What words can you not use in a college essay?
Don't Use Contractions, Slang or Cliches
Avoid contractions like "don't," "it's" and "they're" in your essay because they will give your writing an informal feel. Instead, separate and write out the full words.
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Word count guidelines for different application types.
Application portal | Word count | Strict limit? |
---|---|---|
Common App | 250–650 | Yes |
Coalition App | 500–650 | No |
UC App | Four 350-word essays | Yes |
Habitual Profanity May be Suspendable
Per California Education Code section 48900(i) a student may be suspended or expelled for engaging in “habitual profanity.” Note the code does not say a child may be suspended for “profanity,” but rather HABITUAL profanity.
Avoid swearing in a college essay, since admissions officers' opinions of profanity will vary. In some cases, it might be okay to use a vulgar word, such as in dialogue or quotes that make an important point in your essay. However, it's safest to try to make the same point without swearing.
Many essays included things that you should not do in your college admissions essay including: Never rehash your academic and extracurricular accomplishments. Never write about a "topic" Never start with a preamble.
Overall, it's best to stay within the word count limit or range — it's provided for a reason! Writing too much will likely result in your essay being cut off, and writing too little may cause readers to think that you aren't truly interested in their school. If no range is given, remember to stick to 400-600 words.
Penalty deducted from intellectual mark
For example, if the word limit is 1500 words and you submit an essay of 1560 words (which is within 100 words excess) your mark will be reduced by 5 marks. Thus, if the essay achieves an intellectual mark of 65, your final mark will be 60.
It's not exactly workplace-professional conduct, but it's not unusual, and it's not particularly frowned upon in my experience. In my own university course, several of my lecturers were quite comfortable with the use of swearing in their conversations.
Colleges know that people swear sometimes, obviously, but excessive vulgarity will not reflect well upon you.
If an employee swears at a manager
If the employee was refusing to carry out an instruction from their manager when they used foul language, this could be considered insubordination, which could constitute gross misconduct and result in summary dismissal.
Should I trauma dump on my college essay?
There shouldn't be so much pressure to write about major traumatic experiences. Our trauma does not define who we are. Instead students should be continuously encouraged to write about anything they feel particularly passionate about, after all college is all about creating a safe space to truly be individuals.
- Mistake #1: Writing About a Cliched Topic. Don't write about a cliched or overused topic. ...
- Mistake #2: Writing a List of Accomplishments. Don't write a list essay. ...
- Mistake #3: Writing in an Impersonal Way. ...
- Mistake #4: Writing a Five-Paragraph Essay.

Your college essay might not be the ideal place to process the relevant feelings and issues. You may want to explore a different topic and address your mental health through journaling, talk therapy, etc.
If a profanity, obscenity, or vulgarity must be used, flag the story at the top with the following, Eds: Story includes vulgarity (or graphic content, etc.) Confine the offending language, in quotation marks, to a separate paragraph that can be deleted easily by editors who do not want to use it.
Do not use swear words in formal business or academic writing. Think about whether your audience would be offended by bad language. Only use swear words in creative writing when it fits the context.
It is okay to write about mental illness and Depression in your college essay as long as it proves that you're a suitable student. Thus, you should be asking yourself, “how does my experience with mental illness or Depression make me a strong candidate?”
Don't write about racism or poverty or global warning in the abstract: if you want to address these topics, write about your personal experiences with them. Your college essay should be primarily about YOU.
- Be Authentic. ...
- Grab the Reader From the Start. ...
- Focus on Deeper Themes. ...
- Show Don't Tell. ...
- Try Doing Something Different. ...
- Write With the Reader in Mind. ...
- Write Several Drafts. ...
- Read It Aloud.
If it absolutely needs to be corrected, such as an incorrect essay version or glaring typo, the student should call the school and ask what their policy is for correcting the mistake.
Most importantly, many students were drilled on the rule that "certain words don't count", usually articles (namely, "a", "an", "the"), but sometimes also others, such as conjunctions (for example, "and", "or", "but") and some prepositions (usually "to", "of").
Does and don'ts for essay writing?
...
- DO respond to the prompt. ...
- DON'T use cliches or overuse idioms. ...
- DO take breaks. ...
- DON'T rely on spell check. ...
- DO have someone else review your work.
My theory behind that was thus: if I write to 100 words, I will most likely write more. 100 words is enough to make a small paragraph and a couple exchanges of dialogue–essentially, enough to, theoretically, spark my brain back into the scene and narrative and keep going.
The Common App essay word count range is 250-650 words. But just how long should your statement be? Admissions Blog advises aiming for around 500 words.
Do admissions officers at highly selective colleges fact check every detail on every application? The answer is a resounding no. In fact, with some exceptions (hi MIT), admissions officers at elite universities rarely fact check much of anything.
Overlong essays will be penalised according to the following rule: 1% of the maximum obtainable mark will be deducted for every 100 words, or part thereof, over the word limit. So, exceeding the word limit by 1-100 words incurs a deduction of 1%; exceeding by 101- 200 words incurs a deduction of 2%; and so on.
