your ideas.

Choose a Question for Research

When writing a biology essay, use a scientific approach by selecting a research question related to your topic. Always avoid overly complex or apparent questions. You can also text our profs ‘ write my research paper ,’ and it can be done in a blink.

Create an Outline

Always have a clear plan when writing biology essays while starting a paper. Use a 5-paragraph structure with an outline to keep your main idea and arguments organized. Use any format that works best for you and adjust as needed. Discard any ideas that don’t fit your research question.

Use a Strong Thesis Statement

The introduction should end with a strong thesis statement synthesizing the overall essay, conveying the research question and your point of view. The paper is ineffective without a clear thesis, as readers may not understand your position.

Use Citation and References

Include a list of references in your academic papers, such as biology essays, to avoid plagiarism and provide data sources. Use the appropriate citation style, like APA or CSE, and consult a guide for requirements.

biology essay app

How to Structure a Biology Essay

Ensure your essay has an attention-grabbing introduction, a detailed body, and a solid conclusion with distinct sections. Use around seven paragraphs for the main body, adjusting as needed for the required word count.

Biology Essay Introduction

In the introduction of your essay about biology, showcase your expertise by providing a brief background of the topic and stating the essay’s objective. For a research paper, explain why the study is relevant. Make sure the reader understands the essence of your subject.

The body section of your essay on biology should focus on supporting and defending your thesis statement. To achieve this, make a list of essential points to cover and address each one step by step. Starting a new paragraph for each point ensures neatness and a continuous flow. 

In conclusion, restate your thesis statement and summarize supporting points to solidify your arguments. Avoid introducing new concepts, and leave a lasting impression on your instructor.

Jellyfish Essay - Example of a Biology Essay About a Fascinating Creature of the Ocean

Jellyfish, also known as jellies, are incredible creatures of the ocean. They’re members of the phylum Cnidaria, including corals and sea anemones. You can find jellyfish in every ocean around the globe, from the surface to the depths of the sea. 

Do you know what shape the jellyfish body has?! It’s one of their most unique features. Their bell-shaped body comprises a soft, jelly-like substance called mesoglea, found between two cellular layers. The outer layer of cells, the epidermis, is thin and flexible, while the inner layer, the gastrodermis, contains the jellyfish’s digestive system. At the bottom of the bell is the mouth, surrounded by tentacles armed with stinging cells called nematocysts. 

The jellyfish tentacles consist of venom-filled sacs, which can be potentially dangerous and life-threatening. Considering the severity of its sting, researchers have gathered information on how to treat it effectively. Use thick clothing, tweezers, sticks, or gloves to alleviate the sting. It’s crucial to avoid touching the sting with bare skin since the venom can cause severe harm. Always dispose of the tool used for removing the sting to prevent re-stinging. 

Jellyfish are creatures that feed on small fish and other tiny marine organisms. They capture their prey using the tentacles and bring it to their mouth. Once the food is inside the jellyfish, it’s broken down by digestive enzymes and absorbed into the gastrovascular cavity. 

An exciting thing about jelly is its life cycle. They go through several stages of development, starting as a tiny, free-swimming larva and then growing into a polyp. The polyp stage is stationary, and the jellyfish attaches itself to a surface using a sticky pad. During this stage, the jellyfish reproduces asexually, creating clones of itself. These clones then break off from the polyp and develop into the familiar bell-shaped body of the adult jellyfish. 

Jellyfish play an essential role in the ocean’s ecosystem too. They’re a food source for many marine creatures, including sea turtles and some fish species. They also help to control the population of tiny marine animals by feeding on them, and their waste products contribute to the nutrient cycle in the ocean.

However, jellyfish populations can sometimes explode and become a nuisance. This phenomenon mostly occurs when their natural predators are eliminated from the ecosystem or when water conditions, like temperature and salinity, are conducive for jellyfish growth. In cases where jellyfish populations reach excessive levels, they can clog fishing nets and interfere with other human activities in the ocean.

Jellyfish really are stunning creatures of the ocean. They’re diverse, with many different species, and are essential to the marine ecosystem. While they can sometimes become a nuisance, they’re vital to the ocean’s food web and nutrient cycle. Studying jellyfish can give us a greater understanding of the complex and interconnected systems that make up our oceans.

Practical Tips for Creating Perfect Academic Papers

Developing writing skills is crucial for your academic success regardless of your major. Check out these tips we provided for improving your writing. But if you aren't fond of writing, you can easily hand it to professionals by saying, ‘ do homework for me .’

Search for Samples or Examples

To improve your writing, analyze examples of well-written biology essays or research papers. Although not all online samples are perfect, they can still provide insights into what works and what doesn’t. However, avoid plagiarism and ensure your paper is original by presenting fresh ideas and a unique perspective. 

Read Whenever You Can

Develop your writing skills by reading widely and extensively. Look for biology papers in scientific journals, websites, or books. Don’t forget to take notes on interesting points that you can use in your papers later.

Practice Makes Perfect

Don’t expect to write a perfect paper on your first try, so take every opportunity to practice your writing. Find a mentor if needed and use online resources to learn from your mistakes and improve your skills.

Always Organize Your Writing Process

Organize your work process instead of waiting for inspiration by defining stages, scheduling time for each task, and eliminating distractions. Don’t wait for mood to write an essay about biology; use different strategies to overcome writer’s block.

Proofread and Get Other Feedback

It’s hard to assess your own work accurately. Seek feedback from peers or instructors to identify strengths and weaknesses to improve upon. Don’t wait for your professor’s feedback to know if your biology essay is good. 

Interesting Biology Essay Topics from Our Experts to Practice Your Writing

In this paragraph, we listed different biology essay topics from which you can choose your preferred one and practice writing to excel in your academic papers.

  • A jellyfish - my favorite creature
  • Facts about animal behavior
  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Chemical Ecology
  • Impacts of air pollution
  • Acid Rain’s impact on wildlife
  • The greenhouse effect
  • Causes of global warming
  • Effects of climate change on nature
  • Ways to avoid water pollution

These are interesting topics and also some of the most significant environmental problems. Choose the one you like and practice.

Final Thoughts

This article provides tips that will definitely make your writing process easier and more effective. Adjust these tips while writing your biology paper and structure it as we did in the jellyfish essay example. But if you still prefer a professional to do it for you, contact us by writing ‘ do my research paper ,’ and our experts will handle it.

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Ryan Acton is an essay-writing expert with a Ph.D. in Sociology, specializing in sociological research and historical analysis. By partnering with EssayHub, he provides comprehensive support to students, helping them craft well-informed essays across a variety of topics.

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Best Study Apps for Biology Students

It's free and super easy to set up

As technology continues to advance, students have more resources at their fingertips to improve their academic performance than ever before. Biology students, in particular, can benefit greatly from the use of study apps. These apps offer a wealth of information, interactive tools and practice materials, and can significantly enhance the learning experience. Here, we will explore why biology students should use study apps and highlight the top options available.

Why Biology Students Need Study Apps

Biology is a fascinating subject that explores the complexity of life on Earth. It covers everything from the smallest cells to entire ecosystems and the interactions between them. However, with so much information to learn and understand, it can be challenging for students to keep up with the pace of their classes. This is where study apps come in.

Enhancing Learning and Retention

Study apps can help to simplify complex concepts by providing interactive tools such as 3D models, videos, and quizzes. These tools can help students visualize abstract concepts and make connections between different ideas. By using these tools, students can boost their understanding of the material and increase their retention of key concepts. This can be especially helpful when preparing for exams or writing research papers.

For example, a study app may provide a 3D model of a cell that allows students to zoom in and explore its different components. By interacting with the model, students can gain a better understanding of how the cell functions and the role of each component. This can help them remember the information more effectively than simply reading about it in a textbook.

Time Management and Organization

Studying requires time management and organizational skills. Study apps can help students plan their study sessions and keep them on track by providing schedules, reminders, and task lists. These features can help students stay focused and prioritize their studying efficiently.

For example, a study app may allow students to set reminders for upcoming exams or assignments. It may also provide a schedule that outlines the topics they need to cover each day leading up to the exam. By breaking down the material into manageable chunks, students can avoid feeling overwhelmed and can focus on one topic at a time.

Access to Resources and Collaboration

Many study apps offer access to extensive resources, such as textbooks, articles, and reference materials. With these resources at their fingertips, students can gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter and prepare more effectively for exams. In addition, some apps allow students to collaborate with other users, facilitating peer-to-peer learning and discussion.

For example, a study app may provide access to a library of biology textbooks and articles. This can be especially helpful for students who may not have access to a physical library or who prefer to study on-the-go. The app may also allow students to connect with other users who are studying the same material. This can provide an opportunity for students to ask questions, share ideas, and learn from one another.

In conclusion, study apps can be a valuable tool for biology students. They can enhance learning and retention, improve time management and organization, and provide access to resources and collaboration. By incorporating study apps into their study routine, students can improve their understanding of the material and achieve academic success.

Top Study Apps for Biology Students

As a biology student, there are many study apps available to help you learn and retain information. Here are some of the top study apps for biology students:

Quizlet is an excellent study app that offers flashcards, quizzes, games, and study modes for a wide range of biology topics. With over 50 million user-generated learning sets, Quizlet offers a vast selection of study materials to choose from, and users can create their own custom sets as well. This app is perfect for students who prefer to learn through self-quizzing, repetition, and memorization.

For example, if you're studying the anatomy of the human heart, you can use Quizlet to create a set of flashcards with the different parts of the heart labeled. You can then use the app's study mode to test yourself on the different parts, and the app will track your progress and help you focus on the areas where you need more practice.

Brainscape is a study app that uses scientifically proven methods to optimize learning and retention. This app offers digital flashcards and quizzes, and it uses an algorithm to determine the best pace for individual learning, ensuring that users absorb and retain knowledge effectively. The app also allows students to collaborate with classmates, and instructors can create and share their own custom content.

For example, if you're studying the different types of cells in biology, you can use Brainscape to create a set of flashcards with images and descriptions of each cell type. The app will then use its algorithm to determine the best pace for you to learn the material, and you can collaborate with classmates to create and share study sets.

Anki is a popular study app that uses spaced repetition to help users learn and retain information. With this app, users create their own flashcards and review them at increasing intervals of time, based on their mastery of the material. Anki offers support for images, audio, and video, making it a versatile option for biology students who need to memorize diagrams, molecular structures, and other visual information.

For example, if you're studying the process of photosynthesis in plants, you can use Anki to create a set of flashcards with diagrams and explanations of each step. The app will then use spaced repetition to help you memorize the process and retain the information over time.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a free, non-profit online learning platform that offers a wealth of resources for biology students. Users can access video lessons, practice exercises, and quizzes covering a range of topics, including evolution, ecology, and cellular biology. Khan Academy's platform is user-friendly and interactive, making it a great resource for students who need supplementary materials to supplement their coursework or who want to review topics in greater depth.

For example, if you're studying the process of mitosis in cells, you can use Khan Academy to watch video lessons on the topic, complete practice exercises to test your understanding, and take quizzes to assess your knowledge.

BioDigital Human

BioDigital Human is a study app that offers 3D models of the human body, covering a range of anatomical systems. With this app, users can zoom in and rotate models to view organs, bones, muscles, and more, providing an immersive and interactive learning experience. BioDigital Human also includes quizzes to test comprehension and retention, making it an all-around useful tool for anatomy and physiology students.

For example, if you're studying the skeletal system, you can use BioDigital Human to explore 3D models of different bones and joints, and take quizzes to test your knowledge of their names and functions.

Overall, these study apps can be valuable tools for biology students looking to improve their understanding and retention of course material. By incorporating these apps into your study routine, you can enhance your learning and achieve greater success in your biology courses.

Study Apps for Specific Biology Topics

Cell biology apps.

For students who need to focus on cell biology, there are several study apps available that offer detailed information and interactive resources. Some of the top apps for cell biology include Cell and Cell Biology Glossary, which provides a comprehensive overview of cell biology concepts, and 3D Cell Simulation and Stain Tool, which offers 3D models of cells and allows users to explore cellular structures in detail.

Genetics and Evolution Apps

Students studying genetics and evolution can benefit from study apps that offer explanations and practice materials for these complex topics. Some top options include Genetic Populations and Genetics: Mendelian Laws, both of which provide detailed information about genetics concepts and offer quizzes for practice. For evolution, the Evolution: Natural Selection app offers interactive simulations and quizzes to help students better understand the mechanics of evolution.

Anatomy and Physiology Apps

For students studying anatomy and physiology, study apps that offer 3D models and interactive resources can be incredibly helpful. Some top options include Essential Anatomy 5, which offers detailed 3D models of the human body, and Visible Body Anatomy and Physiology, which provides images, animations, and quizzes covering a range of anatomical systems.

Ecology and Environmental Science Apps

Students studying ecology and environmental science can use study apps to explore complex ecosystems and environmental systems. Some top options include Ecological Footprint Calculator, which allows users to measure their impact on the environment, and Marine Debris Tracker, which provides a platform for citizen science to track and monitor marine pollution. These apps can help students understand the importance of conservation and sustainability in biology studies.

With a range of study apps available for biology students, there is no shortage of resources to help streamline the learning process and improve academic performance. Whether you need to memorize key concepts or explore complex systems, there is an app out there to meet your needs. By taking advantage of these tools, students can access an almost unlimited amount of educational content and gain a deeper understanding of biology concepts.

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Free Biology Essay Examples & Writing Tips

Don’t know what to write about in your essay on biology? Looking for good biology essay examples for inspiration? This article has all you need!

A biology essay is a type of academic paper that focuses on a particular topic of biology. It can discuss animal life, cycles in biology, or a botanic subject. You will need to demonstrate your critical thinking skills and provide relevant evidence to support your perspective.

On this page, you will find examples of biology essays. You will also find here tips and topics prepared by our experts . They can assist you in nailing your short or extended essay.

If you’ve been assigned to write a biology essay, you probably know which area of research you have to choose. However, it might be beneficial to explore other available scopes. It’s useful for both interdisciplinary study and the cases when you are free to pick your area of research. In this section, let’s figure out what you can study in biology.

Here are biological areas of research you should be familiar with:

  • Cancer Biology studies this type of disease to prevent, detect, diagnose and cure it. The ultimate goal of such biologists is to eliminate cancer.
  • Cell Biology is a branch that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. Here, biologists study healthy and sick cells to produce vaccines, medication, etc.
  • Biochemistry is an application of chemistry to the study of biological processes on cell and molecular levels. It is a cross-discipline between chemistry and biology. The focus is on the chemical processes of living organisms.
  • Computation Biology is a study of biological data that develops algorithms and models to understand biological systems. Here, scientists either work for institutions or research for private enterprises.
  • Genetics is an area that focuses on the study of genes and genetic variations for health benefits. It looks at the way DNA affects certain diseases.
  • Human Disease is an area within which scientists study different diseases. The field covers cancer, developmental disorders, disease genes, etc.
  • Immunology is a branch of biology that focuses on immunity. Immunologists look at the way the body responds to viruses as a way to protect the organism.
  • Microbiology studies all living organisms that are too small for our eye to see. It includes bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms.
  • Neurobiology is the study of the nervous system. Biologists examine the way the brain works and look into brain illnesses.
  • Stem Cell and Developmental Biology seeks to examine how the processes behind stem cell’s ability transform cells. The biologists in this area use the power of stem cells to model human illnesses.

Want to know how to start a biology essay? Wondering about the best way to write your essay on biology? Then check out the following tips.

When you’re writing about biology, pay attention to the following features:

  • Introduction . Just as in any other form of academic writing, the first section of your paper introduces the subject. Here, explain why your ideas are relevant to biology as a science.
  • Thesis Statement. The final one or two sentences of the first paragraph should include your original hypothesis and experiment. You will be proving them in the main body. You do not have to include the results as the reader will encounter them later. If you’re struggling with this part, try our thesis generator .
  • Main Body. In this part, write about all the experiments in detail. Often, teachers require to include visual aid to prove your point. For Zoology, Anatomy, Botany, it is pretty easy to find some photos and illustrations.
  • Conclusion. Here, restate your thesis. Reemphasize the most critical aspects described in the main body. You can do it by using our summarizing tool . The goal of this last paragraph is to leave an everlasting impression on the reader.

Thank you for reading our article. We hope you found it helpful. Share it with your class peers who also study biology. Additionally, have a look at the biological essay examples below.

757 Best Essay Examples on Biology

Grass and its importance, the benefits of animals to humans essay.

  • Words: 1166

Effects of Vinegar on the Germination Rate of Mung Beans Seeds

  • Words: 1750

Anaerobic Respiration and Its Applications

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The Effect of Temperature on Amylase Activity

  • Words: 1293

Biology of Grasses: Description and Importance

Ubiquity of microorganisms.

  • Words: 2210

Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological System Theory

  • Words: 1827

Browning Reactions Explained

Botany and taxonomy of the onion.

  • Words: 2414

Dark or Light Skin: Advantages and Disadvantages

Strawberries history.

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Mitosis and Meiosis in Onion Root Tip

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Seed Germination Experiment: Results and Discussion

Pets and people, lemon, its origin and production.

  • Words: 1115

Seed Germination and Osmosis

  • Words: 1127

Nanobiotechnology, Its Advantages and Disadvantages

Mung seed germination patterns under varying ph values, the insect effect on human life, understanding the effects of quantity of light on plants growth.

  • Words: 1089

How Science Biology Might Help Alleviate Human Suffering

The anatomy and physiology of the nervous system of a rat.

  • Words: 1612

Biology: Analysis of Egg Experiment

Transpiration process in plants, responsible house plant keeping.

  • Words: 2262

The Function and Structures of the Human Heart

Importance of the brain in human body, the c-fern plant laboratory experiment.

  • Words: 1101

Vitamin A: Description and Usage

Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells: key differences, life in the bottom of the ocean and its protection.

  • Words: 1529

A Brief Discussion of Animal and Plant Cells

Characteristics of adult development.

  • Words: 1311

Rabbit Muscular System Dissection Report

Forensic procedures: hairs and fibres.

