Quotes for college application essays

The last thing you would want is get your score cancelled on account of plagiarism. It’s highly recommended that you cite the author of the quotation. If you don’t cite, you may give the impression that you claim to be the original author and that could result in plagiarism. You should place the quote in double quotation marks.

Along with the individually tailored research projects and the housing opportunity, there were seminars on public speaking, trips to the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and one-on-one writing seminars for the end of the summer research papers we were each required to write.

This is a college essay that worked for Duke University. As soon as the patient room door opened, the worst stench I have ever encountered hit me square in the face. Though I had never smelled it before, I knew instinctively what it was: rotting flesh.

It requires too much work to do it properly (introduce the quote, use the quote, explain the quote, tie it in to your essay, and cite it), and a paraphrase (depending on the context) can be much more effective. A good rule of thumb is to include ABSOLUTELY no more than 10% direct quotations in any essay.