Spend a week or so away from your draft to decide if you still consider your topic and approach worthwhile.

Ask editors to read with these questions in mind:

• WHAT is the essay about?
• Have I used active voice verbs wherever possible?
• Is my sentence structure varied or do I use all long or all short sentences?
• Do you detect any cliches?
• Do I use transition appropriately?
• Do I use imagery often and does this make the essay clearer and more vivid?
• What's the best part of the essay?
• What about the essay is memorable?
• What's the worst part of the essay?
• What parts of the essay need elaboration or are unclear?
• What parts of the essay do not support your main argument or are immaterial to your case?
• Is every single sentence crucial to the essay? This MUST be the case.
• What does the essay reveal about your personality?
• Could anyone else have written this essay?
• How would you fill in the following blank based on the essay: "I want to accept you to this college because our college needs more ________."