  • Words: 2067

The Muscular Movement: Pyramidal and Extrapyramidal Motor Systems

The characteristics and importance of nervous system.

  • Words: 1705

Cell Organelles, Their Functions, and Disease

  • Words: 1195

Digestion, Absorption and Assembly of Proteins

  • Words: 1456

How the Human Eye Works Analogous to a Camera

Osmosis through a potato slice dipped in solutions of varying concentrations.

  • Words: 1075

A Passion Flower: Properties and Story of Discovery

Corn plant’s developmental stages, somatosensory cortex and perception of touch, epithelial tissue: structure and functions, the digestive system in the human body, practical report: determination of a bacteriophage titer, photosynthesis as a biological process, “the egg and the sperm” by emily martin critique.

  • Words: 2577

Marine Life in United Arab Emirates

  • Words: 1474

A Light Microscope: Function and Usage

The concept of selective breeding.

  • Words: 2724

Consequences of Orange Juice on the Germination of Mung Bean Seeds

Dugesia, a planarian with its peculiar characteristics.

  • Words: 3207

Similarities and Differences of Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

Ethnobotanical uses of plants.

  • Words: 1938

Wildlife Management and Extinction Prevention in Australia

  • Words: 2902

What Is Mitochondria and What Functions Does It Have

  • Words: 1095

Psychophysics: Definition & Fundamentals

  • Words: 1606

Differences of Domesticated and Wild Animals and Plants

Is earthworm beneficial or harmful to humans, digestive journey of cheeseburger, vision, its structure and function in humans, vaquita – endangered species.

  • Words: 1367

A Lab Report for Microbiology Class

Co-evolution: angiosperms and pollinating animals, microbiology: zygomycota, ascomycota and basidiomycota, different ecosystems and living things, the role of the olive in human history and lives.

  • Words: 1653

Biology. Cell Analogy – Nucleus + Nucleolus

Soil impact on the growth of plants.

  • Words: 1227

Vertical Stratification

Microbiology and its role in healthcare, description of mitosis and meiosis, the genus rosa’s adaptation to the environment.

  • Words: 1144

The DNA Extraction Procedure: Scientific Experiment

Pfiesteria piscicida: classification and analysis.

  • Words: 1704

Geelong Botanic Garden’s Ecosystem

  • Words: 2506

The Pomegranate or “Punica Granatum L.”

  • Words: 1184

Cell Creation. Basic Characteristic of Life

Substrate concentration and rate of enzyme reactions.

  • Words: 1730

History Of Biotechnology

  • Words: 1908

Earth Atmospheric Evolution

  • Words: 1719

Introduction to the Nervous System

16s and 18s ribonucleic acids: the key differences, basic and applied biology: key differences, nervous system: the main functions, microbial growth and effect of ph on it.

  • Words: 1330

Preparation of Polymers and Polymer Modification

A study of the brine shrimps and their natural environment.

  • Words: 1937

Bacteria Identification: Enterobacter Aerogenes

  • Words: 1096

Archaea and Bacteria Prokaryotes Dichotomous Keys

Cell theory, functions, discoveries, human circulatory system and evolution, biochemistry: protein translocation types & forms.

  • Words: 1254

Botany and Zoology in the Classroom

  • Words: 1631

Microbiologist as a Career in Bioscience

Olfactics and its importance for living beings.

  • Words: 1446

Venomous Snakes: The Importance of the Antidotes

Methods of finding and identifying dinosaur fossils.

  • Words: 2816

Living Things: What Do They Have in Common?

First reptiles adaptation: amniotic egg evolution, biology: photosynthesis and respiration, the expression of the bmp4 gene and its role in the evolutionary process.

  • Words: 2409

Venus Flytraps and Arthropods: Plant-Animal Interactions

  • Words: 2088

Plant Cell Physiology and Its Processes

Common biochemical cycles, aspects, importance and issues of biodiversity, cane toad: introduction and threat.

  • Words: 1018

Concept of Bioethics in Society

  • Words: 2735

Melanin Theory as a Pseudoscientific Claim

  • Words: 1645

Learning Biology in the Time of Virtual Education

The intricate world of camouflage: lessons from nature and beyond, the thermoregulation is and its importance, biowarfare and bioterrorism: history and origin, mitosis in onion root and whitefish blastula, biology lab report: biodiversity study of lichens, iris flowers species and their classification.

  • Words: 2341

Ubiquity of Bacteria: Laboratory Activity

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  • Branches of Biology
  • Importance of Biology
  • Domain Archaea
  • Domain Eukarya
  • Biological Organization
  • Biological Species Concept
  • Biological Weathering
  • Cellular Organization
  • Cellular Respiration
  • Types of Plants
  • Plant Cells Vs. Animal Cells
  • Prokaryotic Cells Vs. Eukaryotic Cells
  • Amphibians Vs. Reptiles
  • Anatomy Vs. Physiology
  • Diffusion vs. Osmosis
  • Mitosis Vs. Meiosis
  • Chromosome Vs. Chromatid
  • History of Biology
  • Biology News

BioExplorer

The 23 Best & Free Biology Apps (Android) For Students & Teachers

Biology Apps

Biology Apps : The rise of mobile devices has really brought significant changes to the way how people live. For instance, the presence of downloadable mobile apps has been a great help for parents, teachers, and students alike.

Some apps aim to help students learn the basic biology concepts while some are focused on the more specific ones. Some biology apps are even played as games as they serve as fun ways to learn concepts.

So what are you waiting for? Turn your mobile device into a Biology expert with these top 23 Free Biology apps for your Android devices.

Table of Contents

1. Animal Anatomy and Physiology

2. cell biology – 101, 3. internal organs in 3d, 4. learning biology basics, 5. medicinal plants, 6. scientific binomial names, 7. microbiology 2017, 8. visual anatomy, 9. human anatomy, 10. touch surgery, 11. microbiology smart guide, 12. bioblox2d, 13. best free science quiz, 14. 3d brain, 15. biology quiz, 16. attenborough’s story of life, 17. infectious diseases, 18. neet biology app, 19. complete biology, 20. skeptical science, 21. biology ebook and quiz, 22. khan academy, 23. biology, top biology apps.

Here are the 23 best and free biology apps for your Android devices:

The first biology app to make it to this list is Anatomy and Physiology , an eBook that summarizes the gross anatomy and morphology of the animal body as well as its functions and processes.

  • The ebook itself is divided into several chapters like cell, body organization, hormones and chemicals, and the different body systems.
  • This app is perfect for reviewing dissection as it makes use of animals encountered in veterinary medicine as examples.

Download App: Animal Anatomy and Physiology

Unlock the morphological and molecular mysteries of the cell using this amazing mobile app on Google Play: Cell Biology – 101. This app basically features various lesson, quizzes and practices that cover cell anatomy and physiology.

  • This is one of the most trusted apps by biology and medical students who want to review for various tests like GRE, MCAT, and DAT.

Download App: Cell Biology – 101

If you love watching surgeries or just fond of studying internal organs, this app is perfect for you! Internal Organs in 3D (Anatomy) a biology app that features the 3D model of the different organs in the human body.

  • In this app, you can touch each organ (i.e, brain, heart, lungs, stomach, liver, etc.) to see more information and detailed morphological descriptions.

Download App: Internal Organs in 3D

The next biology app will teach you about the basics and foundation topics of biology such as science of environment, basic botany and zoology , different types of pollution , concept of evolution , and many more.

  • With this app, you can also study about more advanced topics like molecular and cell biology as well as genetics and variation. And who says you cannot have them for free?

Download App: Learning Biology Basics

If you love botany, perhaps you might want to check out this app. Basically, Medicinal Plants and its Uses app gives its users an interface that will help them identify and use some plants for human medicinal purposes.

  • By teaching its users the benefits of medicinal plants, the use of medicines made from harmful chemicals as well as experiencing any side effects will will be avoided.
  • Aside from their name and uses, this app also provides several illustrations for easier identification.

Download App: Medicinal Plants

Do you love taxonomy, the science of naming and classifying organisms? Or you simply want to have an accessible tool whenever you feel like being a “ scientist ” who can scientifically name organisms in your surroundings? Well, this biology app is for you!

  • This app, which you can use offline, contain more than 3000 binomial names of different organisms in the world, including bacteria, plants, and animals.

Download App: Scientific Binomial Names

Microbiology 2017 is a mobile review app specifically made for students enrolled in microbiology courses (non-majors). This study app features several review lectures as well as graphics about microbiological principles and techniques.

  • Aside from lectures, it also serves as good refresher since it features various practice questions and quizzes. With almost 29 chapters, this app is highly recommended if you want to learn the fundamentals and basics of microbiology.

Download App: Microbiology 2017

Visual Anatomy Free is an interactive learning app that features three-dimensional models of the human body anatomy. Aside from that, it also gives short description about each tissue or organ (i.e, morphology and functions).

  • This app, which also comes with audio pronunciation command, is very helpful for medical personnels, academicians, and even students who are studying Biology in general.

Download App: Visual Anatomy

Another app that gives its user the feel of seeing through and examining the human body is the Human Anatomy app. This app allows the user to study a particular body system and giving him/her detailed descriptions about its organs.

  • One feature of this app is that you can zoom in to the organs and view them like their actual images.

Download App: Human Anatomy

Looking for ways to practice surgery at the comfort of your own hands? Look no more because Touch Surgery is here for you! Touch surgery is a surgical-simulation app that allows its users to perform operations on patients.

  • Aside from its impressive three-dimensional graphics, this apps also allows it users trace their learning progress.

Download App: Touch Surgery

Another microbiology app in this list is the Microbiology SMART Guide that is downloadable in Google Play. As its name suggests, this app serves as an offline dictionary for microbiological terminologies as well as the names of scientists and their discoveries.

  • This app also features quick guides, practice questions, and quizzes.

Download App: Microbiology SMART

BioBlox2D is a block-matching puzzle mobile game that is based on the concept of biomolecules. Basically, the goal of this game is to create matches among ligands and receptors by switching, rotating, and swiping.

  • Aside from the game itself, this app gives its users a virtual reality feeling as it shows the process of docking of proteins . Who said that you can’t learn molecular biology while having fun?

Download App: Bioblox2d

Best Free Science Quiz is a mobile quiz app that is perfect for people who like to challenge their knowledge about science in general. This app, which is also an interactive game, focuses on various science subjects like biology, chemistry, and even physics.

  • Aside from quizzes, this app also presents numerous trivia that range from basic science to more advanced topics.
  • This game has a total of 20 levels that range from Easy to hard, as well as additional bonus levels.

Download App: Best Free Science Quiz

The 3D Brain is one of the best apps to study the different structures and functions of the brain. This app allows you to zoom and rotate (using your touch screen) around each region of the brain.

  • It also comes with interactive buttons that allow you to browse through various information like diseases, disorders, and other scientific researches related to the brain.

Download App: 3D Brain

You think you already know much in biology? Well, it’s time to test that knowledge! With this app, you can enjoy answering questions about the different fields of biology . Aside from that, a lot of trivia are presented in a humorous manner in order to prevent you from getting bored.

  • You should not worry though if you are unable to answer them correctly for the first time, as you can try as much as you like.

Download App: Biology Quiz

Featuring famous broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough, this mobile app (also named after him) allows its users to explore the best wildlife moments that have ever been documented by man.

  • Using this app, you can watch his collection of films about wildlife as well as the product of his six-decade career of studying nature.

Download App: Attenborough’s Story of Life

As its name implies, this biology app discusses several important topics relating to infectious diseases. It provides health information for general education and some medical recommendation about almost any kinds of conditions that spread through animal and insect bites, bodily contact, and much more.

  • This biology app is not only perfect for medical personnel and students, but also to those curious people who want to know more about such diseases.

Download App: Infectious Diseases

TheNEET (National Eligibility and Entrance Test) Biology app is an excellent learning tool for users who aspire to be doctors . This app helps students learn and understand more about Biology as well as chemistry and Physics.

  • This app also features diagrams, illustrations, and flow-charts that can help its users be prepared for entrance exams for careers in biology and medicine.

Download App: Neet Biology App

The next app in this list is the Complete Biology app, which is basically like what its name implies: complete. Basically, this app is perfect for high school and university students who want to learn biology in preparation for their examinations.

  • This app is divided into 35 different biology topics and features categories like dictionary, tutorials, and practical exercises and exams.

Download App: Complete Biology

Perfect for science geeks, Skeptical Science app helps its users respond to false statements and claims about global warming by using information from peer-reviewed scientific studies.

  • This app is an excellent tool not only to know what climate change is but also to understand how it occurs and how to possibly mitigate its effects.

Download App: Skeptical Science

The next biology app in our list is the Biology eBook and Quiz, which as its name suggests, is an electronic book that is filled with numerous syllabi about different disciplines in biology (i.e, botany, zoology, anatomy, etc.)

  • Aside from the syllabi, it also has practice and timed quizzes which you all can take. Basically, with this app, you can review anytime and anywhere.

Download App: Biology eBook and Quiz

If you want to have access to a wide range of topics, Khan Academy may be one of the best Biology apps for you! Not only will you learn about history, economics, social science, and mathematics, but also become familiarized with different concepts in biology.

  • For instance, you can use this app to study about different biological and physiological processes as well as to use it as a reviewer for college entrance exams.

Download App: Khan Academy

Last but not the least is this mobile app that is simply called Biology. But wait, don’t just the book by its cover because this app can become your best bud while studying biology.

  • This app works like an offline dictionary of biology terms and give you quick access to almost every field of biology. With more than 5000 biology terms, who says that learning biology is hard?

Download App: Biology

Now, who says that you can’t learn biology while having fun?

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Test And Quizzes for Biology, Pre-AP, Or AP Biology For Teachers And Students

How to Write a Biology Essay

“The point of the essay is to change things.” – Edward Tufte

Writing a biology essay can be a complex task, requiring not only a deep understanding of the subject but also the ability to present scientific information clearly and effectively. Prepare well and exploit a structured approach to crafting a compelling and well-researched biology text. Some simple steps go from understanding the assignment and conducting detailed research to structuring your essay and incorporating credible sources so that you can reach academic excellence without any complications. For qualitative preparation check out biology essay examples on a trustworthy source and follow the expert instructions to ensure your text meets the high standards of scientific writing.

Use real-world examples and case studies to illustrate your points and demonstrate how they apply to your thesis when writing in Biology.

Understand the Biological Context

You will hardly create any qualitative content unless you clearly understand what you are going to write about. Identify the biological concept or phenomenon that is to be at the center of your writing. If you have any hesitations or your assignment seems ambiguous to you, consult your professor for clarifications or any educational assistant for further directions.

What can help you dive deeper into your biological context is also a literature review. Proceed through a thorough literature review to understand the current state of research on the topic. Look up databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, and institutional libraries.

Formulate a Hypothesis or Research Question

Pass on to generate a hypothesis or research question that is going to be the core of your essay. If your writing involves an experimental or observational study, formulate a clear, testable hypothesis. Develop a specific research question to guide your investigation if it’s a review or analytical essay. So, define the type of your text and formulate its central point respectively for further successful steps.

Conduct Detailed Research and Data Collection

Now that you know your context and your attitude as for the assignment it is time to back it up with the proof. Start with primary sources, covering research articles, original studies, and scientific experiments. When you have enough, pass on to secondary sources, such as review articles, meta-analyses, and books for broader context.

Additionally, biological research allows you to conduct data analysis to strengthen your essay arguments. If the step is relevant to your work, analyze raw data from experiments or existing datasets using statistical methods. Create or refer to graphs, tables, and figures to present data effectively.

Create and Follow a Structured Outline with Scientific Rigor

Sometimes it is very difficult to organize your work properly so that you can finish it on time and produce qualitative content without any delay. So the very next step is to create a structured outline with scientific rigor so that you can stick to it to write a fundamental essay.

● Abstract – if you are required to, begin with an abstract. Provide a concise summary of the essay, including the research question, methods, key findings, and conclusions.

● Introduction – the next step or the primary point when an abstract is not necessary is to write an introduction. For your introduction include detailed background information with references to key studies and findings. Explain the significance of the topic within the field of biology. And don’t forget to state your thesis or hypothesis clearly. The rest of your writing will be tied to it. Be confident you’ve singled out the central idea of your topic and the findings related.

● Methods – if necessary or stated in the assignment, dwell on the methods you’ve exploited when researching and writing. Provide a description of the experimental design, including controls, variables, and procedures. Add the list of materials and equipment used. Explain how data was collected and recorded. This part of the essay will be solid proof of your no-plagiarism work.

● Results – think of the way you are going to display the results of your research and organize them appropriately. Present data in an organizedmanner using figures, tables, and charts. Add statistical tests if used and their outcomes.

● Discussion – remember that you not only have to present the data and evidence you have collected but also analyze and show your attitude to the findings. Interpret the results in the context of the research question or hypothesis. Compare findings with previous studies and discuss similarities and differences. Be open about any limitations in your study or analysis.

● Conclusion – with the analysis of your findings ready, you should summarize your work with a proper conclusion. Dwell on how your findings support or disprove the thesis/hypothesis. Discuss the broader implications of your findings for the field of biology. Suggest areas for further research.

Make an outline and cover it step by step so that you have a logical and strong text in the end. This will help you to get everything important and finish up your essay on time. Usually with a scientific assignment, you don’t need the inspiration to guide you but should have a proper organization of the writing process to assist you. Outlining will be a crucial part of your well-organized work with the essay.

Incorporate Scientific Evidence

Your biological essay will be no more but the words compound together unless you exploit strong scientific evidence to support your arguments. Ensure all references are from peer-reviewed scientific journals or reputable academic sources. Use a consistent citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) and include in-text citations and a bibliography to guarantee the genuineness and trustworthiness of your sources and proofs.

Exploit direct quotations sparingly; prefer paraphrasing and summarizing with proper citations. Put the evidence in between your personal conclusions and attitude to the issue you are addressing in your writing. This will display you have processed the question under study deeply and made your own conclusions out of your findings.

