Cracking the College Essay

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Cracking the College Essay

• Christopher Piane
• Territory Manager South Jersey
• The Princeton Review
• ChrisP_at_review.com
• 800.2REVEW

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Why do colleges ask you to write essays?
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Why an essay?

• To find out who you are (and what they cant see
  from your grades and test scores)
• To find unique people who are going to make the
  campus a better place
• To test your ability to organize your thoughts
  and express yourself through words (what you do
  most in college)

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Most Importantly

• Be yourself
• Separate yourself from the crowd
• Start early

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What have you been told about writing a good
college essay?
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The Dos

• Be creative and/or funny
• Reflect and opine (easy on the what, heavy on
  the why)
• Write in the first person if you want
• Omit anything that doesnt advance the story
• Give to someone you trust to edit (not
  necessarily your mom or your English teacher)
• Follow the word count (not less than the minimum
  or more than the maximum)

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The Donts

• Be funny if youre not funny
• Be shy or modest (or too much of a braggart)
• Use a template or example essay
• Make stuff up
• Worry if you havent done anything amazing
• Reuse another essay you already wrote
• Repeat things from other parts of your
  application (like grades and activities)

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Topics That Work, Topics That Dont

• What do they like? Curiosity, passion,
  persistence. Attributes that successful college
  students have. Great students become great
  alumni.
• What universally makes them cringe? Sex
  (especially YOUR sex life), drugs (especially
  YOUR drug use), violent events in which you
  participated.
• They also tire of reading travelogues and stories
  of how you recovered from a sports injury.
• Want to make them groan? Rehash the
  extracurricular activities that you already
  listed on your application or editorialize on the
  top news item of the day.

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Your grammer will be judged by the admissions
officers.

• (Whats wrong with this sentence?)

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Composition 101

• Spelling, grammar, and usage do matter
• Spelling is easy, grammar is hard
• Follow the SAT/ACT rules
• Put Strunk and White into google it will
  change your life
• Be brief, focused. GET TO THE POINT IN 3 PAGES!
• Proof, proof, and proof some more

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When should you start writing your essays?
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Plan of AttackFor regular admissions deadlines,
earlier for Early Decision.

• Research your topics (Early Summer)
• Brainstorm and sleep on it (Mid Summer)
• Write your first drafts (Late Summer)
• Put them in a drawer (at least a week)
• Edit and revise (September)
• Solicit feedback (October)
• Finalize and perfect (November)

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What topics can you expect?
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Example TopicsWhat would you write?

• From the Common Application
• 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.
• Topic of your choice.

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More Example TopicsWhat would you write?

• Rutgers University is a vibrant community of
  people with a wide variety of backgrounds and
  experiences. How would you benefit from and
  contribute to such an environment? Consider
  variables such as your talents, travels,
  leadership activities, volunteer services, and
  cultural experiences. (Rutgers)
• Tell us about a person who has influenced you in
  a significant way. (Princeton)
• Why is UVM a good college choice for you?
  (University of Vermont)
• Describe your reasons for selecting Loyola
  College and your personal and professional goals
  and plans for after college. (Loyola College, MD)

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Even More Example TopicsWhat would you write?

• How would you describe yourself as a human being?
  What quality 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 College)
• To learn to think is to learn to question.
  Discuss a matter you once thought you knew 'for
  sure' that you have since learned to question.
  (Bryn Mawr College)
• In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge
  that your generation will face? What ideas do
  you have for dealing with this issue? (College
  of the Holy Cross)
• You have just completed your 300-page
  autobiography. Please submit page 217.
  (University of Pennsylvania)

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What if?

• What if the personal statement is optional?
• What if Im asked to write short essays?
• What if I have a choice of essays?
• What if one of the choices is topic of my
  choice?
• What if Im asked for my favorite things?

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What if? Answered

• What if the personal statement is optional? Do
  it!
• What if Im asked to write short essays? All the
  same rules apply.
• What if I have a choice of essays? Play to your
  strengths.
• What if one of the choices is topic of my
  choice? Dont get tempted by this easy way out.
  They will know you are recycling.
• What if Im asked for my favorite things? Tell
  the truth! Dont tell them what you think they
  want to hear.

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Theres a storm in your brain and its time to
let it loose.
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Brainstorming Session

• Begin to brainstorm a personal essay on one of
  the following topics from the Common Application
• 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.

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Lets Review

• Be yourself
• Stand out from the crowd
• Start early

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Cracking the College Essay

• Christopher Piane
• Territory Manager South Jersey
• The Princeton Review
• ChrisP_at_review.com
• 800.2REVIEW