COMMENTS

  1. Can I use contractions in a college essay?

    Most topics are acceptable for college essays if you can use them to demonstrate personal growth or a lesson learned. However, there are a few difficult topics for college essays that should be avoided. Avoid topics that are: Overly personal (e.g. graphic details of illness or injury, romantic or sexual relationships)

  2. What's the deal with using contractions in college essays?

    The use of contractions in college essays has been a topic of debate, but the truth is, it's perfectly fine to use them! The key here is to maintain a balance. If your essay is conversational and reflects your authentic voice, contractions can help it flow more naturally and make it more relatable to the reader. Colleges appreciate an essay ...

  3. Is it okay to use contractions in a college essay?

    Hi there! Your concern about using contractions in your college essay is valid, as striking the right balance between conversational and formal can be tricky. Contractions can make your essay sound more genuine and like your natural voice, which is a plus. However, it's important to use them judiciously. If you find that your essay is overflowing with contractions, it might be a good idea to ...

  4. Is it acceptable to use contractions in a college essay?

    Hi there! I understand your concerns about using contractions in your college essay. It's great that you're thinking about the tone of your essay and how it might come across to the admissions officers. Using contractions can help make your essay sound more casual and conversational, which can be a good thing if that's the tone you're going for.

  5. Are contractions acceptable in college essays?

    Contractions are generally acceptable in college essays, as they can lend a more conversational and authentic tone to your writing. While it's important to maintain a certain level of formality, admissions officers typically appreciate essays that sound like they were written by an actual person rather than a rigid academic. That being said, it's a good idea to strike a balance between using ...

  6. Can I use contractions like 'don't' in a college essay, or is that too

    The use of contractions in college essays isn't a strict taboo. In fact, if contractions will make your essay sound more natural and conversational, they can actually be a plus. While the college essay is a formal piece of writing, you don't want it to sound too academic, as that may make admissions officers lose focus. ...

  7. Contractions in Formal Writing: What's Allowed, What's Not

    If you are writing about contractions (e.g., in a paper about language), naturally you must be able to use contractions as linguistic examples. If you are reproducing an idiom that contains a contraction (e.g., "don't count your chickens before they hatch"), leave the contraction (no need for "do not count your chickens…"). If you ...

  8. Is it okay to use contractions in my college essay?

    Hi there! It's great that you're putting thought into your college essay. In general, using contractions like 'I'm' and 'they're' is usually acceptable in your essay. College essays are meant to showcase your personality and unique voice, so it's important for your writing to sound natural and genuine. Contractions can help achieve that by making your essay feel more conversational.

  9. Is it fine to use contractions in college essays?

    Hey there! It's totally understandable that you're feeling a bit confused about the use of contractions in your college essay. People often have different opinions on this, but I'll share what I learned from my child's application process. It's true that some contractions can provide a more natural tone and make your essay feel more conversational, but it's also important to strike a balance ...

  10. Grammar Do's, Don't of College Application Essays

    As you edit your college essay, use this checklist to ensure you produce your best work. Write in active voice. Vary punctuation. Balance paragraphs. Don't use contractions, slang or cliches.

  11. Contractions in College Essays: To Use or Not to Use

    April 6, 2023 by Peter Minard. As a high school student, you were probably taught to avoid contractions in formal writing. However, as you embark on your college essay writing journey, you may be wondering if using contractions is acceptable. The answer is not a simple yes or no - it depends on the context and tone of your essay.

  12. Contractions

    Contraction examples. Contractions occur when you use an apostrophe to indicate missing letters in the abbreviated forms of many short phrases. You should avoid using contractions in academic writing as they are too informal. This page gives examples of common contractions and what to use instead.

  13. How to Use Contractions in a College Essay

    From an early age, students are taught to write "like they talk." This is good advice and often means that writers rely on contractions to convey the verbal shorthand that is so evident in most people's speech patterns.

  14. Can You Use Contractions in College Essays? Exploring Formality in

    Using contractions can sometimes undermine these goals. Instead of using contractions, opt for their full forms, which can help you achieve a more formal and polished tone in your college essays. Exploring Formality in Academic Writing. Maintaining formality in college essays is essential to demonstrate your respect for the subject matter and ...

  15. 10 Guidelines for Highly Readable College Essays

    After you read a document over and over, you start to fill in the words that should be there, and can easily miss a mistake. 6. Vary the length of your sentences. The best essays flow almost rhythmically. If you use too many short sentences, your essay will feel choppy.

  16. College Essay Contractions: Some Grammar Rules to Follow

    You can reduce two words into one hence not exceeding the word count set by far. Normally a college application essay ought to be personal. You have to tell a story that will fetch you good grades. In this regard, you can use the contractions. However, there is always a catch. You should not overuse those short forms.

  17. Contractions List: When Should You Use Contractions?

    To help your narrative carry a conversational tone, you can use the list of commonly used contractions below, complete with the full phrase, and an example sentence. I'm going to the store. I'll get bread. You're crazy to go to the store when it's snowing. You'll regret it if the roads close.

  18. Can You Use Contractions in a College Essay? (Quick Answer)

    You can use contractions in a college application essay provided it makes sense to do so. Contractions are ideal in such an essay because it allows you to present a paper that sounds more personal. Contractions also reduce your word count, so it's easy to keep your essay in just the right length. The rule of thumb when it comes to writing a ...

  19. Can you Use Contractions in Essays: College or Formal writing

    Again, you should not use abbreviations. You should only use concrete and literal language. Avoid repetition as it makes the essay dull. Contractions are part of your writing process when you are working on your college essay. As a rule of thumb, you should only use them once your lecturer gives you a nod.

  20. When to Use (and Not Use) Contractions

    Contractions, which are words in which some letters or sounds are omitted (e.g., don't for do not ), are common in speech and informal usage but generally avoided in formal writing. Examples. Informal: We don't know what happened. Formal: We do not have sufficient information yet to form a hypothesis. Contractions in informal vs. formal usage.

  21. 6 Grammar Rules You Should Break When You're Writing Your College Essay

    Don't Use Contractions. Your essay should sound like you're telling a story. It should be in a conversational tone. We all speak in contractions, so go ahead and use them. (Although, I avoid "would've" and "should've" because I think they're too casual for college essays.) 2. Don't Use Sentence Fragments. Surprise! You might ...

  22. 3 Grammar Mistakes That Make Admissions Officers

    4. Contractions and Informal Language. You may have heard that contractions are a no-no in formal writing, but we beg to differ. The whole point of the personal statement is for you to speak to admissions in your own voice. We say, use contractions where they feel natural. If you'd rather say "I'm" than "I am," go for it.

  23. Essential Grammar Rules For Your College Apps

    In case you want to get into the details, here are the rules: a gerund is a word that adds "-ing" to a verb and uses it as a noun. "I enjoy swimming.". A present participle is a word that adds "-ing" to a verb and uses it as an adjective or part of a verb. "I'm playing soccer tonight.". But the more important point is to watch ...