Biology essays often include scientific data, diagrams, and graphs. Ensure that these elements are accurately presented and relevant to your argument

Consider Formatting and Technical Details

Scientific essay requires a relevant approach to its formatting and presentation. Use proper scientific nomenclature, italicizing genus and species names (e.g., Homo sapiens). Make sure you exploit standard units of measurement (SI units) and provide conversions if necessary. Define acronyms and abbreviations the first time they are used. Pay attention to these points when proofreading and editing or get someone to help you with a fresh look. A thorough approach and consistency in details will only add to the quality of your essay.

Spend Time on Proofreading and Peer Review

Take care your scientific essay looks appropriate and proves your level of qualification. Proofreading and thorough review will help you create a desirable image for your writing. Check for grammatical errors, scientific accuracy, and clarity. Use apps and tools to optimize and speed up the process. If possible, have your writing reviewed by a peer or mentor in the field for additional feedback. Or reach out to professionals from online services for high-end proofreading and review.

Care about Adherence to Ethical Guidelines

In the age of tolerance, you should also be confident that your essay doesn’t diminish or offend anyone’s rights and position as to your topic under study. Begin with ethical considerations. If your writing involves discussing experiments on humans or animals, ensure it adheres to ethical guidelines and includes necessary approvals. Additionally, avoid plagiarism by properly citing all sources and using original language. Check your text for authenticity with the help of anti-plagiarism tools on the Internet but beware of scams for anyone to steal your work.

Biology Essay Conclusion

Writing a biology essay involves proper planning, thorough research, and attention to detail. Cover some essential measures so that you can craft a well-structured and scientifically sound text that effectively communicates your findings and arguments. Mind the assignment and formulating a hypothesis to presenting data and discussing implications since each element plays a crucial role in the overall quality of your work. Remember to adhere to ethical guidelines, properly cite all sources, and seek feedback from peers or mentors. With these tools and strategies, you’ll be well-equipped to produce a high-quality biology essay that displays your knowledge and analytical skills.

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My Successful Harvard Application (Complete Common App + Supplement)

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Other High School , College Admissions , Letters of Recommendation , Extracurriculars , College Essays

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In 2005, I applied to college and got into every school I applied to, including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. I decided to attend Harvard.

In this guide, I'll show you the entire college application that got me into Harvard—page by page, word for word .

In my complete analysis, I'll take you through my Common Application, Harvard supplemental application, personal statements and essays, extracurricular activities, teachers' letters of recommendation, counselor recommendation, complete high school transcript, and more. I'll also give you in-depth commentary on every part of my application.

Worried about college applications?   Our world-class admissions counselors can help. We've guided thousands of students to get into their top choice schools with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies.

To my knowledge, a college application analysis like this has never been done before . This is the application guide I wished I had when I was in high school.

If you're applying to top schools like the Ivy Leagues, you'll see firsthand what a successful application to Harvard and Princeton looks like. You'll learn the strategies I used to build a compelling application. You'll see what items were critical in getting me admitted, and what didn't end up helping much at all.

Reading this guide from beginning to end will be well worth your time—you might completely change your college application strategy as a result.

First Things First

Here's the letter offering me admission into Harvard College under Early Action.

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I was so thrilled when I got this letter. It validated many years of hard work, and I was excited to take my next step into college (...and work even harder).

I received similar successful letters from every college I applied to: Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. (After getting into Harvard early, I decided not to apply to Yale, Columbia, UChicago, UPenn, and other Ivy League-level schools, since I already knew I would rather go to Harvard.)

The application that got me admitted everywhere is the subject of this guide. You're going to see everything that the admissions officers saw.

If you're hoping to see an acceptance letter like this in your academic future, I highly recommend you read this entire article. I'll start first with an introduction to this guide and important disclaimers. Then I'll share the #1 question you need to be thinking about as you construct your application. Finally, we'll spend a lot of time going through every page of my college application, both the Common App and the Harvard Supplemental App.

Important Note: the foundational principles of my application are explored in detail in my How to Get Into Harvard guide . In this popular guide, I explain:

  • what top schools like the Ivy League are looking for
  • how to be truly distinctive among thousands of applicants
  • why being well-rounded is the kiss of death

If you have the time and are committed to maximizing your college application success, I recommend you read through my Harvard guide first, then come back to this one.

You might also be interested in my other two major guides:

  • How to Get a Perfect SAT Score / Perfect ACT Score
  • How to Get a 4.0 GPA

What's in This Harvard Application Guide?

From my student records, I was able to retrieve the COMPLETE original application I submitted to Harvard. Page by page, word for word, you'll see everything exactly as I presented it : extracurricular activities, awards and honors, personal statements and essays, and more.

In addition to all this detail, there are two special parts of this college application breakdown that I haven't seen anywhere else :

  • You'll see my FULL recommendation letters and evaluation forms. This includes recommendations from two teachers, one principal, and supplementary writers. Normally you don't get to see these letters because you waive access to them when applying. You'll see how effective strong teacher advocates will be to your college application, and why it's so important to build strong relationships with your letter writers .
  • You'll see the exact pen marks made by my Harvard admissions reader on my application . Members of admissions committees consider thousands of applications every year, which means they highlight the pieces of each application they find noteworthy. You'll see what the admissions officer considered important—and what she didn't.

For every piece of my application, I'll provide commentary on what made it so effective and my strategies behind creating it. You'll learn what it takes to build a compelling overall application.

Importantly, even though my application was strong, it wasn't perfect. I'll point out mistakes I made that I could have corrected to build an even stronger application.

Here's a complete table of contents for what we'll be covering. Each link goes directly to that section, although I'd recommend you read this from beginning to end on your first go.

Common Application

Personal Data

Educational data, test information.

  • Activities: Extracurricular, Personal, Volunteer
  • Short Answer
  • Additional Information

Academic Honors

Personal statement, teacher and counselor recommendations.

  • Teacher Letter #1: AP Chemistry
  • Teacher Letter #2: AP English Lang

School Report

  • Principal Recommendation

Harvard Application Supplement

  • Supplement Form
  • Writing Supplement Essay

Supplementary Recommendation #1

Supplementary recommendation #2, supplemental application materials.

Final Advice for You

I mean it—you'll see literally everything in my application.

In revealing my teenage self, some parts of my application will be pretty embarrassing (you'll see why below). But my mission through my company PrepScholar is to give the world the most helpful resources possible, so I'm publishing it.

One last thing before we dive in—I'm going to anticipate some common concerns beforehand and talk through important disclaimers so that you'll get the most out of this guide.

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Important Disclaimers

My biggest caveat for you when reading this guide: thousands of students get into Harvard and Ivy League schools every year. This guide tells a story about one person and presents one archetype of a strong applicant. As you'll see, I had a huge academic focus, especially in science ( this was my Spike ). I'm also irreverent and have a strong, direct personality.

What you see in this guide is NOT what YOU need to do to get into Harvard , especially if you don't match my interests and personality at all.

As I explain in my Harvard guide , I believe I fit into one archetype of a strong applicant—the "academic superstar" (humor me for a second, I know calling myself this sounds obnoxious). There are other distinct ways to impress, like:

  • being world-class in a non-academic talent
  • achieving something difficult and noteworthy—building a meaningful organization, writing a novel
  • coming from tremendous adversity and performing remarkably well relative to expectations

Therefore, DON'T worry about copying my approach one-for-one . Don't worry if you're taking a different number of AP courses or have lower test scores or do different extracurriculars or write totally different personal statements. This is what schools like Stanford and Yale want to see—a diversity in the student population!

The point of this guide is to use my application as a vehicle to discuss what top colleges are looking for in strong applicants. Even though the specific details of what you'll do are different from what I did, the principles are the same. What makes a candidate truly stand out is the same, at a high level. What makes for a super strong recommendation letter is the same. The strategies on how to build a cohesive, compelling application are the same.

There's a final reason you shouldn't worry about replicating my work—the application game has probably changed quite a bit since 2005. Technology is much more pervasive, the social issues teens care about are different, the extracurricular activities that are truly noteworthy have probably gotten even more advanced. What I did might not be as impressive as it used to be. So focus on my general points, not the specifics, and think about how you can take what you learn here to achieve something even greater than I ever did.

With that major caveat aside, here are a string of smaller disclaimers.

I'm going to present my application factually and be 100% straightforward about what I achieved and what I believed was strong in my application. This is what I believe will be most helpful for you. I hope you don't misinterpret this as bragging about my accomplishments. I'm here to show you what it took for me to get into Harvard and other Ivy League schools, not to ask for your admiration. So if you read this guide and are tempted to dismiss my advice because you think I'm boasting, take a step back and focus on the big picture—how you'll improve yourself.

This guide is geared toward admissions into the top colleges in the country , often with admissions rates below 10%. A sample list of schools that fit into this: Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, MIT, UChicago, Duke, UPenn, CalTech, Johns Hopkins, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Brown. The top 3-5 in that list are especially looking for the absolute best students in the country , since they have the pick of the litter.

Admissions for these selective schools works differently from schools with >20% rates. For less selective schools, having an overall strong, well-rounded application is sufficient for getting in. In particular, having an above average GPA and test scores goes the majority of the way toward getting you admission to those schools. The higher the admission rate, the more emphasis will be placed on your scores. The other pieces I'll present below—personal statements, extracurriculars, recommendations—will matter less.

Still, it doesn't hurt to aim for a stronger application. To state the obvious, an application strong enough to get you Columbia will get you into UCLA handily.

In my application, I've redacted pieces of my application for privacy reasons, and one supplementary recommendation letter at the request of the letter writer. Everything else is unaltered.

Throughout my application, we can see marks made by the admissions officer highlighting and circling things of note (you'll see the first example on the very first page). I don't have any other applications to compare these to, so I'm going to interpret these marks as best I can. For the most part, I assume that whatever he underlines or circles is especially important and noteworthy —points that he'll bring up later in committee discussions. It could also be that the reader got bored and just started highlighting things, but I doubt this.

Finally, I co-founded and run a company called PrepScholar . We create online SAT/ACT prep programs that adapt to you and your strengths and weaknesses . I believe we've created the best prep program available, and if you feel you need to raise your SAT/ACT score, then I encourage you to check us out . I want to emphasize that you do NOT need to buy a prep program to get a great score , and the advice in this guide has little to do with my company. But if you're aren't sure how to improve your score and agree with our unique approach to SAT/ACT prep, our program may be perfect for you.

With all this past us, let's get started.

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The #1 Most Important College Application Question: What Is Your PERSONAL NARRATIVE?

If you stepped into an elevator with Yale's Dean of Admissions and you had ten seconds to describe yourself and why you're interesting, what would you say?

This is what I call your PERSONAL NARRATIVE. These are the three main points that represent who you are and what you're about . This is the story that you tell through your application, over and over again. This is how an admissions officer should understand you after just glancing through your application. This is how your admissions officer will present you to the admissions committee to advocate for why they should accept you.

The more unique and noteworthy your Personal Narrative is, the better. This is how you'll stand apart from the tens of thousands of other applicants to your top choice school. This is why I recommend so strongly that you develop a Spike to show deep interest and achievement. A compelling Spike is the core of your Personal Narrative.

Well-rounded applications do NOT form compelling Personal Narratives, because "I'm a well-rounded person who's decent at everything" is the exact same thing every other well-rounded person tries to say.

Everything in your application should support your Personal Narrative , from your course selection and extracurricular activities to your personal statements and recommendation letters. You are a movie director, and your application is your way to tell a compelling, cohesive story through supporting evidence.

Yes, this is overly simplistic and reductionist. It does not represent all your complexities and your 17 years of existence. But admissions offices don't have the time to understand this for all their applicants. Your PERSONAL NARRATIVE is what they will latch onto.

Here's what I would consider my Personal Narrative (humor me since I'm peacocking here):

1) A science obsessive with years of serious research work and ranked 6 th in a national science competition, with future goals of being a neuroscientist or physician

2) Balanced by strong academic performance in all subjects (4.0 GPA and perfect test scores, in both humanities and science) and proficiency in violin

3) An irreverent personality who doesn't take life too seriously, embraces controversy, and says what's on his mind

These three elements were the core to my application. Together they tell a relatively unique Personal Narrative that distinguishes me from many other strong applicants. You get a surprisingly clear picture of what I'm about. There's no question that my work in science was my "Spike" and was the strongest piece of my application, but my Personal Narrative included other supporting elements, especially a description of my personality.

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My College Application, at a High Level

Drilling down into more details, here's an overview of my application.

  • This put me comfortably in the 99 th percentile in the country, but it was NOT sufficient to get me into Harvard by itself ! Because there are roughly 4 million high school students per year, the top 1 percentile still has 40,000 students. You need other ways to set yourself apart.
  • Your Spike will most often come from your extracurriculars and academic honors, just because it's hard to really set yourself apart with your coursework and test scores.
  • My letters of recommendation were very strong. Both my recommending teachers marked me as "one of the best they'd ever taught." Importantly, they corroborated my Personal Narrative, especially regarding my personality. You'll see how below.
  • My personal statements were, in retrospect, just satisfactory. They represented my humorous and irreverent side well, but they come across as too self-satisfied. Because of my Spike, I don't think my essays were as important to my application.

Finally, let's get started by digging into the very first pages of my Common Application.

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There are a few notable points about how simple questions can actually help build a first impression around what your Personal Narrative is.

First, notice the circle around my email address. This is the first of many marks the admissions officer made on my application. The reason I think he circled this was that the email address I used is a joke pun on my name . I knew it was risky to use this vs something like [email protected], but I thought it showed my personality better (remember point #3 about having an irreverent personality in my Personal Narrative).

Don't be afraid to show who you really are, rather than your perception of what they want. What you think UChicago or Stanford wants is probably VERY wrong, because of how little information you have, both as an 18-year-old and as someone who hasn't read thousands of applications.

(It's also entirely possible that it's a formality to circle email addresses, so I don't want to read too much into it, but I think I'm right.)

Second, I knew in high school that I wanted to go into the medical sciences, either as a physician or as a scientist. I was also really into studying the brain. So I listed both in my Common App to build onto my Personal Narrative.

In the long run, both predictions turned out to be wrong. After college, I did go to Harvard Medical School for the MD/PhD program for 4 years, but I left to pursue entrepreneurship and co-founded PrepScholar . Moreover, in the time I did actually do research, I switched interests from neuroscience to bioengineering/biotech.

Colleges don't expect you to stick to career goals you stated at the age of 18. Figuring out what you want to do is the point of college! But this doesn't give you an excuse to avoid showing a preference. This early question is still a chance to build that Personal Narrative.

Thus, I recommend AGAINST "Undecided" as an area of study —it suggests a lack of flavor and is hard to build a compelling story around. From your high school work thus far, you should at least be leaning to something, even if that's likely to change in the future.

Finally, in the demographic section there is a big red A, possibly for Asian American. I'm not going to read too much into this. If you're a notable minority, this is where you'd indicate it.

Now known as: Education

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This section was straightforward for me. I didn't take college courses, and I took a summer chemistry class at a nearby high school because I didn't get into the lottery at my school that year (I refer to this briefly in my 4.0 GPA guide ).

The most notable point of this section: the admissions officer circled Principal here . This is notable because our school Principal only wrote letters for fewer than 10 students each year. Counselors wrote letters for the other hundreds of students in my class, which made my application stand out just a little.

I'll talk more about this below, when I share the Principal's recommendation.

(In the current Common Application, the Education section also includes Grades, Courses, and Honors. We'll be covering each of those below).

Now known as: Testing

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Back then AP scores weren't part of this section, but I'll take them from another part of my application here.

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However, their standards are still very high. You really do want to be in that top 1 percentile to pass the filter. A 1400 on the SAT IS going to put you at a disadvantage because there are so many students scoring higher than you. You'll really have to dig yourself out of the hole with an amazing application.

I talk about this a lot more in my Get into Harvard guide (sorry to keep linking this, but I really do think it's an important guide for you to read).

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?   We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download them for free now:

Let's end this section with some personal notes.

Even though math and science were easy for me, I had to put in serious effort to get an 800 on the Reading section of the SAT . As much as I wish I could say it was trivial for me, it wasn't. I learned a bunch of strategies and dissected the test to get to a point where I understood the test super well and reliably earned perfect scores.

I cover the most important points in my How to Get a Perfect SAT Score guide , as well as my 800 Guides for Reading , Writing , and Math .

Between the SAT and ACT, the SAT was my primary focus, but I decided to take the ACT for fun. The tests were so similar that I scored a 36 Composite without much studying. Having two test scores is completely unnecessary —you get pretty much zero additional credit. Again, with one test score, you have already passed their filter.

Finally, class finals or state-required exams are a breeze if you get a 5 on the corresponding AP tests .

Now known as: Family (still)

This section asks for your parent information and family situation. There's not much you can do here besides report the facts.

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I'm redacting a lot of stuff again for privacy reasons.

The reader made a number of marks here for occupation and education. There's likely a standard code for different types of occupations and schools.

If I were to guess, I'd say that the numbers add to form some metric of "family prestige." My dad got a Master's at a middle-tier American school, but my mom didn't go to graduate school, and these sections were marked 2 and 3, respectively. So it seems higher numbers are given for less prestigious educations by your parents. I'd expect that if both my parents went to schools like Caltech and Dartmouth, there would be even lower numbers here.

This makes me think that the less prepared your family is, the more points you get, and this might give your application an extra boost. If you were the first one in your family to go to college, for example, you'd be excused for having lower test scores and fewer AP classes. Schools really do care about your background and how you performed relative to expectations.

In the end, schools like Harvard say pretty adamantly they don't use formulas to determine admissions decisions, so I wouldn't read too much into this. But this can be shorthand to help orient an applicant's family background.

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Extracurricular, Personal, and Volunteer Activities

Now known as: Activities

For most applicants, your Extracurriculars and your Academic Honors will be where you develop your Spike and where your Personal Narrative shines through. This was how my application worked.

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Just below I'll describe the activities in more detail, but first I want to reflect on this list.

As instructed, my extracurriculars were listed in the order of their interest to me. The current Common App doesn't seem to ask for this, but I would still recommend it to focus your reader's attention.

