Writing the College Essay

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Writing the College Essay
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Purpose of the Essay

• To see you as a person, not just statistics
• To distinguish you from all other applicants
• To demonstrate your ability to write and express
  yourself at a high academic level

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Three Main Types of Essays

• Why you?
• Why this college?
• Creative

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Why you?

• What sets you apart?
• What do you think about a certain issue?
• What defines you as a person, student, etc.

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Why you?

• Examples
• Evaluate a significant experience, achievement,
  or risk that you have taken and its impact on
  you.
• Discuss some issue of personal, local, national
  or international concern and its importance to
  you.
• Indicate a person, character in fiction, an
  historical figure, or a creative work (as in art,
  music, etc.) who has had a significant influence
  on you, and describe that influence.

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Why this university?

• Example
• Why do you want to spend two to six years of your
  life at a particular college, graduate school, or
  professional school? How is the degree necessary
  to the fulfillment of your goals?

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Why this university?

• Avoid mentioning the history of the school
• University of Virginia was founded by my
  personal hero, Thomas Jefferson.
• UVA was founded in 1819, the same year my great
  great great great great great grandfather bought
  his house, the same house we live in today.
• Avoid platitudes
• UVA is a really great school.

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Creative

• You pick the format
• Short story
• Poem
• Stream of consciousness
• You pick the content
• You still need to demonstrate your ability to
  write and express yourself at a high academic
  level

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Getting Started

• Step 1 Choose a Topic
• One central experience (disaster, miracle, family
  incident, etc.)
• One theme (what you believe is the purpose of
  life, the vastness of the universe, working hard
  is the way to dreams, etc.)
• Choose a fresh topic, one that millions wont
  already have written about
• Say no to death, divorce, disease, disorders,
  sports injuries, trips, heartbreak

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Getting Started

• Step 2 Brainstorm supporting details,
  experiences, stories, images
• Concrete
• Meaningful
• Relevant

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Writing the Essay

• Step 3 Follow the prompt
• If they say 1000 words, dont go over
• If they say double-spaced, double space
• Make sure you answer the question

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Writing the Essay

• STEP 4 Follow good writing rules
• Have a powerful opening sentence
• I am a changed person. Three years ago, I
  realized that people are important.
• Three years ago, my mind was reborn.
• Use concrete examples to support your statements
• Every day, I get up early to help my
  grandmother.
• When the sun reaches the horizon, I am already
  carrying my grandmothers tamales to the
  neighbors.
• Avoid clichés, contractions, and big words
• Powerful essays are original, formal, and dont
  need a dictionary
• Write your own essay, and use your own words

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Writing the Essay

• Avoid unnecessarily long sentences
• Write clearly
• Have a variety of sentence lengths
• Have a strong conclusion
• Dont just repeat your essay
• If you used a story or image in the opening part
  of the essay, mention it in the ending, with a
  new meaning or twist.

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Writing the Essay

• Choose a verb tense, and stick with it
• Write in the active voice
• That summer was very educational.
• That summer taught me a valuable lesson.
• Show, dont tell
• My family is very traditional.
• Each March, we place sprigs of rosemary and
  thyme outside our front door to commemorate the
  end of winter.
• Write about what you know
• Be sincere
• Dont try to impress the admissions board

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Writing the Essay

• Edit
• Dont be in love with the sound of your own
  writing
• Cut out anything that doesnt need to be there
• If you can say it in 4 paragraphs, get rid of
  that 5th paragraph
• Self-edit
• Get others to edit your essay

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Final Thoughts

• Essays take time and a lot of work
• Start early, and abandon an essay if it not
  working for you
• Use resources and people to help you, but dont
  use other peoples words

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You will need to find your topic by THURSDAY!!!

• commonapp.org
• College App 2010-2011 Freshman Application

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Questions