Robin Bellers, an expert of Central European University, has made a list
of do’s and don’ts
| Do
· Remember that you want to impress your reader and show in what way you are special
· Find out about the department you apply to
· Think of what the university can offer you, and what you can offer the university
· Describe very clearly your direction: past, present and future career plans
· Emphasize everything from a positive perspective
· Before you begin writing choose what you want to include and in what order
· Use concrete examples from your life to support your point and distinguish yourself from other applicants
· If there is something important that happened (illness, etc) which affected your grades, state it, but write about it in a way that shows your perseverance
· Write clearly, organizing your thoughts into paragraphs
· Ask someone else to critique your essay for you
| Don’t
· Don’t start writing your essay one day before your deadline
· Don’t start your essay with “I was born in…”, or “My parents come from…”
· Don’t write your autobiography or repeat your CV/résumé
· Don’t make things up. There is nothing worse than if you are caught not telling the truth
· Don’t make excuses, but you can talk about the mistakes you’ve made as a learning experience
· Don’t try to impress your reader with your vocabulary, i.e. words that neither you nor anyone else has heard before
· Don’t use slang
· Don’t make your sentences too long or complex, and don’t overuse the passive
· Don’t rely exclusively on your computer to check your spelling
· Don’t exceed the word limit
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