The most important point I have to make about my extracurriculars: as you go down the list, there is a HUGE drop in the importance of each additional activity to the overall application. If I were to guess, I assign the following weights to how much each activity contributed to the strength of my activities section:

Research Science Institute 2004

75%

Jisan Research Institute

10%

Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra

6%

Science Olympiad/Science Bowl/Math Team

4%

City of Hope Medical Center

1%

Pre-Medicine Club

1%

Hospital Quartet Performances

1%

Chemistry Club

1%

In other words, participating in the Research Science Institute (RSI) was far more important than all of my other extracurriculars, combined. You can see that this was the only activity my admissions reader circled.

You can see how Spike-y this is. The RSI just completely dominates all my other activities.

The reason for this is the prestige of RSI. As I noted earlier, RSI was (and likely still is) the most prestigious research program for high school students in the country, with an admission rate of less than 5% . Because the program was so prestigious and selective, getting in served as a big confirmation signal of my academic quality.

In other words, the Harvard admissions reader would likely think, "OK, if this very selective program has already validated Allen as a top student, I'm inclined to believe that Allen is a top student and should pay special attention to him."

Now, it took a lot of prior work to even get into RSI because it's so selective. I had already ranked nationally in the Chemistry Olympiad (more below), and I had done a lot of prior research work in computer science (at Jisan Research Institute—more about this later). But getting into RSI really propelled my application to another level.

Because RSI was so important and was such a big Spike, all my other extracurriculars paled in importance. The admissions officer at Princeton or MIT probably didn't care at all that I volunteered at a hospital or founded a high school club .

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This is a good sign of developing a strong Spike. You want to do something so important that everything else you do pales in comparison to it. A strong Spike becomes impossible to ignore.

In contrast, if you're well-rounded, all your activities hold equal weight—which likely means none of them are really that impressive (unless you're a combination of Olympic athlete, internationally-ranked science researcher, and New York Times bestselling author, but then I'd call you unicorn because you don't exist).

Apply this concept to your own interests—what can be so impressive and such a big Spike that it completely overshadows all your other achievements?

This might be worth spending a disproportionate amount of time on. As I recommend in my Harvard guide and 4.0 GPA guide , smartly allocating your time is critical to your high school strategy.

In retrospect, one "mistake" I made was spending a lot of time on the violin. Each week I spent eight hours on practice and a lesson and four hours of orchestra rehearsals. This amounted to over 1,500 hours from freshman to junior year.

The result? I was pretty good, but definitely nowhere near world-class. Remember, there are thousands of orchestras and bands in the country, each with their own concertmasters, drum majors, and section 1 st chairs.

If I were to optimize purely for college applications, I should have spent that time on pushing my spike even further —working on more Olympiad competitions, or doing even more hardcore research.

Looking back I don't mind this much because I generally enjoyed my musical training and had a mostly fun time in orchestra (and I had a strong Spike anyway). But this problem can be a lot worse for well-rounded students who are stretched too thin.

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Aside from these considerations about a Spike, I have two major caveats.

First, developing a Spike requires continuous, increasingly ambitious foundational work. It's like climbing a staircase. From the beginning of high school, each step was more and more ambitious—my first academic team, my first research experience, leading up to state and national competitions and more serious research work.

So when I suggest devoting a lot of time to developing your Spike, it's not necessarily the Spike in itself—it's also spending time on foundational work leading up to what will be your major achievement. That's why I don't see my time with academic teams or volunteering as wasted, even though in the end they didn't contribute as much to my application.

Second, it is important to do things you enjoy. I still enjoyed playing the violin and being part of an orchestra, and I really enjoyed my school's academic teams, even though we never went beyond state level. Even if some activities don't contribute as much to your application, it's still fine to spend some time on them—just don't delude yourself into thinking they're stronger than they really are and overspend time on them.

Finally, note that most of my activities were pursued over multiple years. This is a good sign of commitment—rather than hopping from activity year to year, it's better to show sustained commitment, as this is a better signal of genuine passion.

In a future article, I'll break down these activities in more detail. But this guide is already super long, so I want to focus our attention on the main points.

Short Answer: Extracurricular Activities

In today's Common Application, you have 50 characters to describe "Position/Leadership description and organization name" and 150 characters for "Please describe this activity, including what you accomplished and any recognition you received, etc."

Back then, we didn't have as much space per activity, and instead had a short answer question.

The Short Answer prompt:

Please describe which of your activities (extracurricular and personal activities or work experience) has been most meaningful and why.

I chose RSI as my most significant activity for two reasons—one based on the meaning of the work, and another on the social aspect.

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It's obvious that schools like Yale and UChicago want the best students in the world that they can get their hands on. Academic honors and awards are a great, quantifiable way to show that.

Here's the complete list of Academic Honors I submitted. The Common Application now limits you to five honors only (probably because they got tired of lists like these), but chances are you capture the top 98% of your honors with the top five.

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Charlie wins a Golden Ticket to Harvard.

I know this is intimidating if you don't already have a prestigious honor. But remember there are thousands of nationally-ranked people in a multitude of honor types, from science competitions to essay contests to athletics to weird talents.

And I strongly believe the #1 differentiator of high school students who achieve things is work ethic, NOT intelligence or talent. Yes, you need a baseline level of competence to get places, but people far undervalue the progress they can make if they work hard and persevere. Far too many people give up too quickly or fatigue without putting in serious effort.

If you're stuck thinking, "well I'm just an average person, and there's no way I'm going to become world-class in anything," then you've already lost before you've begun. The truth is everyone who achieves something of note puts in an incredible amount of hard work. Because this is invisible to you, it looks like talent is what distinguishes the two of you, when really it's much more often diligence.

I talk a lot more about the Growth Mindset in my How To Get a 4.0 GPA guide .

So my Chemistry Olympiad honor formed 90% of the value of this page. Just like extracurriculars, there's a quick dropoff in value of each item after that.

My research work took up the next two honors, one a presentation at an academic conference, and the other (Siemens) a research competition for high school researchers.

The rest of my honors were pretty middling:

  • National Merit Scholarship semifinalist pretty much equates to PSAT score, which is far less important than your SAT/ACT score. So I didn't really get any credit for this, and you won't either.
  • In Science Olympiad (this is a team-based competition that's not as prestigious as the academic Olympiads I just talked about), I earned a number of 1 st place state and regional medals, but we never made it to nationals.
  • I was mediocre at competition math because I didn't train for it, and I won some regional awards but nothing amazing. This is one place I would have spent more time, maybe in the time I'd save by not practicing violin as much. There are great resources for this type of training, like Art of Problem Solving , that I didn't know existed and could've helped me rank much higher.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, think about how many state medalists there are in the country, in the hundreds of competitions that exist . The number of state to national rankers is probably at least 20:1 (less than 50:1 because of variation in state size), so if there are 2,000 nationally ranked students, there are 40,000 state-ranked students in something !

So state honors really don't help you stand out on your Princeton application. There are just too many of them around.

On the other hand, if you can get to be nationally ranked in something, you will have an amazing Spike that distinguishes you.

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Now known as: Personal Essay

Now, the dreaded personal statement. Boy, oh boy, did I fuss over this one.

"What is the perfect combination of personal, funny, heartrending, and inspirational?"

I know I was wondering this when I applied.

Having read books like 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays , I was frightened. I didn't grow up as a refugee, wrenched from my war-torn home! I didn't have a sibling with a debilitating illness! How could anything I write compare to these tales of personal strength?

The trite truth is that colleges want to know who you really are . Clearly they don't expect everyone to have had immense personal struggle. But they do want students who are:

  • growth-oriented
  • introspective
  • kind and good-hearted

Whatever those words mean to you in the context of your life is what you should write about.

In retrospect, in the context of MY application, the personal statement really wasn't what got me into Harvard . I do think my Spike was nearly sufficient to get me admitted to every school in the country.

I say "nearly" because, even if you're world-class, schools do want to know you're not a jerk and that you're an interesting person (which is conveyed through your personal essay and letters of recommendation).

Back then, we had a set of different prompts :

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What did you think?

I'm still cringing a bit. Parts of this are very smug (see /r/iamverysmart ), and if you want to punch the writer in the face, I don't blame you. I want to as well.

We'll get to areas of improvement later, but first, let's talk about what this personal essay did well.

As I said above, I saw the theme of the snooze button as a VEHICLE to showcase a few qualities I cared about :

1) I fancied myself a Renaissance man (obnoxious, I know) and wanted to become an inventor and creator . I showed this through mentioning different interests (Rubik's cube, chemistry, Nietzsche) and iterating through a few designs for an alarm clock (electric shocks, explosions, Shakespearean sonnet recitation).

2) My personality was whimsical and irreverent. I don't take life too seriously. The theme of the essay—battling an alarm clock—shows this well, in comparison to the gravitas of the typical student essay. I also found individual lines funny, like "All right, so I had violated the divine honor of the family and the tenets of Confucius." At once I acknowledge my Chinese heritage but also make light of the situation.

3) I was open to admitting weaknesses , which I think is refreshing among people taking college applications too seriously and trying too hard to impress. The frank admission of a realistic lazy habit—pushing the Snooze button—served as a nice foil to my academic honors and shows that I can be down-to-earth.

So you see how the snooze button acts as a vehicle to carry these major points and a lot of details, tied together to the same theme .

In the same way, The Walking Dead is NOT a zombie show—the zombie environment is a VEHICLE by which to show human drama and conflict. Packaging my points together under the snooze button theme makes it a lot more interesting than just outright saying "I'm such an interesting guy."

So overall, I believe the essay accomplishes my goals and the main points of what I wanted to convey about myself.

Note that this is just one of many ways to write an essay . It worked for me, but it may be totally inappropriate for you.

Now let's look at this essay's weaknesses.

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Looking at it with a more seasoned perspective, some parts of it are WAY too try-hard. I try too hard to show off my breadth of knowledge in a way that seems artificial and embellishing.

The entire introduction with the Rubik's cube seems bolted on, just to describe my long-standing desire to be a Renaissance man. Only three paragraphs down do I get to the Snooze button, and I don't refer again to the introduction until the end. With just 650 words, I could have made the essay more cohesive by keeping the same theme from beginning to end.

Some phrases really make me roll my eyes. "Always hungry for more" and "ever the inventor" sound too forced and embellishing. A key principle of effective writing is to show, not say . You don't say "I'm passionate about X," you describe what extraordinary lengths you took to achieve X.

The mention of Nietzsche is over-the-top. I mean, come on. The reader probably thought, "OK, this kid just read it in English class and now he thinks he's a philosopher." The reader would be right.

The ending: "with the extra nine minutes, maybe I'll teach myself to cook fried rice" is silly. Where in the world did fried rice come from? I meant it as a nod to my Chinese heritage, but it's too sudden to work. I could have deleted the sentence and wrapped up the essay more cleanly.

So I have mixed feelings of my essay. I think it accomplished my major goals and showed the humorous, irreverent side of my personality well. However, it also gave the impression of a kid who thought he knew more than he did, a pseudo-sophisticate bordering on obnoxious. I still think it was a net positive.

At the end of the day, I believe the safest, surefire strategy is to develop a Spike so big that the importance of the Personal Essay pales in comparison to your achievements. You want your Personal Essay to be a supplement to your application, not the only reason you get in.

There are probably some cases where a well-rounded student writes an amazing Personal Essay and gets in through the strength of that. As a Hail Mary if you're a senior and can't improve your application further, this might work. But the results are very variable—some readers may love your essay, others may just think it's OK. Without a strong application to back it up, your mileage may vary.

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This is a really fun section. Usually you don't get to read your letter of recommendation because you sign the FERPA waiver. I've also reached out to my letter writers to make sure they're ok with my showing this.

Teacher recommendations are incredibly important to your application. I would say that after your coursework/test scores and activities/honors, they're the 3 rd most important component of your application .

The average teacher sees thousands of students through a career, and so he or she is very well equipped to position you relative to all other students. Furthermore, your teachers are experienced adults—their impressions of you are much more reliable than your impressions of yourself (see my Personal Essay above). They can corroborate your entire Personal Narrative as an outside observer.

The most effective recommendation letters speak both to your academic strengths and to your personality. For the second factor, the teacher needs to have interacted with you meaningfully, ideally both in and out of class. Check out our guide on what makes for effective letters of recommendation .

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Starting from sophomore year, I started thinking about whom I connected better with and chose to engage with those teachers more deeply . Because it's standard for colleges to require two teachers in different subjects, I made sure to engage with English and history teachers as well as math and science.

The minimum requirement for a good letter is someone who taught a class in which you did well. I got straight A's in my coursework, so this wasn't an issue.

Beyond this, I had to look for teachers who would be strong advocates for me on both an academic and personal level . These tended to be teachers I vibed more strongly with, and typically these were teachers who demonstrably cared about teaching. This was made clear by their enthusiasm, how they treated students, and how much they went above expectations to help.

I had a lot of teachers who really just phoned it in and treated their job perfunctorily—these people are likely to write pretty blasé letters.

A final note before reading my actual teacher evaluations— you should avoid getting in the mindset where you get to know teachers JUST because you want a good recommendation letter . Your teachers have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of students pass through, and it's much easier to detect insincerity than you think.

If you honestly like learning and are an enthusiastic, responsible, engaging student, a great recommendation letter will follow naturally. The horse should lead the cart.

Read my How to Get a 4.0 GPA for tips on how to interact with teachers in a genuine way that'll make them love you.

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Teacher Letter #1: AP Chemistry Teacher

I took AP Chemistry in 10 th grade and had Miss Cherryl Vorak (now Mynster). She was young, having taught for fewer than 5 years when I had her. She was my favorite teacher throughout high school for these reasons:

  • She was enthusiastic, very caring, and spent a lot of time helping struggling students. She exuded pride in her work and seemed to consider teaching her craft.
  • She had a kind personality and was universally well liked by her students, even if they weren't doing so well. She was fair in her policies (it probably helped that science is more objective than English). She was also a younger teacher, and this helped her relate to kids more closely.
  • She was my advocate for much of the US National Chemistry Olympiad stuff, and in this capacity I got to know her even better outside of class. She provided me a lot of training materials, helped me figure out college chemistry, and directed me to resources to learn more.

By the time of the letter writing, I had known her for two full years and engaged with her continuously, even when I wasn't taking a class with her in junior year. We'd build up a strong relationship over the course of many small interactions.

All of this flowed down to the recommendation you see here. Remember, the horse leads the cart.

First, we'll look at the teacher evaluation page. The Common Application now has 16 qualities to rate, rather than the 10 here. But they're largely the same.

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You can see a very strong evaluation here, giving me the highest ratings possible for all qualities.

In today's Common Application, all of these Ratings are retained, aside from "Potential for Growth." Today's Common App also now includes Faculty Respect, Maturity, Leadership, Integrity, Reaction to Setbacks, Concern for Others, and TE Overall. You can tell that the updated Common App places a great emphasis on personality.

The most important point here: it is important to be ranked "One of the top few encountered in my career" for as many ratings as possible . If you're part of a big school, this is CRITICAL to distinguish yourself from other students. The more experienced and trustworthy the teacher, the more meaningful this is.

Again, it's a numbers game. Think about the 20,000+ high schools in the country housing 4 million+ high school students—how many people fit in the top 5% bucket?

Thus, being marked merely as Excellent (top 10%) is actually a negative rating , as far as admissions to top colleges is concerned. If you're in top 10%, and someone else with the SAME teacher recommender is being rated as "One of the top ever," it's really hard for the admissions officer to vouch for you over the other student.

You really want to make sure you're one of the best in your school class, if not one of the best the teacher has ever encountered. You'll see below how you can accomplish this.

Next, let's look at her letter.

As you read this, think— what are the interactions that would prompt the teacher to write a recommendation like this? This was a relationship built up in a period of over 2 years, with every small interaction adding to an overall larger impression.

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You can see how seriously they take the letter because of all the underlining . This admissions reader underlined things that weren't even underlined in my application, like my US National Chemistry Olympiad awards. It's one thing for a student to claim things about himself—it's another to have a teacher put her reputation on the line to advocate for her student.

The letter here is very strong for a multitude of reasons. First, the length is notable —most letters are just a page long, but this is nearly two full pages , single spaced. This indicates not just her overall commitment to her students but also of her enthusiastic support for me as an applicant.

The structure is effective: first Miss Vorak talks about my academic accomplishments, then about my personal qualities and interactions, then a summary to the future. This is a perfect blend of what effective letters contain .

On the micro-level, her diction and phrasing are precise and effective . She makes my standing clear with specific statements : "youngest student…top excelling student among the two sections" and "one of twenty students in the nation." She's clear about describing why my achievements are notable and the effort I put in, like studying college-level chemistry and studying independently.

When describing my personality, she's exuberant and fleshes out a range of dimensions: "conscientious, motivated and responsible," "exhibits the qualities of a leader," "actively seeks new experiences," "charismatic," "balanced individual with a warm personality and sense of humor." You can see how she's really checking off all the qualities colleges care about.

Overall, Miss Vorak's letter perfectly supports my Personal Narrative —my love for science, my overall academic performance, and my personality. I'm flattered and grateful to have received this support. This letter was important to complement the overall academic performance and achievements shown on the rest of my application.

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Teacher Letter #2: AP English Language Teacher

My second teacher Mrs. Swift was another favorite. A middle-aged, veteran English teacher, the best way I would describe her is "fiery." She was invigorating and passionate, always trying to get a rise out of students and push their thinking, especially in class discussions. Emotionally she was a reliable source of support for students.

First, the evaluation:

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You can see right away that her remarks are terser. She didn't even fill out the section about "first words that come to mind to describe this student."

You might chalk this up to my not being as standout of a student in her mind, or her getting inundated with recommendation letter requests after over a decade of teaching.

In ratings, you can see that I only earned 3 of the "one of the top in my career." There are a few explanations for this. As a teacher's career lengthens, it gets increasingly hard to earn this mark. I probably also didn't stand out as much as I did to my Chemistry teacher—most of my achievement was in science (which she wasn't closely connected to), and I had talented classmates. Regardless, I did appreciate the 3 marks she gave me.

