Writing the College Essay

Purpose of the Essay  To see you as a person, not just statistics  To distinguish you from all other applicants  To demonstrate your ability to write and express yourself at a high academic level

Three Main Types of Essays  Why you?  Why this college?  Creative

Why you? Essay  What sets you apart?  What do you think about a certain issue?  What defines you as a person, student, etc.

Why you? Essay Examples:  Evaluate a significant experience, achievement or risk that you have taken and its impact on you.  Discuss some issue of personal, local, national or international concern and its importance to you.  Indicate a person, character in fiction, an historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, etc.) who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

Why this university? Essay  Example:  Why do you want to spend two to six years of your life at a particular college, graduate school or professional school? How is the degree necessary to the fulfillment of your goals?

Why this university? Essay  Avoid mentioning the history of the school  “University of Virginia was founded by my personal hero, Thomas Jefferson.”  UVA was founded in 1819, the same year my great great great great great great grandfather bought his house, the same house we live in today.  Avoid platitudes  UVA is a really great school.

Creative  You pick the format  Short story  Poem  Stream of consciousness  You pick the content  You still need to demonstrate your ability to write and express yourself at a high academic level

Getting Started Step 1: Choose a Topic  One central experience (disaster, miracle, family incident, etc.)  One theme (what you believe is the purpose of life, the vastness of the universe, working hard is the way to dreams, etc.)  Choose a fresh topic, one that millions won’t already have written about  Say no to: death, divorce, disease, disorders, sports injuries, trips, heartbreak

Getting Started Step 2: Brainstorm supporting details, experiences, stories, images  Concrete  Meaningful  Relevant

Writing the Essay Step 3: Follow the prompt  If they say 1000 words, don’t go over  If they say double-spaced, double space  Make sure you answer the question

Writing the Essay STEP 4: Follow good writing rules  Have a powerful opening sentence  “I am a changed person. Three years ago, I realized that people are important.”  “Three years ago, my mind was reborn.”  Use concrete examples to support your statements  “Every day, I get up early to help my grandmother.”  “ When the sun reaches the horizon, I am already carrying my grandmother’s tamales to the neighbors.”  Avoid clichés, contractions, and big words  Powerful essays are original, formal, and don’t need a dictionary  Write your own essay, and use your own words

Writing the Essay  Avoid unnecessarily long sentences  Write clearly  Have a variety of sentence lengths  Have a strong conclusion  Don’t just repeat your essay  If you used a story or image in the opening part of the essay, mention it in the ending, with a new meaning or twist.

Writing the Essay  Choose a verb tense, and stick with it  Write in the active voice  “That summer was very educational.”  “That summer taught me a valuable lesson.”  Show, don’t tell  “My family is very traditional.”  “Each March, we place sprigs of rosemary and thyme outside our front door to commemorate the end of winter.”  Write about what you know  Be sincere  Don’t try to impress the admissions board

Writing the Essay  Edit  Don’t be in love with the sound of your own writing  Cut out anything that doesn’t need to be there  If you can say it in 4 paragraphs, get rid of that 5th paragraph  Self-edit  Get others to edit your essay

Final Thoughts  Essays take time and a lot of work.  Start early, and abandon an essay if it not working for you.  Use resources and people to help you, but don’t use other people’s words.

Requirements of the Essay For This Class  You essay must be approximately 650 words in length. You may not go over, so you need to get as close to that number as possible.  The final copy must be typed and double spaced.

Questions…