DO NOW: 1.What are your post-secondary plans? Will you begin your career? Will you go to a 2 year college? Will you go to a 4 year university? What will you study? 2.List 5 steps you have to take between now and graduation in order to reach that goal. Do you have to take the SATs? Ask for letters of recommendation? Take any other tests? Fill out any forms?

THE PERSONAL ESSAY AND COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING

THE PURPOSE OF THE COLLEGE ESSAY College Essays allow colleges to get to know who you are past the SAT scores and the transcripts. This is your opportunity to show them who you are as a student and as a person.

SAMPLE COLLEGE ESSAY PROMPTS Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that 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?

SAMPLE PROMPTS 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.

WHAT QUALITIES ARE ALL THESE PROMPTS LOOKING FOR?

2 MAIN PARTS Part 1: Describe what happened using descriptive language. Part 2: Reflection and Analysis Explain what you were thinking or feeling at the time this was taking place Explain what you thought or felt about it after Explain what you think or feel about it now Explain why this event is important and what larger understanding have you come to by having been through this experience

THESIS STATEMENT Thesis statements in personal essays/college essays: Should briefly explain the point of your essay. Why are you writing about this person, place, or thing, and how will you analyze it in order to show us its importance? How will you go about showing us the significance of this event?

INTRODUCTION Introduction: The introduction is when you begin describing the significant event/ experience using descriptive language. This is where you want to captivate the reader. Refrain from doing any complex analysis or reflection in the introduction. This is what the rest of the essay is for. Aim to describe this significant even in an objective as well as interesting way. A good personal essay is descriptive. You must paint a scene for your viewer. Ways in which you can accomplish this is through dialogue, sensory details (taste, touch, smell, sight, sound), Metaphorical language.

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION “On the verge of losing consciousness, I asked myself: "Why am I doing this?" Why was I punishing my body? I had no answer; my mind blanked out from exhaustion and terror. I had no time to second-guess myself with a terrifying man leaning over my shoulder yelling: "You can break six minutes!" As flecks of spit flew from his mouth and landed on the handle bar of the ergometer, I longed to be finished with my first Saturday rowing practice and my first fifteen-hundred-meter "erg test."”

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION “The bright blue eyes that alight with unfettered curiosity on the burgeoning bulletin board are not only my own. Nor are the ears that listen raptly to the hum of student life and the gentle sing- song of our tour guide’s voice. Almost in tandem, my companion and I tear ourselves from the vivid vignette of college life and return with unmatched strides to the vast expanses of the campus. As the tour continues, I am neither surprised by the eager questions my companion poses - “Where’s the baseball field?” - nor by the heightened interest painted so clearly across his face. Wandering amongst the tall stone buildings, I appreciate for the first time how much this visit means to my constant companion, my father.”

BODY PARAGRAPHS After describing this significant event in a detailed and descriptive manner, the body paragraphs are now meant for reflection. This is where you will convince the reader of the importance of your event. You will constantly refer back to this one event as you show the reader that you have learned from it.

CONCLUSION The purpose of your essay should be clear at this point. Instead of summarizing your essay, take it a step further. Why is this topic important in the larger sense?

BRAINSTORMING EXERCISE Make a list for each of the following topics: 1. List your three favorite foods (be specific --not just cereal, but “Cap’n Crunch before it gets soggy”). 2. List your top five favorite places. They can be exotic or local—Tahiti or your favorite coffee shop. 3. List your top three favorite high school memories (things that happened during high school years). 4. List five things you have accomplished in your life that you are really proud of. 5. List three people who have been influential to you.