Now, the letter. Once again, as you read this letter, think: what are the hundreds of micro-interactions that would have made a teacher write a letter like this?

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Overall, this letter is very strong. It's only one page long, but her points about my personality are the critical piece of this recommendation. She also writes with the flair of an English teacher:

"In other situations where students would never speak their minds, he showed no hesitation to voice questions, thoughts, and ideas."

"controversial positions often being the spark that set off the entire class"

"ability to take the quiet and shy student and actively engage"…"went out of my way to partner him with other students who needed"

"strength of conviction"…"raw, unbridled passion"…"He will argue on any topic that has touched a nerve."

These comments most support the personality aspect of my Personal Narrative—having an irreverent, bold personality and not being afraid of speaking my mind. She stops just short of making me sound obnoxious and argumentative. An experienced teacher vouching for this adds so much more weight than just my writing it about myself.

Teacher recommendations are some of the most important components of your application. Getting very strong letters take a lot of sustained, genuine interaction over time to build mutual trust and respect. If you want detailed advice on how to interact with teachers earnestly, check out my How to Get a 4.0 GPA and Better Grades guide .

Let's go to the final recommendation, from the school counselor.

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Now known as: School Report

The first piece of this is reporting your academic status and how the school works overall. There's not much to say here, other than the fact that my Principal wrote my recommendation for me, which we'll get into next.

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Counselor Recommendation

Now known as: Counselor Recommendation

Let's talk about my school principal writing my recommendation, rather than a school counselor.

This was definitely advantageous—remember how, way up top in Educational Data, the reader circled the "Principal." Our Principal only wrote a handful of these recommendations each year , often for people who worked closely with him, like student body presidents. So it was pretty distinctive that I got a letter from our Principal, compared to other leading applicants from my school.

This was also a blessing because our counseling department was terrible . Our school had nearly 1,000 students per grade, and only 1 counselor per grade. They were overworked and ornery, and because they were the gatekeepers of academic enrollment (like class selection and prerequisites), this led to constant frictions in getting the classes you wanted.

I can empathize with them, because having 500+ neurotic parents pushing for advantages for their own kids can get REALLY annoying really fast. But the counseling department was still the worst part of our high school administration, and I could have guessed that the letters they wrote were mediocre because they just had too many students.

So how did my Principal come to write my recommendation and not those for hundreds of other students?

I don't remember exactly how this came to be, to be honest. I didn't strategize to have him write a letter for me years in advance. I didn't even interact with him much at all until junior year, when I got on his radar because of my national rankings. Come senior year I might have talked to him about my difficulty in reaching counselors and asked that he write my recommendation. Since I was a top student he was probably happy to do this.

He was very supportive, but as you can tell from the letter to come, it was clear he didn't know me that well.

Interestingly, the prompt for the recommendation has changed. It used to start with: "Please write whatever you think is important about this student."

Now, it starts with: " Please provide comments that will help us differentiate this student from others ."

The purpose of the recommendation has shifted to the specific: colleges probably found that one counselor was serving hundreds of students, so the letters started getting mushy and indistinguishable from each other.

Here's the letter:

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This letter is probably the weakest overall of all my letters. It reads more like a verbal resume than a personal account of how he understands me.

Unlike my two teacher recommendations, he doesn't comment on the nature of our interactions or about my personality (because he truly didn't understand them well). He also misreported by SAT score as 1530 instead of 1600 (I did score a 1530 in an early test, but my 1600 was ready by January 2004, so I don't know what source he was using).

Notably, the letter writer didn't underline anything.

I still appreciate that he wrote my letter, and it was probably more effective than a generic counselor letter. But this didn't add much to my application.

At this point, we've covered my entire Common Application. This is the same application I sent to every school I applied to, including Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford. Thanks for reading this far—I hope you've gotten a lot out of this already.

If you keep reading to the end, I'll have advice for both younger students and current applicants to build the strongest application possible.

Next, we'll go over the Harvard Supplemental Application, which of course is unique to Harvard.

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For most top colleges like Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, and so on, you will need to complete a supplemental application to provide more info than what's listed on the Common Application.

Harvard was and is the same. The good news is that it's an extra chance for you to share more about yourself and keep pushing your Personal Narrative.

There are four major components here:

  • The application form
  • Writing supplement essay
  • Supplementary recommendations
  • Supplemental application materials

I'll take you through the application section by section.

Harvard Supplement Form

First, the straightforward info and questions.

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This section is pretty straightforward and is similar to what you'd see on a Columbia application.

I planned to live in a Harvard residence, as most students do.

Just as in my Common App, I noted that I was most likely to study biological sciences, choose Medicine as my vocation, and participate in orchestra, writing, and research as my extracurriculars. Nothing surprising here—it's all part of my Personal Narrative.

Interestingly, at the time I was "absolutely certain" about my vocational goals, which clearly took a detour once I left medical school to pursue entrepreneurship to create PrepScholar...

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I had the space to list some additional honors, where I listed some musical honors that didn't make the cut in my Common App.

Here are the next two pages of the Harvard supplemental form.

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The most interesting note here is that the admissions officer wrote a question mark above "Music tape or CD." Clearly this was inconsistent with my Personal Narrative —if violin was such an important part of my story, why didn't I want to include it?

The reason was that I was actually pretty mediocre at violin and was nowhere near national-ranked. Again, remember how many concertmasters in the thousands of orchestras there are in the world—I wasn't good enough to even be in the top 3 chairs in my school orchestra (violin was very competitive).

I wanted to focus attention on my most important materials, which for my Personal Narrative meant my research work. You'll see these supplementary materials later.

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Additional Essays

Now known as: Writing Supplement

For the most part, the Harvard supplemental essay prompt has stayed the same. You can write about a topic of your choice or about any of the suggestions. There are now two more prompts that weren't previously there: "What you would want your future college roommate to know about you" and "How you hope to use your college education."

Even though this is optional, I highly recommend you write something here. Again, you have so few chances in the overall application to convey your personal voice—an extra 500 words gives you a huge opportunity. I would guess that the majority of admitted Harvard students submit a Writing Supplement.

After a lot of brainstorming, I settled on the idea that I wanted to balance my application by writing about the major non-academic piece of my Personal Narrative—my music training . Also, I don't think I explicitly recognized this at the time, but I wanted to distance myself from the Asian-American stereotype—driven entirely by parent pressure, doing most things perfunctorily and without interest. I wanted to show I'd broken out of that mold.

Here's my essay:

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Reading it now, I actually think this was a pretty bad essay, and I cringe to high heaven. But once again, let's focus on the positive first.

I used my violin teacher as a vehicle for talking about what the violin meant to me. (You can tell I love the concept of the vehicle in essays.) He represented passion for the violin—I represented my academic priorities. Our personal conflict was really the conflict between what we represented.

By the end of the essay, I'd articulated the value of musical training to me—it was cathartic and a way to balance my hard academic pursuits.

Halfway in the essay, I also explicitly acknowledged the Asian stereotype of parents who drove their kids, and said my parents were no different. The reader underlined this sentence. By pointing this out and showing how my interest took on a life of its own, I wanted to distance myself from that stereotype.

So overall I think my aims were accomplished.

Despite all that, this essay was WAY overdramatic and overwrought . Some especially terrible lines:

"I was playing for that cathartic moment when I could feel Tchaikovsky himself looking over my shoulder."

"I was wandering through the fog in search of a lighthouse, finally setting foot on a dock pervaded by white light."

OK, please. Who really honestly feels this way? This is clumsy, contrived writing. It signals insincerity, actually, which is bad.

To be fair, all of this is grounded in truth. I did have a strict violin teacher who did get pretty upset when I showed lack of improvement. I did appreciate music as a diversion to round out my academic focus. I did practice hard each day, and I did have a pretty gross callus on my pinky.

But I would have done far better by making it more sincere and less overworked.

As an applicant, you're tempted to try so hard to impress your reader. You want to show that you're Worthy of Consideration. But really the best approach is to be honest.

I think this essay was probably neutral to my application, not a strong net positive or net negative.

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Supplementary Recommendations

Harvard lets you submit letters from up to two Other Recommenders. The Princeton application, Penn application, and others are usually the same.

Unlike the other optional components (the Additional Information in the Common App, and the Supplementary Essay), I would actually consider these letters optional. The reader gets most of the recommendation value from your teacher recommendations—these are really supplementary.

A worthwhile Other Recommender:

  • has supervised an activity or honor that is noteworthy
  • has interacted with you extensively and can speak to your personality
  • is likely to support you as one of the best students they've interacted with

If your Other Recommenders don't fulfill one or more of these categories, do NOT ask for supplementary letters. They'll dilute your application without adding substantively to it.

To beat a dead horse, the primary component of my Personal Narrative was my science and research work. So naturally I chose supervisors for my two major research experiences to write supplemental letters.

First was the Director of Research Science Institute (the selective summer research program at MIT). The second was from the head of Jisan Research Institute, where I did Computer Science research.

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This letter validates my participation in RSI and incorporates the feedback from my research mentor, David Simon. At the time, the RSI students were the most talented students I had met, so I'm also flattered by some of the things the letter writer said, like "Allen stood out early on as a strong performer in academic settings."

I didn't get to know the letter writer super well, so he commented mainly on my academic qualifications and comments from my mentor.

My mentor, who was at one of the major Harvard-affiliated hospitals, said some very nice things about my research ability, like:

"is performing in many ways at the level of a graduate student"

"impressed with Allen's ability to read even advanced scientific publications and synthesize his understanding"

Once again, it's much more convincing for a seasoned expert to vouch for your abilities than for you to claim your own abilities.

My first research experience was done at Jisan Research Institute, a small private computer science lab run by a Caltech PhD. The research staff were mainly high school students like me and a few grad students/postdocs.

My research supervisor, Sanza Kazadi, wrote the letter. He's requested that I not publish the letter, so I'll only speak about his main points.

In the letter, he focused on the quality of my work and leadership. He said that I had a strong focus in my work, and my research moved along more reliably than that of other students. I was independent in my work in swarm engineering, he says, putting together a simulation of the swarm and publishing a paper in conference proceedings. He talked about my work in leading a research group and placing a high degree of trust in me.

Overall, a strong recommendation, and you get the gist of his letter without reading it.

One notable point—both supplemental letters had no marks on them. I really think this means they place less emphasis on the supplementary recommendations, compared to the teacher recommendations.

Finally, finally, we get to the very last piece of my application.

Let me beat the dead horse even deader. Because research was such a core part of my Personal Narrative, I decided to include abstracts of both of my papers. The main point was to summarize the body of work I'd done and communicate the major results.

As Harvard says, "These materials are entirely optional; please only submit them if you have unusual talents."

This is why I chose not to submit a tape of my music: I don't think my musical skill was unusually good.

And frankly, I don't think my research work was that spectacular. Unlike some of my very accomplished classmates, I hadn't ranked nationally in prestigious competitions like ISEF and Siemens. I hadn't published my work in prominent journals.

Regardless, I thought these additions would be net positive, if only marginally so.

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I made sure to note where the papers had been published or were entering competitions, just to ground the work in some achievement.

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  • Recommendation Letters: Hopefully you should have developed strong, genuine relationships with teachers you care about. The letters should flow naturally from here, and you will only need to do gentle prodding to make sure they meet deadlines.
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    25 Elite Common App Essay Examples (And Why They Worked)

    Essay Examples: Writing the Common App Essay

    Applying to competitive colleges? You'll need to have a stand-out Common App essay.

    In this article, I'm going to share with you:

    • 25 outstanding Common App essay examples
    • Links to tons of personal statement examples
    • Why these Common App essays worked

    If you're looking for outstanding Common App essay examples, you've found the right place.

    Ryan

    If you're applying to colleges in 2024, you're going to write some form of a Common App essay.

    Writing a great Common App personal essay is key if you want to maximize your chances of getting admitted.

    Whether you're a student working on your Common App essay, or a parent wondering what it takes, this article will help you master the Common App Essay.

    What are the Common App Essay Prompts for 2024?

    There are seven prompts for the Common App essay. Remember that the prompts are simply to help get you started thinking.

    You don't have to answer any of the prompts if you don't want (see prompt #7 ).

    Here's the seven Common App essay questions for 2022, which are the same as previous years:

    • Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
    • The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
    • Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
    • Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
    • Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
    • Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
    • Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

    The last prompt is a catch-all prompt, which means you can submit an essay on any topic you want.

    Use the Common App prompts as brainstorming questions and to get you thinking.

    But ultimately, you should write about any topic you meaningfully care about.

    What makes an outstanding Common App personal essay?

    I've read thousands of Common App essays from highly motivated students over the past years.

    And if I had to choose the top 2 things that makes for incredible Common App essays it's these:

    1. Being Genuine

    Sounds simple enough. But it's something that is incredibly rare in admissions.

    Authenticity is something we all know when we see it, but can be hard to define.

    Instead of focus on what you think sounds the best to admissions officers, focus on what you have to say—what interests you.

    2. Having Unique Ideas

    The best ideas come about while you're writing.

    You can't just sit down and say, "I'll think really hard of good essay ideas."

    I wish that worked, but it sadly doesn't. And neither do most brainstorming questions.

    The ideas you come up with from these surface-level tactics are cheap, because no effort was put in.

    As they say,

    "Writing is thinking"

    By choosing a general topic (e.g. my leadership experience in choir) and writing on it, you'll naturally come to ideas.

    As you write, continue asking yourself questions that make you reflect.

    It is more of an artistic process than technical one, so you'll have to feel what ideas are most interesting.

    25 Common App Essay Examples from Top Schools

    With that, here's 25 examples as Common App essay inspiration to get you started.

    These examples aren't perfect—nor should you expect yours to be—but they are stand-out essays.

    I've handpicked these examples of personal statements from admitted students because they showcase a variety of topics and writing levels.

    These students got into top schools and Ivy League colleges in recent years:

    Table of Contents

    • 1. Seeds of Immigration
    • 2. Color Guard
    • 3. Big Eater
    • 4. Love for Medicine
    • 5. Cultural Confusion
    • 6. Football Manager
    • 9. Mountaineering
    • 10. Boarding School
    • 11. My Father
    • 12. DMV Trials
    • 13. Ice Cream Fridays
    • 14. Key to Happiness
    • 15. Discovering Passion
    • 16. Girl Things
    • 17. Robotics
    • 18. Lab Research
    • 19. Carioca Dance
    • 20. Chinese Language
    • 21. Kiki's Delivery Service
    • 22. Museum of Life
    • 23. French Horn
    • 24. Dear My Younger Self
    • 25. Monopoly

    Common App Essay Example #1: Seeds of Immigration

    This student was admitted to Dartmouth College . In this Common App essay, they discuss their immigrant family background that motivates them.

    Although family is a commonly used topic, this student makes sure to have unique ideas and write in a genuine way.

    Common App Prompt #1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. (250-650 words)

    I placed three tiny seeds, imagining the corn stalk growing while the pumpkin vines wrapped around it; both sprouting, trying to bear fruit. I clenched a fistful of dirt and placed it on them. “Más,” my grandpa told me as he quickly flooded the seeds with life-giving dirt.

    Covered. Completely trapped.

    Why This Essay Works:

    Everyone has a unique family history and story, and often that can make for a strong central theme of a personal statement. In this essay, the student does a great job of sharing aspects of his family's culture by using specific Spanish words like "yunta" and by describing their unique immigration story. Regardless of your background, sharing your culture and what it means to you can be a powerful tool for reflection.

    This student focuses on reflecting on what their culture and immigrant background means to them. By focusing on what something represents, rather than just what it literally is, you can connect to more interesting ideas. This essay uses the metaphor of their family's history as farmers to connect to their own motivation for succeeding in life.

    This essay has an overall tone of immense gratitude, by recognizing the hard work that this student's family has put in to afford them certain opportunities. By recognizing the efforts of others in your life—especially efforts which benefit you—you can create a powerful sense of gratitude. Showing gratitude is effective because it implies that you'll take full advantage of future opportunities (such as college) and not take them for granted. This student also demonstrates a mature worldview, by recognizing the difficulty in their family's past and how things easily could have turned out differently for this student.

    This essay uses three moments of short, one-sentence long paragraphs. These moments create emphasis and are more impactful because they standalone. In general, paragraph breaks are your friend and you should use them liberally because they help keep the reader engaged. Long, dense paragraphs are easy to gloss over and ideas can lose focus within them. By using a variety of shorter and longer paragraphs (as well as shorter and longer sentences) you can create moments of emphasis and a more interesting structure.

    What They Might Improve:

    This conclusion is somewhat off-putting because it focuses on "other students" rather than the author themself. By saying it "fills me with pride" for having achieved without the same advantages, it could create the tone of "I'm better than those other students" which is distasteful. In general, avoid putting down others (unless they egregiously deserve it) and even subtle phrasings that imply you're better than others could create a negative tone. Always approach your writing with an attitude of optimism, understanding, and err on the side of positivity.

    Common App Essay Example #2: Color Guard

    This student was admitted to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Check out their Common App essay that focuses on an extracurricular:

    Sweaty from the hot lights, the feeling of nervousness and excitement return as I take my place on the 30-yard line. For 10 short minutes, everyone is watching me. The first note of the opening song begins, and I’m off. Spinning flags, tossing rifles, and dancing across the football field. Being one of only two people on the colorguard means everyone will see everything. It’s amazing and terrifying. And just like that, the performance is over.

    Flashback to almost four years ago, when I walked into the guard room for the first time. I saw flyers for a “dance/flag team” hanging in the bland school hallway, and because I am a dancer, I decided to go. This was not a dance team at all. Spinning flags and being part of the marching band did not sound like how I wanted to spend my free time. After the first day, I considered not going back. But, for some unknown reason, I stayed. And after that, I began to fall in love with color guard. It is such an unknown activity, and maybe that’s part of what captivated me. How could people not know about something so amazing? I learned everything about flags and dancing in that year. And something interesting happened- I noticed my confidence begin to grow. I had never thought I was that good at anything, there was always someone better. However, color guard was something I truly loved, and I was good at it.