Professors do count words for the essay. But, they don't do it manually. Instead, they use a free word counter that does all the work for them. Besides, most of the professors usually allow exceeding the number of words by 10%.
Assignment length requirements are usually given in terms of numbers of words. Unless the lecturer tells you that these limits are strict, it is normally acceptable to be 10% above or below this word limit (so, for example, a 2000 word assignment should be between 1800 and 2200 words).
If your institution doesn't provide a specific word count, it's best to keep your essay between the length established by the longer college admissions essay format: 250 to 650 words. Word count is just one factor to consider as you craft your college admissions essay.
If there are curse words in the audio, transcribe them word for word.
React calmly to foul language.
Focusing on the student or getting upset yourself will give the student the attention he is seeking and reinforce his impulse to swear. Instead, let him know in a calm, brief manner that his language is unacceptable and that there are more appropriate ways to get your attention.
Do professors like to fail students?
They Don't Enjoy Failing Students
Despite what you may think, it's unlikely that your professor loves giving you a failing grade. "I don't think I've ever enjoyed failing a student, since it has such a negative effect on their GPA.
According to new data, colleges and universities do pay attention to what prospective students post on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. In addition, potential employers for internships or permanent positions may also review your public social sites.
Yes, colleges can look at the public version of your social media accounts, but they don't have some sort of secret, government-like power to access your private information. It's much more likely that your social media behavior would only be brought to their attention if it causes a stir.
Colleges do not look at your browsing history if you're using on-campus WiFi. However, colleges are technically able to look at your search history. Anyone with a WiFi router can configure it to tell them the websites that users visit.
Swearing directly at someone is completely unacceptable: it is bullying." However, even swearing to no one in particular could create an intimidating environment, and therefore constitute a breach of faith between the employer and employee, Morrall says.
Vulgar language does not always need to be specifically directed at you to be considered sexual harassment. Even if an offensive comment is not personally addressed to an employee, he or she may suffer from the effects that it produces upon the workplace environment.
Swearing does not expressly fit the Fair Work Regulations for serious misconduct, potentially leading to an unfair dismissal application. However, if the swearing is connected with threats of assault or abuse towards other employees, this behaviour could be appropriate for dismissal.
- Return to the beginning with a “full circle” structure.
- Reveal the main point or insight in your story.
- Look to the future.
- End on an action.
Sharing trauma without permission, in an inappropriate place and time, to someone who may not have the capacity to process it. That's trauma dumping. It's become so commonplace on social media, our kids may have come to accept it as normal.
Across all participants, nearly half (44%) rank mental health as the most important problem on campus — one of the few agreements among all participants.
Can you write about anxiety in a college essay?
sorry, but do not recommend that topic. depression and anxiety are common health conditions (not to make light of your health condition, but super common), and it could make you seem fragile and/or self absorbed and not mature if you pick that topic.
“Students should describe, in their application essay or letter to the admissions office, how they overcame their academic woes and achieved better grades, once their ADHD was properly treated,” Quinn says.
Recently, I've noticed a concerning uptick in the number of students asking whether it's appropriate for them to write about mental health issues, most frequently ADD and/or anxiety, in their college applications. So the short answer: don't do it.
Restricting words are words or phrases that narrow the topic and make it more specific, i.e. this is the part of the broad topic that the lecturer wants you to investigate—you will only be given marks on subject matter that is restricted to the aspect of the topic.
- Do not use first-person pronouns ("I," "me," "my," "we," "us," etc.). ...
- Avoid addressing readers as "you." ...
- Avoid the use of contractions. ...
- Avoid colloquialism and slang expressions. ...
- Avoid nonstandard diction.
Professors do count words for the essay. But, they don't do it manually. Instead, they use a free word counter that does all the work for them.
500-word essays do not have to be exactly 500 words, but they should be as close as possible. The essay prompt may say “in under 500 words” or “in at least 500 words,” which would state whether 500 is the minimum or maximum word count.
There is no penalty anymore but I advise writing more than 250 words to fully develop your essay. 2. A very long essay will not give you a higher band score. If you write a long essay, for example around 350 words, then two problems will arise.
- Delete "The" You can often omit the word “the” from your text without losing any meaning. ...
- Erase “That” ...
- Remove Adverbs and Adjectives. ...
- Use Shorter Words. ...
- Trim Wordy Phrases. ...
- Choose Active Voice. ...
- Revise Needless Transitions. ...
- Eliminate Conjunctions.
Assignment length requirements are usually given in terms of numbers of words. Unless the lecturer tells you that these limits are strict, it is normally acceptable to be 10% above or below this word limit (so, for example, a 2000 word assignment should be between 1800 and 2200 words).
What you should never do in an essay?
- Fail to address the question's topic in your introduction. ...
- Stray from the focus of the question (especially in the conclusion) ...
- Insert quotes without introducing them or relating them back to the topic. ...
- Fail to provide references. ...
- Use informal language, colloquialisms, or overuse rhetorical questions.
Finally, remember that personal names are acceptable when writing your college essay. However, keep in mind that you should follow the rules and practice good essay writing manners when writing an essay.