College Essay-quick and dirty

1. College Essay-quick and dirty

2. What is the average %of time an admission officer spends on the essay portion of your college application? 33%

3. “Sometimes we let studentswrite themselves in.”- Dean Of Admission, Sarah Lawrence College “The essay gives us something thenumbers don’t reveal.” - Director Of Admission, Gordon College

4. The essay can be a powerful ‘tipper’ in close cases.”- Director of Admission, bates College

5. Give the admission officer a reason to keep reading… • Put a lot of time and effort into your introduction • One technique is to create mystery or intrigue in the first paragraph • Do not give away the whole story right at the beginning • The intro can shrink when you need to be concise • One vivid sentence might do: "My favorite science project was a complete failure."

6. Don’t go crazy! • The essay should prove a single point • Essays that try to be too comprehensive end up sounding watered-down and your word count gets too long. • 500 words is usually the limit! Is every sentence CRUCIAL to the essay? It’s not an autobiography! • Maybe choose ONE day, ONE moment, or ONE event: • One day scooping ice cream at Brewsters • The first day you ever ate sweetbreads • A single Christmas Eve or Yom Kippur service • Your paper should not read like a Univerthesaurus-rex threw up on your paper!

7. Prove it! • Develop your main idea with vivid and specific facts, events, and examples • Boring and Generic:"I like to be surrounded by people with a variety of backgrounds and interests." • Much Better:"During that night, I sang the theme song from Casablanca with a baseball coach who thinks he's Jimmy Buffet, discussed Marxism with a little old lady, and heard more than I ever wanted to know about some woman's gall bladder operation."

8. Be specific! • Avoid clichéd, generic, and predictable writing by using vivid and specific details • Boring and Generic:"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." • Much 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. That kind of commitment is what I'd like to bring to working with fourth-graders."

9. Do you have style? • The best essays contain a variety of sentence lengths mixed within any given paragraph—write it and color mark a draft. Look for • Sentence openers • Sentence length • Verb choice (choose STRONG action verbs) • Imagery and figurative language (as needed) • Wordiness—GET RID OF IT!

10. Last minute tips… • Don’t flatter. Really. • Remember that admissions officers are people too! (Not stuffy old people!) • Don’t be condescending or rude BUT you can express a controversial subject or point of view. • Don’t repeat information that can be found in your application (like GPA, SAT scores, list of club activities, service hours, etc.) • Proofread—and don’t rely on spell check! Ewe no ewe kan dew sew much more! • Don’t plagiarize! • Don’t recycle…use a different essay for each school.

11. Don’t use clichés • cutting edge • I learned my lesson • I always learn from my mistakes • I can make a difference • _________ is my passion • I no longer take my loved ones for granted • These lessons are useful both on and off the field (or other sporting arena) • I realize the value of hard work and perseverance • _________ was the greatest lesson of all • I know what it is to triumph over adversity • _________ opened my eyes to a whole new world

12. Again, don’t use clichés! • As I finished the race, I realized I had learned the value of hard work and appreciated the fact that I could accomplish anything if I set my mind to it. • Working in this atmosphere made me appreciate the value of diversity. • With each member contributing something valuable to our purpose, I soon recognized the importance of teamwork. • As the young child embraced me in gratitude, I discovered the true value of making a difference in people's lives. • That summer in New York truly broadened my horizons. The only way to improve upon the above sentiments would be to enrich them with concrete details and use a more personal perspective It is not about telling them what you’ve done, but it’s about showing them who you are.

13. UCF Essay topics • Although optional, the essay assists the Admissions Committee in knowing you as an individual, independent of test scores and other objective data. We ask that you respond to two of the topics below. Your responses should be no longer than a total of 500 words or 7,000 characters. • If there has been some obstacle or bump in the road in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances. • How has your family history, culture, or environment influenced who you are? • Why did you choose to apply to UCF? • What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that will allow you to contribute to the UCF community?

14. University of Florida • In the space provided, please write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your ideas about student responsibility, academic integrity, campus citizenship or a call to service.

15. …from University of Chicago • ESSAY OPTION 1. "A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies." –Oscar Wilde. Othello and Iago. Dorothy and the Wicked Witch. Autobots and Decepticons. History and art are full of heroes and their enemies. Tell us about the relationship between you and your arch-nemesis (either real or imagined). • Inspired by Martin Krzywy, admitted student Class of 2016. • ESSAY OPTION 2. Heisenberg claims that you cannot know both the position and momentum of an electron with total certainty. Choose two other concepts that cannot be known simultaneously and discuss the implications. (Do not consider yourself limited to the field of physics). • Inspired by Doran Bennett, BS'07 Chemistry and Mathematics.

16. ESSAY OPTION 3. Susan Sontag, AB'51, wrote that "[s]ilence remains, inescapably, a form of speech." Write about an issue or a situation when you remained silent, and explain how silence may speak in ways that you did or did not intend. The Aesthetics of Silence, 1967. • ESSAY OPTION 6. So where is Waldo, really? • Inspired by Robin Ye, admitted student Class of 2016.

17. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES • College Board gives great tips about writing a college essay. It also offers critiques of sample essays. • www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills/index.html • Sometimes, the best tips are given directly from the colleges themselves. For example, check out: • http://www.admissions.umich.edu/essay/tips/ • http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html • Connecticut College compiled a number of essays they believe “worked”: • http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/essays.htm • The University of Chicago is known for its provocative essay questions – take a look, it could get your creative juices flowing: • https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/essays/

18. SOURCES • The College Application Essay by Sarah Myers McGinty • www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills/index.html • www.essayedge.com • http://www.mefa.org/uploadedFiles/guidanceCounselors/Essay%20Tips.pdf • http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/tip-sheet-essay/ • http://www.bacallcartoons.com/