    The next year, I was thrown into an interesting position. Our current captain quit in the middle of the season, and I was named the new captain of a team of six. At first, this was quite a daunting task. I was only a sophomore, and I was supposed to lead people two years older than me? Someone must’ve really believed in me. Being captain sounded impossible to me at first, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from doing my best. This is where my confidence really shot up. I learned how to be a captain. Of course I was timid at first, but slowly, I began to become a true leader.

    The next marching season, it paid off. I choreographed many pieces of our show, and helped teach the other part of my guard, which at the time was only one other person. Having a small guard, we had to be spectacular, especially for band competitions. We ended up winning first place and second place trophies, something that had never been done before at our school, especially for such a small guard. That season is still one of my favorite memories. The grueling hours of learning routines, making changes, and learning how to be a leader finally paid off.

    Looking back on it as I exit the field after halftime once again, I am so proud of myself. Not only has color guard helped the band succeed, I’ve also grown. I am now confident in what my skills are. Of course there is always more to be done, but I now I have the confidence to share my ideas, which is something I can’t say I had before color guard. Every Friday night we perform, I think about the growth I’ve made, and I feel on top of the world. That feeling never gets old.

    Common App Essay Example #3: Big Eater

    This Common App essay is a successful Northwestern essay from an admitted student. It has a unique take using the topic of eating habits—an example of how "mundane" topics can make for interesting ideas.

    This essay uses their relationship with food to explore how their perspective has changed through moving high schools far away. Having a central theme is often a good strategy because it allows you to explore ideas while making them feel connected and cohesive. This essay shows how even a "simple" topic like food can show a lot about your character because you can extrapolate what it represents, rather than just what it literally is. With every topic, you can analyze on two levels: what it literally is, and what it represents.

    Admissions officers want to get a sense of who you are, and one way to convey that is by using natural-sounding language and being somewhat informal. In this essay, the student writes as they'd speak, which creates a "voice" that you as the reader can easily hear. Phrases like "I kind of got used to it" may be informal, but work to show a sense of character. Referring to their parents as "Ma" and "Papa" also bring the reader into their world. If you come from a non-English speaking country or household, it can also be beneficial to use words from your language, such as "chiemo" in this essay. Using foreign language words helps share your unique culture with admissions.

    Rather than "telling" the reader what they have to say, this student does a great job of "showing" them through specific imagery and anecdotes. Using short but descriptive phrases like "whether it was a sum or Sam the bully" are able to capture bigger ideas in a more memorable way. Showing your points through anecdotes and examples is always more effective than simply telling them, because showing allows the reader to come to their own conclusion, rather than having to believe what you're saying.

    This student's first language is not English, which does make it challenging to express ideas with the best clarity. Although this student does an overall great job in writing despite this hindrance, there are moments where their ideas are not easily understood. In particular, when discussing substance addiction, it isn't clear: Was the student's relationship with food a disorder, or was that a metaphor? When drafting your essay, focus first on expressing your points as clearly and plainly as possible (it's harder than you may think). Simplicity is often better, but if you'd like, afterwards you can add creative details and stylistic changes.

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    Common App Essay Example #4: Love for Medicine

    Here's another Common App essay which is an accepted Dartmouth essay . This student talks about their range of experiences as an emergency medical responder:

    I never knew I had the courage to talk a suicidal sixteen-year-old boy down from the edge of a bridge, knowing that he could jump and take his life at any moment.

    I never knew I had the confidence to stand my ground and defend my treatment plan to those who saw me as less than capable because of my age or gender.

    This essay has lots of detailed moments and descriptions. These anecdotes help back up their main idea by showing, rather than just telling. It's always important to include relevant examples because they are the "proof in the pudding" for what you're trying to say.

    This topic deals with a lot of sensitive issues, and at certain points the writing could be interpreted as insensitive or not humble. It's especially important when writing about tragedies that you focus on others, rather than yourself. Don't try to play up your accomplishments or role; let them speak for themselves. By doing so, you'll actually achieve what you're trying to do: create an image of an honorable and inspirational person.

    This essay touches on a lot of challenging and difficult moments, but it lacks a deep level of reflection upon those moments. When analyzing your essay, ask yourself: what is the deepest idea in it? In this case, there are some interesting ideas (e.g. "when they were on my stretcher, socioeconomic status...fell away"), but they are not fully developed or fleshed out.

    Common App Essay Example #5: Cultural Confusion

    This student's Common App was accepted to Pomona College , among other schools. Although this essay uses a common topic of discussing cultural background, this student writes a compelling take.

    This student uses the theme of cultural confusion to explain their interests and identity:

    Common App Essay Example #6: Football Manager

    Here's a UPenn essay that worked for the Common App:

    This essay has lighthearted moments in it, such as recognizing how being a football manager "does not sound glamorous" and how "we managers go by many names: watergirls..." Using moments of humor can be appropriate for contrasting with moments of serious reflection. Being lighthearted also shows a sense of personality and that you are able to take things with stride.

    The reflections in this essay are far too generic overall and ultimately lack meaning because they are unspecific. Using buzzwords like "hard work" and "valuable lessons" comes off as unoriginal, so avoid using them at all costs. Your reflections need to be specific to you to be most meaningful. If you could (in theory) pluck out sentences from your essay and drop them into another student's essay, then chances are those sentences are not very insightful. Your ideas should be only have been able to been written by you: specific to your experiences, personal in nature, and show deep reflection.

    Although this essay uses the topic of "being a football manager," by the end of the essay it isn't clear what that role even constitutes. Avoid over-relying on other people or other's ideas when writing your essay. That is, most of the reflections in this essay are based on what the author witnessed the football team doing, rather than what they experienced for themselves in their role. Focus on your own experiences first, and be as specific and tangible as possible when describing your ideas. Rather than saying "hard work," show that hard work through an anecdote.

    More important than your stories is the "So what?" behind them. Avoid writing stories that don't have a clear purpose besides "setting the scene." Although most fiction writing describes people and places as exposition, for your essays you want to avoid that unless it specifically contributes to your main point. In this essay, the first two paragraphs are almost entirely unnecessary, as the point of them can be captured in one sentence: "I joined to be a football manager one summer." The details of how that happened aren't necessary because they aren't reflected upon.

    In typical academic writing, we're taught to "tell them what you're going to tell them" before telling them. But for college essays, every word is highly valuable. Avoid prefacing your statements and preparing the reader for them. Instead of saying "XYZ would prove to be an unforgettable experience," just dive right into the experience itself. Think of admissions officers as "being in a rush," and give them what they want: your interesting ideas and experiences.

    Common App Essay Example #7: Coffee

    This student was admitted to several selective colleges, including Emory University, Northwestern University , Tufts University, and the University of Southern California . Here's their Common Application they submitted to these schools:

    I was 16 years old, and working at a family-owned coffee shop training other employees to pour latte art. Making coffee became an artistic outlet that I never had before. I always loved math, but once I explored the complexities of coffee, I began to delve into a more creative realm--photography and writing--and exposed myself to the arts--something foreign and intriguing.

    This essay uses coffee as a metaphor for this student's self-growth, especially in dealing with the absence of their father. Showing the change of their relationship with coffee works well as a structure because it allows the student to explore various activities and ideas while making them seem connected.

    This student does a great job of including specifics, such as coffee terminology ("bloom the grounds" and "pour a swan"). Using specific and "nerdy" language shows your interests effectively. Don't worry if they won't understand all the references exactly, as long as there is context around them.

    While coffee is the central topic, the author also references their father extensively throughout. It isn't clear until the conclusion how these topics relate, which makes the essay feel disjointed. In addition, there is no strong main idea, but instead a few different ideas. In general, it is better to focus on one interesting idea and delve deeply, rather than focus on many and be surface-level.

    Near the conclusion, this student tells about their character: "humble, yet important, simple, yet complex..." You should avoid describing yourself to admissions officers, as it is less convincing. Instead, use stories, anecdotes, and ideas to demonstrate these qualities. For example, don't say "I'm curious," but show them by asking questions. Don't say, "I'm humble," but show them with how you reacted after a success or failure.

    Common App Essay Example #8: Chicago

    Here's another Northwestern essay . Northwestern is a quite popular school with lots of strong essay-focused applicants, which makes your "Why Northwestern?" essay important.

    To write a strong Why Northwestern essay, try to answer these questions: What does NU represent to you? What does NU offer for you (and your interests) that other schools don't?

    This essay uses a variety of descriptive and compelling words, without seeming forced or unnatural. It is important that you use your best vocabulary, but don't go reaching for a thesaurus. Instead, use words that are the most descriptive, while remaining true to how you'd actually write.

    This essay is one big metaphor: the "L" train serves as a vehicle to explore this student's intellectual curiosity. Throughout the essay, the student also incorporates creative metaphors like "the belly of a gargantuan silver beast" and "seventy-five cent silver chariot" that show a keen sense of expression. If a metaphor sounds like one you've heard before, you probably shouldn't use it.

    This student does a fantastic job of naturally talking about their activities. By connecting their activities to a common theme—in this case the "L" train—you can more easily move from one activity to the next, without seeming like you're just listing activities. This serves as an engaging way of introducing your extracurriculars and achievements, while still having the focus of your essay be on your interesting ideas.

    Admissions officers are ultimately trying to get a sense of who you are. This student does a great job of taking the reader into their world. By sharing quirks and colloquialisms (i.e. specific language you use), you can create an authentic sense of personality.

    Common App Essay Example #9: Mountaineering

    Here's a liberal arts college Common App essay from Colby College . Colby is a highly ranked liberal arts college.

    As with all colleges—but especially liberal arts schools—your personal essay will be a considerable factor.

    In this essay, the student describes their experience climbing Mount Adams, and the physical and logistical preparations that went into it. They describe how they overcame some initial setbacks by using their organizational skills from previous expeditions.

    This Colby student explains how the process of preparation can lead to success in academics and other endeavours, but with the potential for negative unintended consequences.

    Common App Prompt #2: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? (250-650 words)

    This essay does a great job of having a cohesive theme: mountaineering. Often times, great essay topics can be something simple on the surface, such as your favorite extracurricular activity or a notable experience. Consider using the literal activity as a sort of metaphor, like this essay does. This student uses mountaineering as a metaphor for preparation in the face of upcoming challenge. Using an overarching metaphor along with a central theme can be effective because it allows you to explore various ideas while having them all feel connected and cohesive.

    Admissions officers want to see your self-growth, which doesn't always mean your successes. Often times, being vulnerable by expressing your struggles is powerful because it makes you more human and relatable, while providing the opportunity to reflect on what you learned. The best lessons from come failures, and writing about challenge can also make your later successes feel more impactful. Everyone loves to hear an underdog or zero-to-hero story. But counterintuitively, your failures are actually more important than your successes.

    This essay has some nice ideas about focusing only on what's in your control: your attitude and your effort. However, these ideas are ultimately somewhat generic as they have been used countless times in admissions essays. Although ideas like this can be a good foundation, you should strive to reach deeper ideas. Deeper ideas are ones that are specific to you, unique, and interesting. You can reach deeper ideas by continually asking yourself "How" and "Why" questions that cause you to think deeper about a topic. Don't be satisfied with surface-level reflections. Think about what they represent more deeply, or how you can connect to other ideas or areas of your life.

    Common App Essay Example #10: Boarding School

    This personal essay was accepted to Claremont McKenna College . See how this student wrote a vulnerable essay about boarding school experience and their family relationship:

    I began attending boarding school aged nine.

    Obviously, this is not particularly unusual – my school dorms were comprised of boys and girls in the same position as me. However, for me it was difficult – or perhaps it was for all of us; I don’t know. We certainly never discussed it.

    I felt utterly alone, as though my family had abruptly withdrawn the love and support thatI so desperately needed. At first, I did try to open up to them during weekly phone calls, but what could they do? As months slipped by, the number of calls reduced. I felt they had forgotten me. Maybe they felt I had withdrawn from them. A vast chasm of distance was cracking open between us.

    At first, I shared my hurt feelings with my peers, who were amazingly supportive, but there was a limit to how much help they could offer. After a while, I realized that by opening up, I was burdening them, perhaps even irritating them. The feelings I was sharing should have been reserved for family. So, I withdrew into myself. I started storing up my emotions and became a man of few words. In the classroom or on the sports field, people saw a self-confident and cheerful character, but behind that facade was someone who yearned for someone to understand him and accept him as he was.

    Years went past.

    Then came the phone call which was about to change my life. “Just come home Aryan, it’s really important!” My mother’s voice was odd, brittle. I told her I had important exams the following week, so needed to study. “Aryan, why don’t you listen to me? There is no other option, okay? You are coming home.”

    Concerned, I arranged to fly home. When I got there, my sister didn’t say hi to me, my grandmother didn’t seem overly enthusiastic to see me and my mother was nowhere to be seen. I wanted to be told why I was called back so suddenly just to be greeted as though I wasn’t even welcome.

    Then my mother then came out of her room and saw me. To my immense incredulity, she ran to me and hugged me, and started crying in my arms.

    Then came the revelation, “Your father had a heart attack.”

    My father. The man I hadn’t really talked to in years. A man who didn’t even know who I was anymore. I’d spent so long being disappointed in him and suspecting he was disappointed in me, I sunk under a flood of emotions.

    I opened the door to his room and there he was sitting on his bed with a weak smile on his face. I felt shaken to my core. All at once it was clear to me how self-centered I had become. A feeling of humiliation engulfed me, but finally I realized that rather than wallow in it, I needed to appreciate I was not alone in having feelings.

    I remained at home that week. I understood that my family needed me. I worked with my uncle to ensure my family business was running smoothly and often invited relatives or friends over to cheer my father up.

    Most importantly, I spent time with my family. It had been years since I’d last wanted to do this – I had actively built the distance between us – but really, I’d never stopped craving it. Sitting together in the living room, I realized how badly I needed them.

    Seeing happiness in my father’s eyes, I felt I was finally being the son he had always needed me to be: A strong, capable young man equipped to take over the family business if need be.

    Common App Essay Example #11: My Father

    This Cornell University essay is an example of writing about a tragedy, which can be a tricky topic to write about well.

    Family and tragedy essays are a commonly used topic, so it can be harder to come up with a unique essay idea using these topics.

    Let me know what you think of this essay for Cornell:

    My father was wise, reserved, hardworking, and above all, caring. I idolized his humility and pragmatism, and I cherish it today. But after his death, I was emotionally raw. I could barely get through class without staving off a breakdown.

    Writing about tragedy, such as the loss of a loved one, is a tricky topic because it has been used countless times in college admissions. It is difficult to not come off as a "victim" or that you're trying to garner sympathy by using the topic (i.e. a "sob story"). This essay does a great job of writing about a personal tragedy in a meaningful and unique way by connecting to values and ideas, rather than staying focused on what literally happened. By connecting tragedy to lessons and takeaways, you can show how—despite the difficulty and sorrow—you have gained something positive from it, however small that may be. Don't write about personal tragedy because you think "you should." As with any topic, only write about it if you have a meaningful point to make.

    This essay is effective at making the reader feel the similar emotions as the author does and in bringing the reader into their "world." Even small remarks like noting the the "firsts" without their loved one are powerful because it is relatable and something that is apparent, but not commonly talked about. Using short phrases like "That was it. No goodbye, no I love you..." create emphasis and again a sense of relatability. As the reader, you can vividly imagine how the author must have felt during these moments. The author also uses questions, such as "What did I last say to him?" which showcase their thought process, another powerful way to bring the reader into your world.

    Admissions officers are looking for self-growth, which can come in a variety of forms. Showing a new perspective is one way to convey that you've developed over time, learned something new, or gained new understanding or appreciation. In this essay, the student uses the "sticker of a black and white eye" to represent how they viewed their father differently before and after his passing. By using a static, unchanging object like this, and showing how you now view it differently over time, you convey a change in perspective that can make for interesting reflections.

    Common App Essay Example #12: DMV Trials

    Here's a funny Common App essay from a Northwestern admitted student about getting their driver's license.

    This topic has been used before—as many "topics" have—but what's important is having a unique take or idea.

    What do you think of this Northwestern essay ?

    Breath, Emily, breath. I drive to the exit and face a four-lane roadway. “Turn left,” my passenger says.

    On July 29, [Date] , I finally got my license. After the April debacle, I practiced driving almost every week. I learned to stop at stop signs and look both ways before crossing streets, the things I apparently didn’t know how to do during my first two tests. When pulling into the parking lot with the examiner for the last time, a wave of relief washed over me.

    This essay does a good job of having a compelling narrative. By setting the scene descriptively, it is easy to follow and makes for a pleasant reading experience. However, avoid excessive storytelling, as it can overshadow your reflections, which are ultimately most important.

    This essay has some moments where the author may come off as being overly critical, of either themselves or of others. Although it is okay (and good) to recognize your flaws, you don't want to portray yourself in a negative manner. Avoid being too negative, and instead try to find the positive aspects when possible.

    More important than your stories is the answer to "So what?" and why they matter. Avoid writing a personal statement that is entirely story-based, because this leaves little room for reflection and to share your ideas. In this essay, the reflections are delayed to the end and not as developed as they could be.

    In this essay, it comes across that failure is negative. Although the conclusion ultimately has a change of perspective in that "failure is inevitable and essential to moving forward," it doesn't address that failure is ultimately a positive thing. Admissions officers want to see failure and your challenges, because overcoming those challenges is what demonstrates personal growth.

    Common App Essay Example #13: Ice Cream Fridays

    This Columbia essay starts off with a vulnerable moment of running for school president. The student goes on to show their growth through Model UN, using detailed anecdotes and selected moments.

    My fascination with geopolitical and economic issues were what kept me committed to MUN. But by the end of sophomore year, the co-presidents were fed up. “Henry, we know how hard you try, but there are only so many spots for each conference...” said one. “You’re wasting space, you should quit,” said the other.

    This essay has a compelling story, starting from this author's early struggles with public speaking and developing into their later successes with Model UN. Using a central theme—in this case public speaking—is an effective way of creating a cohesive essay. By having a main idea, you can tie in multiple moments or achievements without them coming across unrelated.

