If you are graduating from high school and aspire to get into the desired college, you have to write an application essay. An application piece, also known as an entrance essay and a personal statement, is a piece, usually not exceeding 700 words, about yourself. Students often have freedom of choice and can write nearly about anything. The topic must reveal the candidate’s writing and critical thinking skills and answer why a specific college or university should accept the author.
Hundreds of thousands of application essays are written annually, and it is getting hard to distinguish the most prominent types. One of the most outstanding examples of a successful personal statement is the Costco essay, written by Brittany Stinson. This article will analyze what the Costco essay is, why it serves as a model application, and how to write a unique piece relying on this text.
The Costco Essay: What Is It?
Each of us knows what Costco is. It is a wholesale corporation where you can find almost anything you need. But how does it correlate with an essay? The story occurred in 2016 when Brittany Stinson composed a Costco Essay. This piece went viral, and as a result, she was accepted into dozens of educational institutions. The story was so popular the newspaper agencies couldn’t stop posting articles describing her success.
In some sense, she even became a role model for high schoolers, and many students tried crafting similar texts. Sadly enough, they didn’t succeed, aside from one student, who composed a “Yale Pizza Essay” in 2017. The authors of both works explain their experiences using services from the mentioned companies.
We love working with students of different academic levels. Many undergraduates reach out to us and seek help with their writing tasks. Apart from that, we got hundreds of questions regarding application essays, the Costco essay in particular. If you are a graduate and want to get into the desired college, remember — the admission committee wants you to stand out not because of a unique topic; it wants you to reveal your mindset, your takes on specific events that occurred to you. To write an excellent personal statement, you don’t necessarily need to travel across the world, participate in different assemblies, or be fully involved in extracurricular activities. Even the most common subject may well make you a student of the best college, and this type proves it entirely.
Costco Essay College: What to Focus on
Stinson’s essay may be excessively simple at first glance. But there wouldn’t be various guides on how to write a Costco Stanford Essay and Costco Essay Ivy League if her piece was ordinary. In reality, her writing goes way deeper than talking about a warehouse. Costco is just a surface, which is nevertheless indispensable to her. Stinson mentions a wide range of different items, such as her scientific interest, physical activities, and pastimes. Also, she draws parallels between simple life, philosophy, and other things that might torment a human being. Such short stories presented in a 650-word essay make this college essay about Costco an overarching, full-fledged narrative about who the author is.
When it comes to the writing style, Stinson followed the most important rules of formal writing. She starts her essay with an opening sentence, also known as a hook. Then she proceeds to background information and a thesis statement. Her essay is full of vivid pictures that together make a complete story. The adjectives were eloquent, sometimes even a bit old-fashioned. But she included them intentionally, to show the entire atmosphere of her surroundings.
Aside from writing, her overall tone was extremely amiable. She knew where to include jokes and where to remain semi-official. That is why her essay ended up being jocular and solid simultaneously. Stinson made a perfect balance, and she didn’t fall into the trap of excessive casual writing. Nor did she make grammatical mistakes, typos, and misspellings. To make her essay polished, she shared her final version with an educator before the submission. Which is a great idea because no spell checker can spot every single mistake you might commit.
How to Write an Exclusive Costco Essay
You don’t have to borrow ideas from Stinson’s essay and write a similar piece about 7/11, Walmart, or other stores. She selected this subject because it was valuable to her.
First and foremost, brainstorm subjects that are connected with your everyday life and academics. Think about what parallels can be drawn between these two aspects. There are many prompts on the Internet; you can look at them to get a clear picture of what you can write about.
Elaborate on the topic
No matter what topic you select, make sure to develop it, and unveil your worldview. Don’t forget about the reader: an officer wants to see what you think about the chosen topic. Start with a reflection or a citation and describe the situation in a broader scope. Remember that a committee pays close attention to your way of conveying the main message (structure, grammar, lexicon, style, and tone).
Demonstrate impeccable writing skills
Not only does the committee focus on you as an individual, but also it checks your writing abilities. Educational institutions require a robust command of English, and you have to prove that you are ready to communicate efficiently. Therefore, it is good to start writing an entrance piece way before the application process begins (it would be ideal if you started working on it a couple of months beforehand).
When writing an essay, you are free to use the following helpful tools to perfect your style:
- Grammarly
The app’s primary purpose is to spot grammatical mistakes and other typos. The application has a free version, and it shows errors regarding spelling, punctuation, and grammar. - Thesaurus Synonyms
To make your writing style diverse, eloquent, and peerless, you must include numerous synonyms for specific words. No one wants to see repetitive words, as they significantly lower your chances of getting accepted. Thesaurus dictionary of synonyms strives to help you make a written piece professional.
Although the mentioned apps should be used daily, they can’t spot every mistake. Thus, it is always good to have a fresh set of eyes that can proofread your essay and edit it if need be. Should you need one, feel free to contact our professional writing team.
Remain Original
Stinson’s essay teaches us lots of things. Humor is vitally essential, and so is a simple topic. However, you don’t have to rigorously stick to this type, rejecting your exclusive writing style. If you don’t know whether or not the joke is suitable, better avoid including it. Don’t forget that your style is one of the most critical aspects, as it showcases your character.
Final Words
You don’t necessarily have to be a wiz-kid, involved in numerous activities. Your story has to be exclusive, demonstrate your viewpoint, and persuade admission officers you fit a specific course. Your goal is to show that you are ready to be a part of the academic society.