Writing in Admission Essays

Love him, hate him, or be apathetic about President Ronald Reagan. But the man was a great orator. Read his speeches. Watch them. It’ll make you a better writer.

We’ve got an idea on how to improve your writing in admission essays. Lots of folks say that the best way to improve your vocabulary for the SAT, the ACT, for everyday life is to read books. We absolutely do not disagree with this advice. How could we? Would it help to learn some Latin declensions to be able to figure out the meaning of words? You bet. But just plain reading sure does help improve vocabulary too! Recommending that students read in order to improve their vocabulary is a bit ordinary, even cliche though. And at Ivy Coach, we’re not about cliche. Cliche is the enemy!

So we’ve got some advice for students seeking to improve their writing, particularly their writing in college admission essays. Read great speeches. That’s right. Great speeches. No matter your political beliefs, watch the footage and read the transcripts of some of the great speeches from some well known phenomenal orators. Like President Ronald Reagan. Or President Barack Obama. Or First Lady Michelle Obama. Watch the speech of Senator Cory Booker that he gave this week at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Boy it’s good! We. Will. Rise! We love the powerful repetition in that speech, the outstanding use of alliteration.

You don’t have to agree with the content of the speeches of these politicians but like him or not, President Obama and Michelle Obama are great speakers. President Reagan was known as “The Great Communicator” for good reason. President Clinton, with his folksy style and charm, has a unique way of connecting with audiences. And you don’t have to be a politician to give a great speech. Ivanka Trump, a graduate of Wharton, gave a great speech. The Khans, parents of a Muslim soldier who was killed in action in Iraq, gave an oh so compelling speech too and while we haven’t seen the connection drawn online, we have a feeling it was inspired by the speech Jim Carrey’s character gave in “The Majestic.” So watch speeches in movies too because all of this will help make students better, more powerful writers.