How to Successfully write College Admissions Essay College Readiness: How to Successfully write College Admissions Essay

What’s the Purpose? Colleges want you to show them why they should accept you. Your essay, along with your other application elements, should accomplish this task.

Levels of Judging Essays At the lowest level, your words are read to see how well you can write At the middle level, the admissions committee will consider the content of your response At the final (and most important) level, the reader is hoping to see something original and creative in you

General Tips Plan Ahead – Choose the colleges you’re interested in and do your research. By reviewing the requirements for colleges of your choice, you can minimize the number of essays you will need to write for admissions and scholarships. Take Your Time – Spend plenty of time writing and revising your essays. Ask for feedback from people you trust to tell you the truth. Quality Matters – Your goal is to share important things about you while skillfully expressing yourself in writing.

Successful Admissions Essays To be successful, make sure you have: Correct grammar Clear organization Vivid details that support the subject Unique style

Step 1: Starting the Essay Brainstorm – This is NOT the TAKS/STAAR test! Take your time to brainstorm well for this essay. It might even take you a couple of days. Choosing an essay topic to write about is extremely important. Choose something you are passionate about or something of interest to you. Think and make a list of your accomplishments, of tough/happy times in your life, or your relationships, etc. This will help you see what is important to you and may help in your brainstorming.

Step 1: Continued Consider these brainstorming questions: What are you like? What is your strongest personality trait? Does any quality or skill distinguish you from others? How would your friends characterize you? Consider your favorite books, movies, art, etc. How have these had an influence on your life? Have you experience a moment of epiphany? A moment you suddenly realized the essence or meaning of something?

Step 1: Continued Consider these brainstorming questions: What have you done? What are your accomplishments? What have you done outside the classroom that demonstrates your character qualities? Have you struggled for something and succeeded? Failed? What did you learn from that experience? How did you respond to it? What has been the most difficult time in your life? Why? How did your perspective on life change as a result?

Step 1: Continued Consider these brainstorming questions: Where do you want to go? What would you most like to be doing right now? Where would you like to be and with whom? What are your dreams for the future? When you look back on your life in 30 years, what would it take for you to consider your life a success? How do these particular universities fit into your future plans? Why do you want to spend 2-6 years of your life there?

Step 2: Selecting an Essay Topic Required Prompts Some colleges will not let you choose any topic that you want. They will either give you a specific prompt, or they may give you a choice between a few different prompts. For example, many Texas schools will allow you to choose any of the Common Application prompts online, however some schools might ask you for one specific essay topic from the list.

Step 2: Continued If you have the opportunity to write about anything you want, you will have a difficult time choosing just the right prompt. Consider the following: The essay should showcase the qualities you have as a person and a student. Make sure your topic is not too broad or too specific. Avoid writing about grades and test scores in your essay. Remember you are writing a persuasive essay that gives a clear picture of who you are – it needs to capture the reader’s attention, not offend them.

Step 3: Writing the Essay Answer the question Start with a creative lead Use detail and concrete experiences Get to the point Pay attention to transitions and sentence variety Conclude effectively Give your draft to others Revise multiple times

Start With a Creative Lead The first few sentences of the essay MUST engage the reader. If they don’t, it is very likely that your essay will be skimmed and tossed into the “No Admittance” pile. “While the other children played outside, eleven-year-old Danny’s sad eyes focused on the white wall in front of him. He sat alone in silence—a silence that had imprisoned him since his mother and father died in a tragic accident.” “I volunteer as a Big Brother to a little boy. He lost his parents in a car accident a few months ago.” Which of these two beginnings is better? Why?

Use Details and Concrete Experiences An old Chinese proverb states, “Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.” Paint a picture for your audience to remember. “The next time that Mrs. Cooper asked me to help her across the street, I smiled and immediately took her arm.” “I developed a new compassion for the disabled.” Which of these two is more engaging? Why?

Get to the Point Do not exceed word limits given to you. Make sure you get rid of irrelevant details, clichés, and under-developed ideas. Avoid repetition and words that are not needed to make your point.

Pay Attention to Transitions and Sentence Variety The best essays contain a variety of sentence lengths mixed within any given paragraph. Transitions are not limited to words – good transition flows from the natural thought progression of your argument.

Conclude Effectively The conclusion is your last chance to persuade or impress the admissions officers. Avoid summarizing – do NOT use common phrases like in conclusion, finally, in summary, etc. Consider the following: Link your conclusion to your introduction to establish a sense of balance End with a famous quote that is relevant to your argument (if it comes naturally!) Frame your discussion within a larger context to show that your topic can be universal

Give Your Draft to Others First, PROOFREAD! Proofreading needs to be done by other people, not just you Inform the proofreader of the purpose and goal of the essay. As they are reading it, they can be looking for the following: Has the question been answered? Does the intro engage the reader? Does the conclusion provide closure? Is the sentence structure varied? What parts are unclear or need more development?

Revise Help from friends, parents, and teachers can improve weak areas in your essay. Ultimately it boils down to your committing the time and energy it will take to make your essay memorable.

Let’s Tie it all Together Emphasize what you have learned from the experience Write about something only you could write Make certain you understand the question or the topic Sort through ideas and be selective on what you tell Choose a topic that might not be reflected in another part of your application Be persuasive in showing the reader that you deserve admission

Source Information in this PowerPoint presentation was acquired from Kathleen Getzlaff’s senior English website at e360.getzi.net The information has been slightly modified to meet the needs of this class This specific presentation was adapted from Mandy Rolison at Mabank High School