    This student talks about their achievements with a humble attitude. To reference your successes, it's equally important to address your failures. By expressing your challenges, it will make your later achievements seem more impactful in contrast. This student also is less "me-focused" and instead is interested in others dealing with the same struggles. By connecting to people in your life, values, or interesting ideas, you can reference your accomplishments without coming off as bragging.

    This essay has moments of reflection, such as "math and programming made sense... people didn't". However, most of these ideas are cut short, without going much deeper. When you strike upon a potentially interesting idea, keep going with it. Try to explain the nuances, or broaden your idea to more universal themes. Find what is most interesting about your experience and share that with admissions.

    Stories are important, but make sure all your descriptions are critical for the story. In this essay, the author describes things that don't add to the story, such as the appearance of other people or what they were wearing. These ultimately don't relate to their main idea—overcoming public speaking challenges—and instead are distracting.

    Common App Essay Example #14: Key to Happiness

    Here's a Brown University application essay that does a great job of a broad timeline essay. This student shows the change in their thinking and motivations over a period of time, which makes for an interesting topic.

    Let me know what you think of this Brown essay:

    Common App Prompt #3: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? (250-650 words)

    This student's first language is not English, which provides some insight into why the phrasing may not seem as natural or show as much personality. Admissions officers are holistic in determining who to admit, meaning they take into account many different factors when judging your essays. While this essay may not be the strongest, the applicant probably had other qualities or "hooks" that helped them get accepted, such as awards, activities, unique background, etc. Plus, there is some leniency granted to students who don't speak English as their first language, because writing essays in a foreign language is tough in and of itself.

    It's good to be confident in your achievements, but you don't want to come across as boastful or self-assured. In this essay, some of the phrasing such as "when I was the best at everything" seems exaggerated and is off-putting. Instead of boosting your accomplishments, write about them in a way that almost "diminishes" them. Connect your achievements to something bigger than you: an interesting idea, a passionate cause, another person or group. By not inflating your achievements, you'll come across more humble and your achievements will actually seem more impactful. We all have heard of a highly successful person who thinks "it's no big deal," which actually makes their talents seem far more impressive.

    This essay has some takeaways and reflections, as your essay should too, but ultimately these ideas are unoriginal and potentially cliché. Ideas like "what makes you happy is pursing your passion" are overused and have been heard thousands of times by admissions officers. Instead, focus on getting to unique and "deep" ideas: ideas that are specific to you and that have meaningful implications. It's okay to start off with more surface-level ideas, but you want to keep asking questions to yourself like "Why" and "How" to push yourself to think deeper. Try making connections, asking what something represents more broadly, or analyzing something from a different perspective.

    You don't need to preface your ideas in your essay. Don't say things like "I later found out this would be life-changing, and here's why." Instead, just jump into the details that are most compelling. In this essay, there are moments that seem repetitive and redundant because they don't add new ideas and instead restate what's already been said in different words. When editing your essay, be critical of every sentence (and even words) by asking: Does this add something new to my essay? Does it have a clear, distinct purpose? If the answer is no, you should probably remove that sentence.

    Common App Essay Example #15: Discovering Passion

    Here's a Johns Hopkins essay that shows how the student had a change in attitude and perspective after taking a summer job at a care facility.

    It may seem odd to write about your potential drawbacks or weaknesses—such as having a bad attitude towards something—but it's real and can help demonstrate personal growth.

    So tell me your thoughts on this JHU Common App essay:

    Common App Prompt #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. (250-650 words)

    This student uses vulnerability in admitting that they held preconceived notions about the elderly before this experience. The quote introduces these preconceived notions well, while the description of how this student got their job in the care facility is also engaging.

    Admission officers love to see your interactions with others. Showing how you interact reveals a lot about your character, and this essay benefits from reflecting upon the student's relationship with a particular elderly individual.

    It is good to be descriptive, but only when it supports your expression of ideas. In this essay, the author uses adjectives and adverbs excessively, without introducing new ideas. Your ideas are more important than having a diverse vocabulary, and the realizations in this essay are muddled by rephrasing similar ideas using seemingly "impressive," but ultimately somewhat meaningless, vocabulary.

    This essay touches on some interesting ideas, but on multiple occasions these ideas are repeated just in different phrasing. If you have already expressed an idea, don't repeat it unless you're adding something new: a deeper context, a new angle, a broadened application, etc. Ask yourself: what is the purpose of each sentence, and have I expressed it already?

    It's true that almost any topic can make for a strong essay, but certain topics are trickier because they make it easy to write about overly used ideas. In this essay, the main idea can be summarized as: "I realized the elderly were worthy humans too." It touches upon more interesting ideas, such as how people can be reduced down to their afflictions rather than their true character, but the main idea is somewhat surface-level.

    Common App Essay Example #16: "A Cow Gave Birth"

    This Common App essay for the University of Pennsylvania centers on the theme of womanhood. Not only is it well-written, but this essay has interesting and unique ideas that relate to the student's interests.

    Common App Essay Example #17: Robotics

    This Common App essay was for Washington University in St. Louis .

    This student writes about their experience creating and using an engineering notebook to better document their robotics progress. They share the story of how their dedication and perseverance led to winning awards and qualifying for the national championships.

    Lastly, they reflect on the importance of following one's passions in life and decision to pursue a business degree instead of a engineering one.

    This essay touches on various lessons that they've learned as a result of their experience doing robotics. However, these lessons are ultimately surface-level and generic, such as "I embraced new challenges." Although these could be a starting point for deeper ideas, on their own they come off as unoriginal and overused. Having interesting ideas is what makes an essay the most compelling, and you need to delve deeply into reflection, past the surface-level takeaways. When drafting and brainstorming, keep asking yourself questions like "How" and "Why" to dig deeper. Ask "What does this represent? How does it connect to other things? What does this show about myself/the world/society/etc.?"

    Although this essay is focused on "VEX robotics," the details of what that activity involves are not elaborated. Rather than focusing on the surface-level descriptions like "We competed and won," it would be more engaging to delve into the details. What did your robot do? How did you compete? What were the specific challenges in "lacking building materials"? Use visuals and imagery to create a more engaging picture of what you were doing.

    The hook and ending sentences of "drifting off to sleep" feel arbitrary and not at all connected to any ideas throughout the essay. Instead, it comes off as a contrived choice to create a "full circle" essay. Although coming full circle is often a good strategy, there should be a specific purpose in doing so. For your intro, try using a short sentence that creates emphasis on something interesting. For the conclusion, try using similar language to the intro, expanding upon your ideas to more universal takeaways, or connecting back to previous ideas with a new nuance.

    Common App Essay Example #18: Lab Research

    Common app essay example #19: carioca dance.

    Having a natural-sounding style of writing can be a great way of conveying personality. This student does a fantastic job of writing as they'd speak, which lets admissions officers create a clear "image" of who you are in their head. By writing naturally and not robotically, you can create a "voice" and add character to your essay.

    This student chooses a unique activity, the Carioca drill, as their main topic. By choosing a "theme" like this, it allows you to easily and naturally talk about other activities too, without seeming like you're simply listing activities. This student uses the Carioca as a metaphor for overcoming difficulties and relates it to their other activities and academics—public speaking and their job experience.

    Showing a sense of humor can indicate wit, which not only makes you seem more likeable, but also conveys self-awareness. By not always taking yourself 100% seriously, you can be more relatable to the reader. This student acknowledges their struggles in conjunction with using humor ("the drills were not named after me—'Saads'"), which shows a recognition that they have room to improve, while not being overly self-critical.

    Common App Essay Example #20: Chinese Language

    The list of languages that Lincoln offered startled me. “There’s so many,” I thought, “Latin, Spanish, Chinese, and French.”

    As soon as I stepped off the plane, and set my eyes upon the beautiful city of Shanghai, I fell in love. In that moment, I had an epiphany. China was made for me, and I wanted to give it all my first; first job and first apartment.

    Using creative metaphors can be an effective way of conveying ideas. In this essay, the metaphor of "Chinese characters...were the names of my best friends" tells a lot about this student's relationship with the language. When coming up with metaphors, a good rule of thumb is: if you've heard it before, don't use it. Only use metaphors that are specific, make sense for what you're trying to say, and are highly unique.

    Whenever you "tell" something, you should try and back it up with anecdotes, examples, or experiences. Instead of saying that "I made conversation," this student exemplifies it by listing who they talked to. Showing is always going to be more compelling than telling because it allows the reader to come to the conclusion on their own, which makes them believe it much stronger. Use specific, tangible examples to back up your points and convince the reader of what you're saying.

    Although this essay has reflections, they tend to be more surface-level, rather than unique and compelling. Admissions officers have read thousands of application essays and are familiar with most of the ideas students write about. To stand out, you'll need to dive deeper into your ideas. To do this, keep asking yourself questions whenever you have an interesting idea. Ask "Why" and "How" repeatedly until you reach something that is unique, specific to you, and super interesting.

    Avoid writing a conclusion that only "sounds nice," but lacks real meaning. Often times, students write conclusions that go full circle, or have an interesting quote, but they still don't connect to the main idea of the essay. Your conclusion should be your strongest, most interesting idea. It should say something new: a new perspective, a new takeaway, a new aspect of your main point. End your essay strongly by staying on topic, but taking your idea one step further to the deepest it can go.

    Common App Essay Example #21: Kiki's Delivery Service

    Common App Prompt #6: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? (250-650 words)

    I spent much of my childhood watching movies. I became absolutely engrossed in many different films, TV shows, and animations. From the movie theatres to the TV, I spent my hours enjoying the beauty of visual media. One place that was special to me was the car. My parents purchased a special screen that could be mounted on the back of the headrest, so that I could watch movies on trips. This benefited both parties, as I was occupied, and they had peace. Looking back, I realize this screen played a crucial role in my childhood. It was an integral part of many journeys. I remember taking a drive to Washington D.C, with my visiting relatives from Poland, and spending my time with my eyes on the screen. I remember packing up my possessions and moving to my current home from Queens, watching my cartoons the whole time. I can comfortably say that watching movies in the car has been an familiar anchor during times of change in my life.

    I used to watch many different cartoons, nature documentaries, and other products in the car, yet there has been one movie that I have rewatched constantly. It is called “Kiki’s Delivery Service” by Hayao Miyazaki. My parents picked it up at a garage sale one day, and I fell in love. The style of the animations were beautiful, and the captivating story of a thirteen year old witch leaving home really appealed to me. To be honest, the initial times I watched it, I didn’t fully understand the story but the magic and beauty just made me happy. Then, the more I watched it, I began to see that it was more about independence, including the need to get away from home and establish yourself as your own person. This mirrors how I felt during that period of my life,with mehaving a little rebellious streak; I didn’t agree with my parents on certain topics. That is not the end of the story though. As the years passed, and I watched it a couple more times, although with less frequency than before, my view of this movie evolved yet again.

    Instead of solely thinking about the need for independence, I began to think the movie was more about the balance of independence and reliance. In the movie, the girl finds herself struggling until she begins to accept help from others. Looking back, this also follows my own philosophy during this time. As I began to mature, I began to realize the value of family, and accept all the help I can get from them. I appreciate all the hard work they had done for me, and I recognize their experience in life and take advantage of it. I passed through my rebellious phase, and this reflected in my analysis of the movie. I believe that this is common, and if I look through the rest of my life I am sure I would find other similar examples of my thoughts evolving based on the stage in my life. This movie is one of the most important to me throughout my life.

    Common App Essay Example #22: Museum of Life

    Using visuals can be a way to add interesting moments to your essay. Avoid being overly descriptive, however, as it can be distracting from your main point. When drafting, start by focusing on your ideas (your reflections and takeaways). Once you have a rough draft, then you can consider ways to incorporate imagery that can add character and flavor to your essay.

    Admissions officers are people, just like you, and therefore are drawn to personalities that exhibit positive qualities. Some of the most important qualities to portray are: humility, curiosity, thoughtfulness, and passion. In this essay, there are several moments that could be interpreted as potentially self-centered or arrogant. Avoid trying to make yourself out to be "better" or "greater" than other people. Instead, focus on having unique and interesting ideas first, and this will show you as a likeable, insightful person. Although this is a "personal" statement, you should also avoid over using "I" in your essay. When you have lots of "I" sentences, it starts to feel somewhat ego-centric, rather than humble and interested in something greater than you.

    This essay does a lot of "telling" about the author's character. Instead, you want to provide evidence—through examples, anecdotes, and moments—that allow the reader to come to their own conclusions about who you are. Avoid surface-level takeaways like "I am open-minded and have a thirst for knowledge." These types of statements are meaningless because anyone can write them. Instead, focus on backing up your points by "showing," and then reflect genuinely and deeply on those topics.

    This essay is focused on art museums and tries to tie in a connection to studying medicine. However, because this connection is very brief and not elaborated, the connection seems weak. To connect to your area of study when writing about a different topic, try reflecting on your topic first. Go deep into interesting ideas by asking "How" and "Why" questions. Then, take those ideas and broaden them. Think of ways they could differ or parallel your desired area of study. The best connections between a topic (such as an extracurricular) and your area of study (i.e. your major) is through having interesting ideas.

    Common App Essay Example #23: French Horn

    This student chose the creative idea of personifying their French horn as their central theme. Using this personification, they are able to write about a multitude of moments while making them all feel connected. This unique approach also makes for a more engaging essay, as it is not overly straightforward and generic.

    It can be challenging to reference your achievements without seeming boastful or coming across too plainly. This student manages to write about their successes ("acceptance into the Julliard Pre-College program") by using them as moments part of a broader story. The focus isn't necessarily on the accomplishments themselves, but the role they play in this relationship with their instrument. By connecting more subtly like this, it shows humility. Often, "diminishing" your achievements will actually make them stand out more, because it shows you're focused on the greater meaning behind them, rather than just "what you did."

    This student does a good job of exemplifying each of their ideas. Rather than just saying "I experienced failure," they show it through imagery ("dried lips, cracked notes, and missed entrances"). Similarly, with their idea "no success comes without sacrifice," they exemplify it using examples of sacrifice. Always try to back up your points using examples, because showing is much more convincing than telling. Anyone can "tell" things, but showing requires proof.

    This essay has a decent conclusion, but it could be stronger by adding nuance to their main idea or connecting to the beginning with a new perspective. Rather than repeating what you've established previously, make sure your conclusion has a different "angle" or new aspect. This can be connecting your main idea to more universal values, showing how you now view something differently, or emphasizing a particular aspect of your main idea that was earlier introduced.

    Common App Essay Example #24: Dear My Younger Self

    Common App Prompt #7: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. (250-650 words)

    Younger Anna,

    • Don’t live your life as if you're constantly being watched and criticized. Chances are, no one is even paying attention to you.
    • Wear your retainer.
    • Empathy makes your life easier. People who are inexplicably cruel are suffering just as much as the recipients of their abuse. Understanding this makes your interactions with these people less painful.
    • Comparing yourself to your classmates is counterproductive. Sometimes you will forge ahead, other times you will lag behind. But ultimately, you’re only racing yourself.
    • Speak up to your stepmom.
    • Always eat the cake. I couldn't tell you how many times I’ve turned away a slice of cake, only to regret it the next day. If you really can’t commit, do yourself a favor and take a slice home with you.
    • Cherish your grandparents.
    • Forgive your mother. Harboring resentment hurts you just as much as her. All the time I spent being angry at her could’ve been spent discovering her strengths.

    This essay chose a unique structure in the form of a letter addressed to themselves with a list of lessons they've learned. This structure is unique, and also allows the student to explore a variety of topics and ideas while making them all feel connected. It is tricky to not seem "gimmicky" when choosing a creative structure like this, but the key is to make your essay well thought-out. Show that you've put effort into reflecting deeply, and that you aren't choosing a unique structure just to stand out.

    This essay is highly focused on lessons they've learned, which shows a deep level of reflection. Your ideas and takeaways from life experience are ultimately most compelling to admissions officers, and this essay succeeds because it is focused almost entirely on those reflections. This student also manages to incorporate anecdotes and mini stories where appropriate, which makes their reflections more memorable by being tangible.

    Showing humility and self-awareness are two highly attractive traits in college admissions. Being able to recognize your own flaws and strengths, while not making yourself out to be more than what you are, shows that you are mature and thoughtful. Avoid trying to "boost yourself up" by exaggerating your accomplishments or over-emphasizing your strengths. Instead, let your ideas speak for themselves, and by focusing on genuine, meaningful ideas, you'll convey a persona that is both humble and insightful.

    The drawback of having a structure like this, where lots of different ideas are examined, is that no one idea is examined in-depth. As a result, some ideas (such as "intelligence is not defined by your grades") come across as trite and overused. In general, avoid touching on lots of ideas while being surface-level. Instead, it's almost always better to choose a handful (or even just one main idea) and go as in-depth as possible by continually asking probing questions—"How" and "Why"—that force yourself to think deeper and be more critical. Having depth of ideas shows inquisitiveness, thoughtfulness, and ultimately are more interesting because they are ideas that only you could have written.

    Common App Essay Example #25: Monopoly

    Feeling a bit weary from my last roll of the dice, I cross my fingers with the “FREE PARKING” square in sight. As luck has it, I smoothly glide past the hotels to have my best horse show yet- earning multiple wins against stiff competition and gaining points to qualify for five different national finals this year.

    This essay uses the board game "Monopoly" as a metaphor for their life. By using a metaphor as your main topic, you can connect to different ideas and activities in a cohesive way. However, make sure the metaphor isn't chosen arbitrarily. In this essay, it isn't completely clear why Monopoly is an apt metaphor for their life, because the specific qualities that make Monopoly unique aren't explained or elaborated. Lots of games require "strategy and precision, with a hint of luck and a tremendous amount of challenge," so it'd be better to focus on the unique aspects of the game to make a more clear connection. For example, moving around the board in a "repetitive" fashion, but each time you go around with a different perspective. When choosing a metaphor, first make sure that it is fitting for what you're trying to describe.

