STARTING AND REVISING THE COLLEGE ESSAY

Purpose of the Essay Showcase your writing ability Tell your story Introduce the reader to your character or personality Convey your sense of reflectiveness

Choosing a Topic Choose a topic that is important to you Take risks and think outside the box Use the prompts (but don’t take them too literally) A story that is unique to you A time you experienced failure A place that you feel perfectly content A time you challenged a belief or idea An experience that marked your transition into adulthood

Format 250 – 650 words (1.5 pages double spaced) Introduction (paragraph 1): a little teaser featuring what the essay will be about Paragraph 2: Go into detail about the main story or subject. Paint a vivid picture. Paragraph 3: Introduce the conflict. Conclusion (paragraph 4): Sum up the learning you’ve taken from this experience OR present the ironic or surprise ending and its significance

Brainstorming Exercise List your top five experiences that give you strong feelings (joy, pain, fear, excitement, etc) OR List three of your most salient experiences or memories from your life up to this very moment Next to each thing you list, write at least three words/phrases/sentences that come to mind when you think of it.

Brainstorm Part II Choose one of these experiences and write (in bullets or paragraphs) about it. Include: What happened? Who was there? What did you see, smell, feel, hear or taste? Use action verbs and adverbs to paint a picture How you felt/what you thought at the time of the experience. Be bold and descriptive. Dig deep. How you feel or think about the experience now. Imagine telling this story to a teacher you trust. How do you think they would react? What do you think they would learn about you? Imagine telling this story to a stranger. How do you think they would react? What would they learn about you?

Watch me, Watch me… Announcements Walk through of the fall… CPCRI: Solanchi Fernandez College Fair, Sept 17 5:30 – 7pm ($5) College Day Conference, Sat, Oct 25; 8:00am -12:30pm Financial Aid presentation in November Let’s Get Ready! Free SAT Prep; Mon & Wed, Sept 24 – Dec 10; 6pm – 9pm RIAAO College Fair: Sun, Oct 19; 1:30 – 3:30pm College Visits and Tours: URI & RIC Wed, Oct 22; 8am – 3pm ($20) Check the wall! Dropbox anyone? Weebly? Sign up for an appointment