In the fall, many grade 12 students are in the midst of writing university application responses. Alongside working with an Educational Consultant or Writing Coach, there are some valuable self-editing strategies that will assist you in the writing and proofreading process. If you are interested in learning more, read on!
General Strategies
- Read your response aloud; this will enable you to hear what you have written.
- Re-read the prompt and confirm that you have fully answered it.
- Confirm you have not included an unintended, underlying message. For example: “I had to…” with limited emphasis on collaboration or community, etc.
- Have you added a compelling hook and imagery?
- Are your points conveyed as clearly and concisely as possible? Revise any sentences that are awkward or confusing in structure.
- Consider if you have used your word count effectively. Are there any unnecessary sentences?
- Highlight words you have used more than once and replace them with a synonym.
- Print out a copy of your response and complete a grammar and stylistic check.
Grammar and Stylistic Check
- Confirm all spelling.
- Check for run-on sentences.
- Double-check your commas, semi-colons, and colons.
- What are your grammar weaknesses? Check for these.
If you have any further questions, the Options team is here to help! In workshops such as Writing for Applications, which we run throughout the fall and winter, you can get writing and editing feedback from our team on your application responses. Please contact administration for more information.