    You want to avoid listing your activities or referencing them without a clear connection to something greater. Since you have an activities list already, referencing your activities in your essay should have a specific purpose, rather than just emphasizing your achievements. In this essay, the student connects their activities by connecting them to a specific idea: how each activity is like a mini challenge that they must encounter to progress in life. Make sure your activities connect to something specifically: an idea, a value, an aspect of your character.

    This essay lacks depth in their reflections by not delving deeply into their main takeaways. In this essay, the main "idea" is that they've learned to be persistent with whatever comes their way. This idea could be a good starting point, but on its own is too generic and not unique enough. Your idea should be deep and specific, meaning that it should be something only you could have written about. If your takeaway could be used in another student's essay without much modification, chances are it is a surface-level takeaway and you want to go more in-depth. To go in-depth, keep asking probing questions like "How" and "Why" or try making more abstract connections between topics.

    In the final two paragraphs, this essay does a lot of "telling" about the lessons they've learned. They write "I know that in moments of doubt...I can rise to the occasion." Although this could be interesting, it would be far more effective if this idea is shown through anecdotes or experiences. The previous examples in the essay don't "show" this idea. When drafting, take your ideas and think of ways you can represent them without having to state them outright. By showing your points, you will create a more engaging and convincing essay because you'll allow the reader to come to the conclusion themselves, rather than having to believe what you've told them.

    What Can You Learn from These Common App Essay Examples?

    With these 25 Common App essay examples, you can get inspired and improve your own personal statement.

    If you want to get accepted into selective colleges this year, your Common App essays needs to be its best possible.

    What makes a good Common App essay isn't easy to define. There aren't any rules or steps.

    But using these samples from real students, you can understand what it takes to write an outstanding personal statement .

    Let me know, which Common App essay did you think was the best?

    Ryan Chiang , Founder of EssaysThatWorked.com

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    Princeton Admitted Essay

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    A cow gave birth and I watched. Staring from the window of our stopped car, I experienced two beginnings that day: the small bovine life and my future. Both emerged when I was only 10 years old and cruising along the twisting roads of rural Maryland...

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    Essays About Biology: Top 5 Best Examples and 6 Prompts

    Writing essays about biology can be difficult because it’s composed of many subtopics. Check out this article for our top essay examples and writing prompts.

    Biology came from the Greek words “bios” (life) and “logos” (study). It’s why biology is the study of life or living organisms. Aside from being a natural science, it also has consolidated themes, such as cells making all organisms. Because it’s a broad topic, biology is divided into specialized fields such as botany, genetics, zoology, microbiology, medicine, and ecology. 

    Biologists consider living beings’ origin, evolution, growth, function, structure, and distribution. It’s a comprehensive subject, so there are many things you can write about in your essay. However, at the same time, you might find it challenging to focus on just one area. 

    Below are examples to give you an idea of how to write your essays about biology:

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    1. Essay About Biology by Kelli Wilkins

    2. my interests in biology by anonymous on essaywriting.expert, 3. essay on the importance of study of biology by akhila mol, 4. what biology means to me by anonymous on studymode.com, 5. how my biology teacher changed my perspective of learning the subject by sankalan bhattacharya, 1. biology in my everyday life, 2. something i realized because of biology, 3. my memorable biology class experience, 4. genetics’ role in people’s diseases, 5. my experience during the pandemic, 6. biology and health.

    “Studying Biology is important for a number of reasons, but in particular because it is used in every field. If we did not have a good understanding of Biology then nobody would be able to understand how bodies work, and how life on earth functions.”

    Wilkins shares her desire to study anatomy, a branch of biology, and expounds on what makes biology an essential field. Because biology lets people know more about the world, she digs into why she’s interested in anatomy, specifically to find ways to cure illnesses and develop technologies to discover new treatments. She ends her essay by relating biology to the existence of doctors and hospitals. 

    “It is known that education plays an important role in the life of any individual. It gives an opportunity to develop personality and gain specific skills, to get profound knowledge and experience in order to apply them practically in the future. As for me, my major goal is to study Biology in order to get appropriate knowledge and skills required for my future profession.”

    The author shares why they want to study biology, referring to the human body as the “perfect machine” and curious about how it performs each of its systems’ functions. The writer also mentions how biology is critical to their future profession. They aim to help people with their health problems and relay their desire to research the brain to find more data on it. 

    “The study of biology owes great significance in human life, because man for its day-to-day requirements is dependent on plants and animals either directly or indirectly.”

    Mol lists seven reasons why humans need biology in their daily lives. Her list includes health, diseases, agriculture, horticulture, food, animal breeding, and entertainment. She expounds on each point and how they affect a man during his time on Earth. She explains each relationship in a simple manner that’s easy to understand for the readers.

    “Without biology, we would have no idea about an organism’s makeup, or the most basic unit of life, a cell… Biology influences me in many ways. Biology influences me by teaching me why to take care of the environment, why I am to take care of my body, and by giving me a better overall view of all scientific areas of study.”

    In this short essay, the writer lists down reasons why biology is essential. These reasons include taking care of the environment, one’s body, and others. The author also expounds on their reasons by presenting facts supporting biology’s importance to the world and human lives.

    “He told that the syllabus may be a good way to prepare for an exam but our knowledge should not be limited to any syllabus and the questions that were asked in the examination were related to the topic only. He told that if we try to know things in detail and understand them properly then the interest in the subject will develop, otherwise, students will not treat the subject as a subject of their choice. 

    Bhattacharya shares his experience with a teacher with a unique teaching style. His Biology teacher from Class 7, before the era of the internet, don’t just carry one book to get all his lessons from. Instead, he has a notebook with the collated information from many books to teach his class. 

    Bhattacharya’s teacher taught them things that were not in the curriculum, even if following the curriculum would give him higher points in his evaluation. He only wanted his students to learn more and share with them why learning differs from just knowing. 

    Do you want to be sure you have an excellent essay? See our round-up of the best essay writing apps to help you check your output.

    6 Prompts for Essays About Biology

    Prompts for essays about biology

    You don’t have to be a biology student to write an essay about the subject. If you’re looking for easy prompts to write about, here are some to get you started:

    If mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, who is the powerhouse of your classroom? Your home? Relate a biology topic to a similar structure in your life, then explain why you think they are the same. 

    For instance, you can compare your mother to mitochondria which generate the energy needed to power a cell. The cell being you. You can say that she gives you energy every day by being there and supporting you in whatever way she can. This prompt bodes for a creative and intriguing essay.

    Relay a lesson you learned from biology and how it perfectly explained something you were once hesitant about. Such as being insecure about your big ears – only to know from a biology trivia that ears never stop growing. You can then share how this help lessen your insecurity because you now know large ears are normal. 

    Do you have a memory you won’t forget that happened during biology class? Narrate this story and explain why it’s something that left an impression on you. To give you an idea, you can talk about the first time you dissected an animal, where you first realized how complex organisms are and that they are made of many systems to function, no matter how small.

    Gene action and heredity are evolving. If you have a genetic illness or know someone who has it, you can share your experience. Then explain what your genes have to do with the disease. Is it something you got from your parents? Did they inherit it from your grandparents? Finally, you can add what your parents’ and grandparents’ lives were like because of the disease.

    Virology, another branch of biology, studies viruses and viral diseases. A recent example is the coronavirus pandemic, where more people realized the importance of knowing a virus’ origin, structure, and how they work. Write an essay where you explain how the pandemic operates, such as why people should wear masks, social distance, etc.

    For this essay, you can write about how biology helps you care for your health. For example, you can include how biology helped doctors give you the appropriate diagnosis, how you had the opportunity to have the proper treatment, etc. 

    If you want to write on a related topic, here are essay topics about nature you can consider for your next essay. 

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    2025 Essay Preparation for A Level Biology AQA

    2025 Essay Preparation for A Level Biology AQA

    Subject: Biology

    Age range: 16+

    Resource type: Lesson (complete)

    ScienceResource

    Last updated

    22 August 2024

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    biology essay app

    This is the latest version, recently updated with the 2024 accessible essays.

    CONTEXT: Every year, at least one Biology essay is very accessible, usually both are. This resource is to practise and revise for the accessible essay(s). It makes the preparation SPECIFIC, and EASY.

    Included is + key revision of the 14 common topic areas (AO1) to learn. + written importance examples (AO2) to learn, from the 14 common topics. + a figure on how often each topic has appeared on essay mark schemes from 2017-2024. + a list of the accessible titles in the essays (from 2017-2024) + an easy-to-understand essay mark scheme

    TEACHERS, use as a lesson resource, throughout upper 6, and as a preparation session before Paper 3. STUDENTS use for focussed revision and to practise writing essay paragraphs. You can even memorise paragraphs to rewrite.

    All my students using this resource scored in double figures, with many scoring over 19/25.

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    Biology Personal Statement Examples

    biology essay app

    What is a biology personal statement?

    Your biology personal statement should tell the university all about your strengths, skills, experience and career plans.

    It should also convey your enthusiasm for the subject, and what aspects of it you enjoy and why.

    How do I write a biology personal statement?

    It’s a good idea to start your statement with why you want to study biology at university.

    Try to talk about what drew you to biology initially - was it a childhood experience, or were you inspired by a family member or a television documentary? Pin this down if you can, as admissions tutors always want to know about your motivations for wanting to study their subject.

    Make sure you back up everything with examples, as you need to convince the university that you they should offer you a place on their biology degree over anyone else.

    A great biology personal statement should be written clearly and concisely, with a good introduction, middle, and a conclusion. After all, your statement has to stand out from the crowd if your UCAS application is going to be successful.

    For inspiration on how to write your own unique statement, take a look at some of our engineering personal statement examples above, as well as our collection of top rated personal statement examples .

    What should I include in my biology personal statement?

    It’s important to include skills and experience from all areas of your life and try to relate them to hobbies or extracurricular activities if they helped you to build on certain strengths.

    Think about how any work experience you have completed might be useful in your degree, e.g. what skills did you learn? were there any parts of it you particularly enjoyed? if so, why?

    Make sure you include everything that is relevant to your course, which means you may want to leave off your Grade 6 in piano, or your swimming certificates.

    University admissions tutors want to know what you can bring to their department and what value you can add, so every sentence of your personal statement needs to earn its place.

    You need to sell yourself as a well-rounded individual in terms of academic knowledge, work experience and extracurricular activities in order to have a chance of being successful with your biology UCAS application (although this doesn't mean lying or embellishing the truth!).

    For more help and advice on what to write in your biology personal statement, please see:

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    • What To Do If You Miss The 15th January UCAS Deadline.

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    Guide to GCSE results for England, summer 2024

    Grading has continued as normal in summer 2024, following the return to pre-pandemic standards last year. Overall GCSE results are similar to summer 2023.

    biology essay app

    Today, students in England are receiving more than 5.6 million GCSE results. Students’ grades have been determined by their performance in their exams and assessments. These qualifications provide students with trustworthy evidence of their achievements so they can move forward in their education or training.  

    Grading has continued as normal this summer, following the return to pre-pandemic standards last year. It is important that grades reflect what students know, understand and can do, to support students in making the right choices about their next steps. 

    The Chief Regulator at Ofqual, Sir Ian Bauckham CBE, said: “Consistent, rigorous standards of grading are producing consistent results.   

    “It is evidence that we have settled back into a pattern of dependable and trustworthy results.”

    Key points 

    Grading has continued as normal this summer and standards have been maintained from summer 2023.   

    GCSE entries have increased by more than 250,000 compared with summer 2023. There has been an increase in the 16-year-old population since 2023, and there are more entries from post-16 students this summer for GCSE English language and maths. The changes to the post-16 cohort are reflected in the GCSE English language and maths results published today. 

    Overall GCSE results are similar to 2023. Outcomes at grade 7 and above are 21.7% compared with 21.6% in 2023, and outcomes at grade 4 and above are 67.4% compared with 67.8% in 2023. 

    The results for GCSE French, German and computer science reflect the small adjustments we required exam boards to make this summer.

    Today (22 August 2024) we are publishing: 

    a summary of results (below) 

    infographics about this year’s GCSE results  

    interactive visualisations of outcomes by centre type, variability in school and college GCSE results, GCSE outcomes in England, an interactive map of England showing GCSE results in different subjects by grade and county and GCSE grade combinations 

    results of the 2024 National Reference Test

    As normal, the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) has  published results in England for GCSE , overall and by subject. These results are also shown in our  interactive visualisation .

    Centre type results 

    Ofqual has updated its interactive visualisation to show GCSE results for different types of school and college compared with previous years, overall and by subject. The centre type categories are based on the  national centre number (NCN) register  and are self-reported by schools and colleges. Our interactive visualisations only include those schools or colleges that have entries for a particular subject in every year from 2018 to 2024. 

    Overall results for all types of school and college are broadly similar to 2023 at grade 7 and above and grade 4 and above. When students take exams, the same assessment arrangements apply to everyone. Differences in outcomes are therefore likely to reflect longstanding trends in the pattern of results for different centre types. Changes compared with 2023 will reflect changes in attainment or changes in the cohort of students taking qualifications across different types of centre. For example, more post-16 students took GCSEs this summer compared with 2023, and these students typically make up the majority of GCSE entries in further education establishments and colleges.

    Cumulative percentage outcomes by centre type – grade 7 and above

    Centre type 2019 2023 2024
    Academies 20.6 21.0 21.2
    Free schools 20.1 20.1 21.6
    FE establishment 0.9 1.0 0.8
    Independent 48.1 47.5 48.4
    Other 6.4 7.6 7.2
    Secondary comprehensive 18.8 19.3 19.4
    Secondary modern 12.4 12.8 12.6
    Secondary selective 58.6 59.4 60.3
    Sixth form college 1.0 1.4 1.2

    Cumulative percentage outcomes by centre type – grade 4 and above

    Centre type 2019 2023 2024
    Academies 69.1 69.2 69.4
    Free schools 68.7 67.5 69.0
    FE establishment 24.0 19.2 17.3
    Independent 91.0 91.0 90.9
    Other 36.6 37.6 35.3
    Secondary comprehensive 67.8 68.3 68.5
    Secondary modern 60.9 61.3 60.7
    Secondary selective 97.0 96.8 97.0
    Sixth form college 30.6 24.1 24.9

    Centre variability 

    Ofqual’s interactive visualisation shows the level of variation in schools’ and colleges’ GCSE results compared with 2023. We know that, in any year, individual schools and colleges may see variation in the proportion of students achieving particular grades compared with previous years. This can be due to many different factors, including differences in the mix of students entered for particular qualifications, different teaching approaches, changes in teaching staff or teaching time, and changes to qualifications.   

    Our interactive visualisation allows users to explore variation in centres’ results for different age groups and sizes of centres.

    GCSE French, German and computer science 

    This summer we required exam boards to award GCSE French, German and computer science more generously .  

    The positive adjustments in French and German follow our detailed review of an extensive evidence base as part of our work on inter-subject comparability, and subsequent announcement in 2019, that we would seek  to align grade standards in GCSE French and German with Spanish . Exam boards were required to make small positive adjustments in French at grades 7 and 4, and in German at grades 9, 7 and 4. This follows adjustments in both subjects at grades 9, 7 and 4 in summer 2023. The adjustments were taken into account during awarding and are reflected in results. We did not require exam boards to make a further adjustment at grade 9 in French this summer, as the evidence suggests that there was broad alignment with Spanish in summer 2023.

    For GCSE computer science we conducted an extensive programme of research considering grading standards over time , given the changes that have been made to the qualification in the short time that it has been available (the first awards were in 2012). Our research suggests that standards may have become slightly more stringent through the period from 2014 to 2019, likely due to the changes to the qualification and the context during this period. We therefore required exam boards to award more generously this summer at grades 9, 7 and 4, to reflect the findings of the research. These small adjustments were taken into account during awarding and are reflected in results.

    Equalities analyses 

    As well as the results breakdowns published today, Ofqual will be repeating the equalities analyses that we have published since 2020 . Ofqual makes this information available so that the whole sector can understand qualification results and use this to inform policy making and practice. These detailed analyses consider whether the gaps between results for different groups of students have changed compared with previous years, while controlling for a range of student characteristics. It is important that these analyses control for as many student characteristics as possible, so that meaningful conclusions can be drawn from the results. This does mean, however, that it is not possible for us to complete these analyses ahead of results being issued, because final data from exams is only available very close to results days. We will publish our equalities analyses as soon as we can, in the autumn. 

    When students take exams, the same assessment arrangements apply to everyone – students’ grades are solely determined by the number of marks they achieve in the assessments, and the same rules apply to everyone taking the same qualification. The gaps between results for different groups of students are therefore likely to reflect long-standing trends in attainment, and any changes this year will reflect changes in attainment. Differential patterns of achievement in qualifications reveal, rather than create, educational disparities. They are an important part of the evidence needed for addressing those disparities.

    Grade boundaries 

    Exam boards have set grade boundaries this summer based on a combination of data and qualitative evidence. As in any year, there has been an important role for examiner judgement. Expert examiners have reviewed the quality of students’ work compared with previous years.  

    Grade boundaries typically change each exam series and are often different between exam boards. This reflects any differences in the difficulty of the assessments. If an exam paper is harder the grade boundaries will be lower, and if an exam paper is easier the grade boundaries will be higher. This is important to ensure that students are not advantaged or disadvantaged based on the exam paper that they sit. This means that some grade boundaries are lower than 2023, while others are higher. 

    Grading has taken place as normal this summer and standards have been maintained from summer 2023. Students can therefore be confident in the grades they receive, irrespective of the grade boundaries or how they compare with last year.

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    Bio Essay Sinhala: Master the Art of Essay Writing for A-Level Biology!

    Embark on a journey to elevate your A-Level Biology essay writing skills with the all-new "Bio Essay Sinhala" app. Tailored for the advanced level exams in Sri Lanka, this app is your comprehensive guide to crafting essays with precision and mastery.

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      The application is set to equip learners with knowledge, skills and expertise on how to tackle questions pertaining essays in Biology. The application features the following Biology essays: 1. Essay 1 - Adaptation of the Cell to its functions 2. Essay 2 - Animal & Plant cells adaptations. 3. Essay 3 - Mammalian body adaptations against ...

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