The university application process is not for the faint of heart. Any student of the journey can tell you that the universal emotion of the prospective candidate is not ambition, or enthusiasm, as much as it is, well, panic. This is particularly true in the drafting of the admission essay. The ratio of applicants to available spaces is lopsided enough to discourage even the heartiest optimist. Each year, the pool of applicants proliferates, and the scramble for those coveted spots intensifies. The admission essay begins to take on an ever more important significance.

The admission essay is the wildcard. All students want to submit an admission essay that is muscular and eye-catching. For those who feel lacking in grade and test scores, the admission essay seems like their only chance. The stress of putting all their eggs into a single, two-paged, double-spaced basket causes people to become paralyzed in anxiety. One of the hardest concepts to get across to university applicants writing their admission essay is that of the bigger picture. The college admissions process, and with it, the admission essay, should be the beginning, not the end of a student's ambitions. Time magazine

Especially for young students, dreams, goals and interests change. What you put in your admission essay may not map out where your future truly takes you.

Stepping back and getting perspective on the college admissions process may be the most valuable tool to usher students through the panic. Bear this in mind when working on an admission essay. You DO have something to contribute. It is okay to be creative with your ambitions and your admission essay. Keep an open mind. The fact that you have your feet in the waters of this process says more about your ambition than you might think.

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