Tips to Tackle Your Application Essay with Confidence

Admission counselors and faculty read hundreds, often thousands, of student essays during the application review process. Make yours stand out for all the right reasons — show us why YOU are a perfect match for CIM.

The CIM application essay question requires a response that is 500-750 words long. You can write your essay on any topic you choose.
 

Here are some tips for making every word count!

• Be creative. Help us learn more about you. Pick topics that go beyond what we’ll read in the rest of your application.
• Be memorable. Give us a sense of your personality and try to convey your love of music. This will help your essay stand out.
• One size DOES NOT fit all. It's important to tell us why CIM is a good fit for you and vice versa, not just recycle one essay over and over.
• Write more than one draft. Not only will it help you perfect your ideas, but it's another chance to proofread. Then proofread again!
   

Here are a few bonus proofreading tricks:

• Write your essay in a program like Word or Pages rather than typing directly into the application form. Not only will the spelling and grammar check features catch blatant typos, it will help you keep track of word count.
• Print a version to read on paper. For whatever reason, it is often easy to miss simple mistakes when you’re proofing something on screen only. Walk away for a while, then…
• Read it aloud. Going the extra step of reading your essay out loud will help you find any awkward sentences of transitions.
• Work your way UP. Starting at the end and “reading” backwards helps you find typos that are real words but not the ones you meant to use.
• Ask someone you trust to proofread your essay one final time before you hit submit, you never know what they might catch.

Of course, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email us at admission@cim.edu or call to speak with an admission counselor at 216.795.3107.