steps to a great college application essay
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Steps to a Great College Application Essay. According to Peterson’s and The College Board . The Role of the Essay. The Common Application Recommended form for more than 240 colleges and universities Personal Statement section - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Steps to a Great College
Application Essay
According to Peterson’s and The College Board
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The Role of the Essay
The Common Application– Recommended form for more than 240
colleges and universities– Personal Statement section– This personal statement helps us
become acquainted with you as an individual…(p4 Peterson’s)
– 5 choices
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The Role of the Essay
How important is the essay?– The closer you are to the borderline,
the more significant a role the essay will play in the admission decision.
– Will someone even read my essay?It depends…size of school, type of school,
deadline, applicant pool, GPA and SAT scores
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Role of the Essay
Who will evaluate my essay?– At least one admission officer
Typically alumni, then perhaps another officer or perhaps the admission director or assistant director
Some colleges have admission committees comprised of 5 to 7 people (admission officials, faculty members, and possibly students)
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Role of the Essay
How do schools evaluate the essay?– Methods vary– Larger schools tend to use multiple-
scoring system (content, style, mechanics)
– Other schools may take more of a holistic approach, relying on written comments by evaluators as well as conversation among committee members
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10 Steps to a Great Essay
1. Learn more about yourself– Interview friends and family
Best thing about me?Worst thing about me?Most unusual thing about me?How would you describe me to someone
who does not know me?What was your initial impression of me and
how has that changed?
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1. Learn more about yourself – Record your dreams– Write down your thoughts and feelings about
issues that are most personal and immediate Self-esteem Identity Independence from parents Academic and extra-curricular success Acceptance by peers Loyalty, trust, honesty Physical appearance, attractiveness, sexuality,
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2. Do some serious brainstorming– Record observations in a “believe it or not”
notebook-try to see the unusual in the ordinary as Jerry Seinfeld has mastered.
– Become a keen observer of human behavior Introversion vs. extroversion Aggressiveness, assertiveness, and passivity Friendliness and unfriendliness Intelligences, talents, skills Competitiveness and cooperation Self-affirming and self-defeating behavior
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2. Do some serious brainstorming – Read the editorial section of the
newspaper– Scan the magazine rack in the library– Check out college related internet
resources– Surf the web for interesting articles and
essays– Read essays by the great essayists– Revisit essays of your own
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Great essayists– Contemporary-Calvin Trillin, Anna
Quindlen, Dave Berry– Modern-John Updike, H.L. Mencken,
Tom Wolfe, George Orwell– Not-so-modern-Henry Thoreau, Ralph
Waldo Emerson, Jonathan Swift– Writers who write about writing- William
Zinsser, E.B. White
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3. Check out the college’s own resources for essay ideas– Read college newspaper– Read alumni publications– Tour the campus with eyes wide open– Investigate the history– Talk to current students– Read what the admissions application says
about the essays– Contact the admissions staff with unanswered
questions about the essay– Visit the school’s website
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4. Avoid overused ideas: Seek out overlooked ideas– Essays about personal relationships and
influences consider… Your favorite teacher Your coach Distant relatives Your arch-rival at school A neighbor Penpals A member of a friend’s family DO NOT write about your dog or cat!
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4. Avoid overused: seek overlooked– Essays about issues
Avoid the environment, world peace, prejudice and discrimination, drugs, crime
Consider individual rights (right to die, AIDS, abortion, gun control, free speech), consumerism and materialism, fairness, justice, and equality, free trade among nations, internet issues (privacy, alienation, education, commerce)
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4. Avoid overused:seek overlooked– Essays about your experiences, activities, or
significant events Avoid the college admissions process especially the
SAT and essay writing Avoid your big trip to somewhere far away
especially if you focus on cultural awareness, yucky food, acceptance of others, there’s no place like home.
Avoid wilderness and survival experiences Avoid winning or losing the big game Avoid how all your hard work paid off Avoid summer camp Avoid a part-time job Avoid your most unforgettable experience
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4. Avoid overused: seek overlooked– Seek other personal experiences
A seemingly ordinary trip that turned into an unexpected adventure or self-defining event
A song, poem, novel, or other serious literary work that made a genuine and deep impact
The time you received an unexpected gift from an unexpected source, or the time you spontaneously gave of yourself to someone or something
A white lie , an off-the-cuff insulting remark or a discourtesy that helped you to grow and mature in your understanding of yourself and others
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4. Avoid overused:seek overlooked– Seek other personal experiences cont.
