College Admissions and Beyond Mr. Amaral’s English 4 Class

YOU know YOU best   The real world is calling…   College applications   Job applications   Scholarship applications   Job interviews   College essay

Articulate you!   Introduce yourself and make it memorable!   Be unique but professional   Always remember your audience   Who is your audience?

Marker Color Denotes Introduction Strategy! If I could be…   Red: Any piece of furniture I would be _____________ because…   Orange: A car I would be _____________ because…   Green: A color I would be _____________ because…   Purple: An office supply I would be _____________ because…   Pink: A celebrity I would be _____________ because…   Black: A flower/plant I would be _____________ because…

Write on your folder…   My name is________________ & if I could be any ______________ I would be ______________ because…. Be prepared to share

Example   My name is Mr. Amaral and if I could be any office supply I would be a staple because I hold things together and I keep everything organized.

Articulate you!   Depth helps people to know you better too   On your folder, answer the following questions…

Articulate you!   What is your greatest STRENGTH?   What is your greatest WEAKNESS?   If you could only complete ONE more task in your life, what would it be? Explain.

Articulate you!   What is your greatest STRENGTH?   Being personable   What is your greatest WEAKNESS?   Being flexible   If you could only complete ONE more task in your life, what would it be? Explain.   To obtain my Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership

Crazy College Admissions Essay Topics…  1. People find many ways to express their inner world. Some write novels; others paint, perform, or debate; still others design elegant solutions to complex mathematical problems. How do you express your inner world, and how does the world around you respond?  2. It’s easy to identify with the hero—the literary or historical figure who saves the day. Have you ever identified with a figure who wasn’t a hero—a villain or a scapegoat, a bench- warmer or a bit player? If so, tell us why this figure appealed to you—and if your opinion changed over time, tell us about that, too.

 4. Tell us about a group project in which you had to collaborate with your peers. How did it go?  5. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received or given?  6. Tell us about a recent dream. What do you think it meant?  8. If you have written an essay for another school’s application that you really like, feel free to use it as your short or long essay for us. Please be sure to tell us (a) what essay you are answering and (b) why you think this essay represents you well (your explanation will not be included in the word count).

Establishing a Purpose Goals and College Plans

What is a goal?  the end toward which effort is directed end effort  the end toward which effort is directed Effort Why is it important to have goals? Purpose!

Effective purpose  Setting Effective Goals  First, you must create your “big picture”—what do you want to do with your life?  What you want to achieve in your lifetime—or at least in the next years.  perspective  where and what you need to do.

Categories Artistic Do you want to achieve any artistic goals? If so, what? Attitude Is any part of your mindset holding you back? Is there any part of the way that you behave that upsets you? If so, set a goal to improve your behavior or find a solution to the problem. Career What level do you want to reach in your career?

Categories Education Is there any knowledge you want to acquire in particular? What information and skills will you need to achieve other goals? Family Do you want to be a parent? If so, how are you going to be a good parent? Financial How much do you want to earn by what stage?

Categories Physical Are there any athletic goals you want to achieve, or do you want good health deep into old age? What steps are you going to take to achieve this? Entertainment How do you want to enjoy yourself? - You should ensure that some of your life is for you! Public service Do you want to make the world a better place? If so, how?

What is your day, week, month, year, life’s purpose?  What are some goals that you have?  Make a list. Your list must have at least 20 life time goals. They can be short term (Get into college) or long term (go skydiving over Fiji). Really put some thought into your list.

Examples  Bad example: “I want to be rich.”  Good example: “I want to generate $100,000 in passive income within 5 years from this date.”  Bad example: “I am going to do my homework.”  Good example: “I am going to finish my homework by 8pm each night and I’ll achieve this deadline by spending one hour on each subject.”

What might prevent you from completing your goals this year?

Goals need Direction Career Research:: How do I become a _________?

Career Research

Education  -What would your major be in school?  -How many years would you be in school?  -What type of school would you need to attend?

One Technical School/University that offers this program

Outlook   -What would you be paid?   -Is the job field growing or declining?   -What is the stress level involved in the career?   -Where would I have to live to be successful in this career?

Real Life Activity Answers *you may need a separate sheet

Audience, Purpose, Mode

Your audience is simple to determine. Essentially, you ask yourself: to whom am I writing? Academic Audiences vs.Non-Academic Audiences

Identify the audience for the following types of writing— Be Specific 1. The New York Times- Americans—What type of Americans? -New Yorkers -Educated -Businesspersons -Liberals 2. The New Yorker 3. An Agatha Christie novel 4. Beowulf 5. A Presidential Speech 6. A Letter to the Editor 7. A Letter to the Principal 8. A School Newspaper 9. Night 10. An Instruction Manual

Mode:The main purpose of this mode is… Sub-Modes Narrative Writing: -relates a personal experience -tells a story based on a real or imagined events. -culminates in theme Personal Narrative Narrative Fiction Expository Writing: -gives information -explains something -clarifies a process -defines a concept Compare and Contrast Division Classification Exemplification Definition Reaction Persuasive Writing: -attempts to convince the reader of something -based on a topic that is limited, debatable, and meaningful. Argumentative Writing Descriptive Writing: -describes an object, place, or person -helps reader visualize description To entertain or to explain/teach or to reflect To inform To persuade To explain/teach or to reflect

Building A Resume Skills for the 21 st Century

What is a Resume?  A Summary  A List of Accomplishments  A Biographical Sketch

Resumes…   Audience   Career/job specific—choose one that you researched   What would a school/employer want to know about me to see I am right for these careers?   Mode   Narrative?   Expository?   Persuasive?   Descriptive?   Purpose   Clearly stated in the objective

A Good Resume  Uses POWER VERBS (writing handbook!)  Has PARALLEL structure (writing handbook!)  Is unique to the individual  Has a stated objective.  Is concise.  Is Typed

No work Experience?  That’s okay!  Include as many interests and school activities as you can. Make sure you really highlight your positive attributes

How is this practical?  Valuable skills  Economic struggles  Competitive job market

College Essay 250 words

Group work The best essays…

Step I: individual work  Read the each essay to yourself and write your opinion about the writing and style in the boxes below.

Step II: Individual work  CIRCLE ALL THE ACTION VERBS IN EACH ESSAY

Step III: Group work  Discuss with your group the pros and cons of each essay and compile two separate pro/con lists.

Step IV: Group Work  Decide in your group which of the two applicants you would accept to your university (you may only choose one) and back up your response using examples form the essay and the advice given to you.

Step V: Individual Work  Draft the acceptance letter to the student and cite something from their essay that led you to the decision.