Nutley High School English & School Counseling Departments College essay writing Nutley High School English & School Counseling Departments

The 4-year College Application (Completed on individual college’s website or the Common Application site) Personal information, Activities Essay/Personal Statement Possible Supplements High School Transcript 2 Teacher Letters of Recommendation 1 Counselor Letter of Recommendation SAT and/or ACT Scores

Common Application Prompts 2016-2017 prompts and 2015-16 response percentages: 1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? 4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. 5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. Write an essay (250—650 words) on your selected topic.

Getting Started 600 characters (about 1.5 pages) maximum First draft: shoot for 800 words – Then cut it to 600 to make it more memorable and specific Admissions counselors spend about 2 minutes reading your essay Grab their attention! Strengths: Focus, proof, simple language, structure, vividness Weaknesses: Slow starts, wordiness, generalities, lack of support for claims about yourself, a college, or about the impact of an event

“Significant” vs. “Insignificant” What do they say about you as a person? The event or idea itself doesn’t have to be the “significance” Small, seemingly insignificant events can have the most impact if you write about them with vivid imagery and talk about what it meant to you, YOUR emotions and feelings are what’s significant. Ex. Your dad drove you through his hometown once and you wondered if you would ever be as motivated as he is. Your focus will be to show your interpretive ability and a bit of your value system “Tell us your thoughts… The choice of an event should be driven by what you want us to know after we’ve read your narrative.”

Building an Idea Bank Brainstorm! Fill a computer screen or notebook page with statements about yourself. Things you’ve done, Places you’ve been, Accomplishments Values, Choices you’ve made Mistakes, Regrets, Failures, Disappointments Surprises, Changes of heart The good, the bad, the special, the obvious, the habitual, the ordinary Flip through family photos or pictures of friends Think - My mind, my heart, my actions, my world! Not a resume or list of achievements, a bank of reflections about what you’ve thought about and what you care about and who you are.

Expand and Nominate Ideas What ideas can you support with meaningful details? 1. I like working with little kids a. my little brother b. babysitting: Andrew (a funny kid) c. community house work d. elementary school play – too many angels – should it just be for 4th graders? e. interested in child psychology and why kids behave the way they do