College Essay
Hold on! So what’s on the common app? Basic contact info Demographics Family info Education (course work) Academic (high school grades, ACT/SAT, AP scores) Honors/academic distinctions (like National Honor Society, Nat’l Merit Finalist, etc.) Extra-curriculars and work experience Essay info Criminal history Info for teacher recommendations Info for counselor recommendation Mid-year report info Final report info
Current Essay Prompts Instructions. The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don’t feel obligated to do so. (The application won’t accept a response shorter than 250 words.)
2015 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? • 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.
Choose TWO of the topics and complete the brainstorm Choose TWO of the topics and complete the brainstorm. What will you write about? Definitely consider the TONE that you want to take…Also, what will make you stand out? DO NOT under any circumstances call yourself, topic, experiences “unique” in your piece. If you have to say it, then you aren’t doing your job with showing it.
Alternate prompt: My Favorite Mistake Each week, Newsweek ends with a feature called “My Favorite Mistake” in which a famous person discusses a major blunder. Ex: Rachel Maddow discussed how, in college, she allowed the student newspaper to “out” her. Unfortunately, the issue was released before she had a chance to tell her parents. Ex: Nicholas Sparks talked about a failed attempt at a novel. Ex: Madeleine Albright talked about how her choice of a bug pin accessory was a diplomatic snafu. Essentially, these pieces address a mistake that was made and what was learned in the process. For more examples, visit: http://www.thedailybeast.com/search.html?q=my+favorite+mistake&page=1&_charset_=utf-8 Note: If you go this route, I’d recommend that you credit Newsweek with the concept.
Thank goodness I’ve been there and done that, but if I had to do it again… My grad school hook: Colleen, with a double “l” and double “e.” Born on the sixth day of the sixth month. A Gemini. ***I then proceeded to develop this into my ability to be interested in examining both sides of an issue and finding balance. If I were to write a college essay now, I might consider the following topics/subjects: Christmas scavenger hunt (appreciative of parents, magic of holidays) How long can you really keep leftovers? (careful of humor—how my transcript is impressive, but I have a lot of daily and worldly knowledge still to gain) Pink snow (finding beauty in the commonbest of 2 seasons at once) Best speech ever: I’ll tell you!
Harvard Essays The essays to be reviewed come from 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays and provide not only the student-written essay but also commentary from a staffer of The Harvard Crimson. Organized by common types of essays found in applications, the book provides samples that are not perfect but still made enough of an impact to grant the student writer admittance. Types of essays: Overcoming challenges and adversity Presenting a unique applicant Experiences that illuminate character Finding yourself in others
Essay Samples/Critiques I’m asking you to critique each essay, and we’ll examine the commentary later. As you consider positives and negatives, give attention to: hook diction imagery sincerity/honesty self-portraiture coherence/fluency meaningful reflection ability to give significance to the ordinary ability to present oneself as “likable”