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Seventeen years. 650 words. One opportunity to impress and inspire the admission committee.

Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer. Barbara Kingsolver. Seventeen years. 650 words. One opportunity to impress and inspire the admission committee. Todd Hicks

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Seventeen years. 650 words. One opportunity to impress and inspire the admission committee.

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  1. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer. Barbara Kingsolver

  2. Seventeen years. 650 words.One opportunity to impress and inspire the admission committee. Todd Hicks Assistant Director of Admission, Santa Clara University Catherine Waite Assistant Director of Admission, Santa Clara University www.scu.edu Undergraduate Admission

  3. Applications within the Context of SCU • 15,000 applications • 10 admission counselors • You do the math

  4. How Do We Decide?

  5. Create a Mosaic

  6. Bringing the Prompts to Life • Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. • Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn? • Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? • Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you? • Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

  7. Develop an Image for the Reader

  8. Goalie Essay

  9. Brainstorming • Write down the 1-2 most memorable, notable moments each day, every day • Journal • Seek sources of inspiration

  10. Writing Process • Mimic great college essays or authors • Write to two or more prompts using your own style • Content first • Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.- William Faulkner

  11. Hook the Reader • The morgue may scare most, but I can honestly say that I love it to death. (Excuse the pun; I’m fluent in sarcasm). • When I was five years old, I discovered exactly how many bottles of food coloring it takes to dye a small person green. • Some of my best days have been spent with devils. • “Can’t you speak English?!”

  12. Hook the Reader • This essay is expected to be 650 words, which is approximately how many people attended my little brother’s funeral. • I can’t shake your hand. My religion prevents me from shaking the hand of someone from the opposite sex. • Some rules of the road while driving in India: • It doesn’t matter if it’s your lane, my lane, one way or two ways • Holy cow(s)! Don’t hit ‘em! • Honking is the only language

  13. Conclusion • Hardest part of the essay • Easy to fall into cliché • If you can’t come up with a good conclusion, conclude with your last paragraph

  14. Editing • Content first, then mechanics • Feedback from 1-3 people • Make sure the essay uses your voice • Reflect on what the reader will take away from this essay: 1-2 adjectives

  15. Morgue Essay

  16. Essay Pitfalls • Common topic choices • Essay should be about you, not someone else • Adapting a class paper for a college essay • Diction: choose words you know

  17. Japanese School Essay

  18. The Challenge • Engage in the writing process alongside your students • Make use of local college representatives to assist your students

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