Before students start writing college admission essays, it's important for them to understand the unique make-up of the school they are interested in attending. Admissions officers look at essays with an eye on how the student will fit in, contribute to and diversify the existing campus culture. Trying to write an essay without limited knowledge of the campus places students at an extreme disadvantage when trying to craft a powerful admissions essay.

Just like with a graduate school personal statement, you want to make each undergraduate admissions essay as unique as possible. Adding information about how you will fit in as part of the campus culture is a great way to stand out from the crowd. One way to do this is to take an early visit to some of your top campuses before your senior year of high school.

Early visits to top-choice colleges will give you a leg up in your college admission essay writing. It doesn't have to be a formal visit -- you can stop by the campus for a day and see for yourself what students do. Doing additional research online will also give you a better sense of student life that you can incorporate into your essay.

Labels: strengthen admissions essay campus visit