Whether college admissions essays strike you with excitement or dread, they're required for most schools, and are worth putting some time and thought into. You may have three months—you may have 12 hours. You may be your high school's valedictorian—you may just be praying to graduate. No matter what, you have the tools at your fingertips to succeed, so long as you have a decent head on your shoulders and the ability to piece together coherent sentences. This step-by-step approach isn't the last word in essay preparation, but it should be of some help.

Step 1: Know thyself.
The admissions essay provides you with an opportunity to take a little control over your destiny. You no longer have control over your GPA and SAT scores—they're irrefutable, cannot be changed, and will not be ignored. But that's all right—most colleges strive to treat your application as a whole, so that they can get an idea of who you are as a whole. "Students we accept haven't just gone through the motions—they've put heart and soul into the areas that interest them," says the Duke University's admissions board on their Web site. "Ultimately, we compare every applicant to the pool as a whole and try to determine which ones make the best match with Duke."

Spend some time thinking about who you are and what the numbers leave out, and think of the sort of essay that might help bridge the gap.

Step 2: Pick your topic.
Honesty is the best policy. Don't waste time thinking about how to construe that week in Canada as your contribution to NAFTA; instead, think about the experiences in your life that truly helped to define you as an individual, and then think hard about why they had that effect. The idea is to be sincere.

Get a feel for the sort of audience your essay will find. Scrutinize the essay prompts, and e-mail a thoughtful, specific question or two to the admissions board. Check the shelves of your favorite library or bookstore for books that contain descriptions of the typical college admissions board as well as extensive lists of possible topics and example essays.

Step 3: Start writing.
As you write, keep your audience in mind, but remember that it is your main objective to stay true to your topic and be sincere. You've chosen a topic describing an event that made a truly significant impact upon your development, right? Then let it speak for itself. Demonstrate your ability to think critically about your own experiences and to learn from mistakes—but do so honestly.

Keep the writing style of your essay as true to your life and your experiences as the subject matter itself, and concentrate on being descriptive. W. Kent Barnds, dean of admissions and enrollment management for Elizabethtown College, says, "The best advice that I can offer is for students to show, don't tell! Paint a picture for the counselor who is missing must-see TV because they have a stack of 150 folders to read in a night."

Step 4: Edit, edit, edit, and then edit again.
Go over your essays with a fine-toothed comb, then have everyone you know (teachers, parents, siblings, friends, guidance counselors, employers) do the same. Don't stop until you know it's perfect. Even if you've written the next War and Peace, you won't be taken seriously if those basic rules of spelling and grammar aren't followed to the letter. "I had a young man several years ago who was pleading his case through a personal statement. He went on at great length as to how Elizabethtown College would be extremely fortunate to have a student with Princeton-level intelligence. That was a direct quote!" says Dr. Barnds. "Unfortunately so was his concluding sentence—which said he '...was anxiously awaiting his exceptance to Elizabethtown College.' It was such an exceptional essay I sent it back to have him correct it prior to making a final decision."

Step 5: Finalize and send it in.
Double-check to make sure you followed the guidelines provided by your application. Be meticulous, no matter how immaterial the little details may seem. Then print it out (black ink, and with a decent printer), add it to the rest of your work, and send it in.

So, that's it! Follow these simple steps—steps that should seem familiar, as they add up to a good process for writing just about anything. Manage your time well, and you'll be fine. Good luck!