Writing a high-stakes essay about yourself can be daunting. Even if you have a story in mind, how do you present yourself effectively to a college admissions committee, let alone in a 650 word essay? What are the essential ingredients of a successful college essay? One approach is to think of a college essay as a bullseye. The smallest circle of a bullseye is comprised of your story. Accompanying your story is the the outer circle, which represents insights, realizations, and reflections that flow from your story. The widest circle of the bullseye ties the details of the story together and comes in the final paragraph. This guide, written by an admissions evaluator for University of California, San Diego and Harvard alumni, discusses these components in-depth, and much more, to help you craft a story that reflects who you are in the best light possible. The concepts in this guide are driven home through an in-depth analysis of five model essays. Think of these model essays as toolboxes. By picking and choosing which approaches work best for your essay, you'll leave ready to craft your winning essay.

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