A contribution or accomplishment of yours not motivated by a potential external reward
An informal social situation that holds special meaning to you, not holidays, weddings, or proms
A time when a teacher or other authority figure enabled you to approach him like an equal and friend
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4. Avoid overused: Seek overlooked– Essays about your own personal
qualitiesAvoid lists of your favorite things or least-
favorite thingsAvoid your determination and tenacity and
how it allows you to always accomplish your goal
Avoid how diverse you are in your interests and endeavors
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4 Avoid overused: seek overlooked– Seek those little habits of yours that
sometimes annoy others– Seek that time you really put your foot in your
mouth– Seek a personal possession to which you
have grown irrationally attached– Seek particular study habits that you would
like to change– Seek your unusual awkwardness in certain
social situations
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5. Observe these do’s and don’ts for theme and content– Do write an essay that only you could write-
originality– Do convey a positive message overall– Do strive for depth, not breadth– Do think personal and anecdotal– Do reject your first idea or angle– Do be interesting, but be yourself– Do write about what you know and have
observed or experienced firsthand– Do write about something you feel strongly
about– Do write about others as well as yourself
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5. Do’s and don’ts – Don’t let others decide what you write– Don’t tell the reader “the way it is” Don’t try to
prove anything– Don’t try to write a scholarly purely
informational essay on some researched topic– Don’t try to guess what the admissions
committee wants you to write– Don’t write about things that are found
elsewhere in the application– Don’t appear overly idealistic; recognize the
merits of all sides
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5. Do’s and don’ts – Don’t explain blemishes or deficiencies
on your application– Don’t write anything that might
embarrass the reader– Don’t write an essay that reads like a
newspaper editorial– Don’t mention popular t.v. shows,
movies, musicians, or actors– No references to Dr. Seuss
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6. Write, write, and write some more– Try stream of consciousness speed
drills– Keep all of your drafts– Start with the four common app ?’s– express your ideas openly on the
internet– Know when you are finished
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4 common application questions plus– Evaluate a significance experience,
achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you
– Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you
– Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence
– Describe a character in fiction, an historical figure, or a creative work that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence
– Topic of your choice
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7. Impress with style not gimmicks– Equally concerned with format, structure,
syntax, tone, and word choice as subject matter
– Structure and format Shorter is preferable-concise Use paragraph breaks appropriately Do not use a 5 paragraph essay format Avoid poetry Do not draw on essay Essays as essays not contracts, court documents,
or lab experiments
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7. Impress with style not gimmicks– Find an appropriate and genuine style and
tone Strive to write in a casual, conversational tone Don’t try too hard to be funny, no puns Be forceful and opinionated but not insulting or
offensive Avoid whining, complaining, or appearing bitter,
sarcastic, or angry Avoid coming across as overly humble
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7. Impress with style not gimmicks– Hook
Strive to engage the reader immediatelyDo not write “Hello, my name is…”Don’t ask for permission to tell about
yourselfStay away from the term paper style
introduction reiterating the topic or question or itemizing the points you will make in subsequent paragraphs
Begin as a comedian would…
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7. Impress with style not gimmicks– Begin with an enigmatic statement that makes
the reader wonder to what or whom you are referring
– Begin with an obscure quotation– Begin with a thoughtful question– Begin with a trivial observation that anyone
can relate to but no one would think to use in a hook
– Begin with a paradox– Begin with a gross generalization– Begin with someone else’s opinion or theory– Begin with a confession– Begin with an overly obvious statement
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7. Impress with style not gimmicks– Essay endings (not summary or conclusion!)
Do provide closure-”bookends” or come full circle Do answer any posed question or end any created
suspense Do use short, forceful sentences Don’t address the admissions committee Don’t use words like “finally” or “in conclusion” Don’t repeat or sum up in any way Don’t end your essay with a quotation
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7. Impress with style not gimmicks– Include a title for your essay only if it helps to
communicate your message or if you have an irresistible idea, otherwise DO NOT title your essay
– Use effective word choice– Avoid certain words:responsibility, goal,
interact, develop, role, integrity, leadership, excellence, interpersonal
– Avoid slang and currently popular buzz phrases
– Avoid superfluous words:obviously, somewhat, I think or I believe, first, second, etc., however, thus, in conclusion
– Avoid technical, scientific, and obscure “SAT-style” words
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7. Impress with style not gimmicks– Do’s for stylistic devices
Do use analogiesDo incorporate dialogueDo mix up sentence lengthDo use logical paragraph breaksDo use the active voice
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7 Impress with style not gimmicks– Don’ts for stylistic devices
Don’t tell the reader explicitly “I am a unique and interesting person”
Don’t parody a well-known writer or literary work Don’t use alliteration Don’t start too many sentences with the word “I” Don’t use “a lot of” Don’t necessarily write entirely in complete
sentences
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8. Avoid careless errors and grammatical blunders– Actually read through for spelling/word
usage errors– Get the school name right!– Have someone read it for grammatical
errors
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9. Obtain useful feedback and fine-tune your essay– Ask someone to read it and respond to the
question, “If you didn’t know me, what would you say about the person who wrote the essay?”
– Set the draft aside for several days, then reread
– Post pieces of drafts on relevant internet newsgroups and bulletin boards for feedback-don’t let on that it is for an application
– Don’t ask for too may perspectives on your essay
– If described as “cute, humorous, or clever” revise so it is not!
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10. Package and present your essay appropriately– If permitted present essay on a separate sheet
of paper– Number each page and include a header with
your name and social security number– Assemble your essays properly– Comply with page restrictions– Don’t worry too much about word counts– Type every essay using readable fonts and
ample margins– Think twice before submitting supplementary
materials– Do not submit essays on video or audiotape
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