The College Application Essay

The College Application Essay Senior Project Requirement Eng 12 Requirement

You…in 650 words or less • The college application essay is a chance to explain yourself, to open your personality, charm, talents, vision, and spirit to the admissions committee. • This is where YOU shine, not just your achievements. • Most 4 year colleges and universities require at least one essay (Jump through those hoops! It’s worth it!).

Do: Keep your focus narrow and specific • Your essay must prove a single point or thesis • This essay is showing who you are, not what you have done. • Try having someone read your introduction to see what he/she thinks your essay is about.

Do: Prove it • Develop your main idea with vivid and specific facts, events, quotations, examples, and reasons. There’s a big difference between simply stating a point of view and letting an idea unfold in the details. • Okay: “I like to be surrounded by people with a variety of backgrounds and interests.” • Better: “During that night, I sang the theme song from Casablanca with a baseball coach who thinks he’s Bogie, discussed Marxism with a little old lady, and heard more than I ever wanted to know about some woman’s gall bladder operation.”

Do: Be Specific • Avoid clichéd, generic, and predictable writing by using vivid and specific details. • Okay: “I want to help people. I have gotten so much out of life through the love and guidance of my family, I feel that many individuals have not been as fortunate; therefore, I would like to expand the lives of others.” • Better: “My Mom and Dad stood on plenty of sidelines ‘til their shoes filled with water or their fingers turned white, or somebody’s golden retriever signed his name on their coats in mud. I think that kind of commitment is what I’d like to bring to working with fourth-graders.”

Don’t: tell them what you think they want to hear • Most admissions officers read plenty of essays about the charms of their university, the evils of terrorism, and the personal commitment involved in being a doctor. • Bring something new to the table, not just what you think they want to hear.

Don’t: write a résumé • Don’t include information that is found elsewhere in the application. Your essay will end up sounding like an autobiography, travelogue, or laundry list. (Yawn) • “During my junior year, I played first singles on the tennis team, served on the student council, maintained a B+ average, traveled to France, and worked at a cheese factory.” • BORING!!!!

Don’t: use 50 words when 5 will do • Eliminate unnecessary words • Things, really, that, just, basically, stuff, probably, got, great, etc. • Okay: “Over the years it has been pointed out to me by my parents, friends, and teachers—and I have even noticed this about myself, as well—that I am not the neatest person in the world.” • Better: “I’m a slob. I admit it.”

Don’t: forget to proofread • Typos and spelling or grammatical errors can be interpreted as carelessness or just bad writing (neither is a desirable trait for colleges to bring to their campus). • Don’t rely on your computer’s spell check: • “After I graduate form high school, I plan to work for a nonprofit organization during the summer.” • “From that day on, Daniel was my best fried.”

What do they want to know? • Generally, there are three types of questions: • The “You” • The “Why us” • The “creative” • College websites adjust their questions each year, so check before randomly choosing one.

The “You” Question • Many colleges ask for an essay that boils down to “Tell us about yourself.” • Please complete a one-page personal statement and submit it with your application. (James Madison University) • “How would you describe yourself as a human being? What do you like best in yourself and what do you like least? What quality would you most like to see flourish and which would you like to see wither?” (Bates University) • YOU SHOULD: reveal your personality, insight, and commitment. It is open ended, so you need to FOCUS!!! Find just one or two things that will reveal your best qualities and avoid the urge to spill everything.

The “Why Us” Question • Some schools ask for an essay about your choice of a school or career. They’re looking for information about your goals and about how serious your commitment is to this particular school. • “Why is UVM a good college choice for you?” (University of Vermont) • “Please tell us about your career goals and any plans you may have for graduate study.” (Westfield State College) • YOUR APPROACH: Make sure you know your subject well. For example, if you say you want to attend Carleton College to major in agriculture, the school will be able to tell how carefully you’ve chosen (Carleton doesn’t have an Ag program).

The “Creative” Question • Some colleges evaluate you through your choice of some tangential item: a national issue, a famous person, what you would put in a time capsule, a photograph. Here the school is looking at your creativity and the breadth of your knowledge and education. • “Do you believe there is a generation gap? Describe the differences between your generation and others.” (Denison University) • “Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.” (Common Application)

Your approach for “creative” • When thinking about how creative to get, use common sense. Being creative to the point of wacky is a risk. • Don’t forget the importance of writing an informed essay. • Don’t write about a fantasy lunch with a famous writer and get the titles of her novels wrong.

Normal process…prewrite, draft, edit • Prewriting (all about you, so begin with yourself): • Brainstorm: Set a timer for 15 minutes and make a list of your strengths and outstanding characteristics. Focus on personality, not achievements. Responsible (not an “Eagle Scout”) or committed (not “played basketball)…save activities for that section of the application. • Discover your strengths: ask your parents, friends, and teachers what your strengths are. • Create a Self-Outline: next to each trait from above, list five or six pieces of evidence from your life to prove your point • Find patterns and connections: Look for patterns in the material you have brainstormed.

Patterns and Connections, cont. • Group similar ideas and events together. • For example, • Does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? • Was basketball about sports or about friendships? • When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?

Drafting • Intro • Don’t be afraid to be concise and focused. • “My favorite science project was a complete failure.” • Body • Presents evidence. • Use narration and incident to show, rather than tell. • Conclusion • Brief • Nail down the meaning of the events/incidents you have described.

Essay Styles • Standard essay: • Take two or three points from your self outline, give a paragraph to each, and make sure you provide plenty of evidence. • Choose things not apparent from the rest of your application or light up some of the activities and experiences • Less-is-More essay: • Focus on a single interesting point about yourself. • Works well for brief essays of a paragraph or half a page • Narrative essay: • A narrative essay tells a short and vivid story. Omit the introduction, write one or two narrative paragraphs that grab and engage the reader’s attention, then explain what this little tale reveals about you.

Editing: • Let it cool: • Take a break from your work and come back to it in a bit. Does your main idea come across clearly? Do you prove your points with specific details? Is your essay easy to read aloud? • Feedback time: • Have someone you like and trust (but who will be honest with you) read your essay. Ask them to tell you what they think you are trying to convey. Did they get it right?

Editing, cont. • Edit down: • Your language should be simple, direct, and clear. • This is a personal essay, not a term paper. • Make every word count (if you wrote “in society today, consider changing that to “now”). • Proofread two more times: • Careless spelling or grammatical errors, awkward language, or fuzzy logic will make your essay memorable…IN A BAD WAY. 

ASK YOURSELF… • If I were in charge of who got into _____ University…would I let this person in based on this essay?

Common Application Prompts In up to 650 words, students should respond to one of these prompts: • Evaluate a significant 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, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence. • A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

Need more info? • www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills • http://collegeapps.about.com/b/2011/06/06/the-common-application-essay-requirements-for-2011-2012.htm

The College Application Essay