Reddit reviews Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Steps, Second Edition: Crafting a Winning Personal Statement

I am fortunate enough to say that I was accepted to transfer to UT CS for Fall 2016 as a sophomore. I think the two biggest things that got me in were my grades and my essays.



I had a 4.0 at my previous institution, which is another 4-year university in Texas, and that included several technical classes like Calculus, Physics, CS, etc. Keep in mind UT is very focused on making sure you graduate on time and getting the hell out to make room for others so take classes that would fill in your degree plan if you were to get accepted. CS 312 transfers pretty easily but UT may want you to take other core CS classes at UT, so maybe focus on basics like Calculus. [Sample Degree Plan]



As for my essays, I spent several weeks writing those and I put an enormous amount of time and attention into them. I was constantly browsing the internet for tips and advice about how to write each one. I even read a whole book just to help me with the personal statement essay [book]. Here is another link to get you started with the statement of purpose.
Note: Do not BS college essays. I meant every word of my essays, and it showed.


I was involved in a couple organizations. UT likes diversity so maybe consider something that will make you look more dynamic. I didn't have much community service, but it definitely won't hurt.



Overall the most important thing you can do is get a 4.0 or as close to it as possible. You must demonstrate that you can succeed in a college environment. The second most important thing you need to do is write the best essays you have ever written. Start early, take your time, do your research. Good luck.

My credentials: Exactly 1 year ago, I was in your position. I transferred into UTCS for Fall 2016. I think I wrote great essays.
Here is my advice:
Topic A:
-The first paragraph comes off as a bit pretentious. I get what you are trying to say, but telling the admissions people that you are the best of the best isn’t going to help you.
-I noticed on your GitHub that you made a flappy bird clone meant to be used with NEAT. I assume you are familiar with the professors who developed NEAT, so mention it. Find a way to tell the admissions people that you are familiar with certain professors’ work. Mention them and their papers by name. The whole point of this essay is to show why you want to be here, and being specific on this will show it.
-Read this guide about what to put in your statement of purpose. I used it and I think it worked well for me.
Topic C:
This one is a bit harder because you can take this essay in many different directions. For my essay, I wrote a personal statement that had absolutely nothing to do with computer science or academics at all. It was a story about me that was so personal that I didn’t show it to anyone, not even my parents. I've talked to others in CS about this, and their essay topics vary wildly. The point is that you can be a bit riskier with this one. If I were you I would leave all the CS credentials for the statement of purpose, and be bold with Topic C. Then again, your background is pretty impressive so what you have done might be good enough. If you are interested, I cannot recommend this book enough. Seriously, this book enabled me to write a powerful Topic C.
Topic E:
-Leave out: “(confirmation bias)”. These people read a lot, you know.
Conclusion:
Overall, pretty decent. Make sure to proofread. I saw plenty of areas where there should have been a comma or the sentence structure was strange. That isn’t as important as the substance though. Feel free to ask any other questions.