Importance of Grammar in your Admission Essays

Good grammar is critical to the success of admission essays. Today, with inbuilt spelling and grammar checks, in almost all word-based programs, applicants actually have no reason to ignore grammatical errors. Hence, if you submit an admission essay that is flawed as far as the grammar is concerned, chances are you would not make a favourable impression.

There are two important reasons why universities abroad seek an admission essay. While it is a fair enough way for them to judge and understand the applicant’s candidature and shortlist suitable candidates, it is also a rather convenient way to judge the applicant’s language skills. What applicants often do not realize is that more than anything, an admission essay is a written document.

Writing a few lines or writing a full-fledged essay requires certain language abilities. Universities abroad not only wish to judge whether or not you are a right fit for the university’s culture, but also seek to understand whether you can clearly and concisely express yourself in the chosen medium of instruction, which in most cases, is English. Hence, when writing your admission essay, keep a strong check on your grammar. More so, as certain issues are not picked up by the computer in a spelling/ grammar check. Check: Types of Admission Essays

Importance of Grammar in Admission Essays

Here are a few pointers about your grammar that you must keep in mind. More so as they would not ideally be picked up by the computer in a spell and grammar check.

• Select a tense and stick to it. Students tend to mix up their verbs and keep shifting from past to present to future continuous. While from paragraph to paragraph that might happen without concern, students should keep in check that it does not happen within a sentence.
• Avoid jumping from the first person to the third person. As far as possible (and also depending on the question asked), try to answer the questions in the first person.
• Be careful about the prepositions used. Usually, the spelling and grammar check does not pick up wrong prepositions. Hence, you must be extra careful with your prepositions.
• Avoid the use of slang and abbreviations/contractions. Keep the tone casual yet formal. Do not write slang or abbreviations.
• Balance your paragraphs. on a daily basis, admission counsellors skim through admission essays, they should see uniformity in your writing and paragraphs so that it gives a good impression that you know what you are saying.
• Don't sound like a scatterbrain in your admission essays. Whoever is assessing the admission essay should comprehend what you say and what you mean through your writing, which is the only way to judge if you are capable of making it through or not. 
• Avoid using flowery language or tricky grammar. Your admission essay should not sound like you are boasting about your grammar, you should subtly write your thoughts and re-read to avoid giving the other person reading your essay to refer to a dictionary for your flowery language.

Overall a good admission essay makes a big difference if it's grammatically correct, can be articulated easily, is comprehended by the reader in the same tone as written and most importantly help the reader understand what the writer is trying to put across. It is always good to brush up on your grammar from time to time because it always helps!

Also, Read

• Importance of Vocabulary in your Admission Essay
• Word Limit and Essays: How important are they

Related Links

• How to write a Leadership Essay
• How to write a Goals Essay
• How to write a Career Progression Essay

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