The College Entrance Essay SHS

Advice from a Director of Admissions  “ Take a deep breath, relax, and believe in yourself” (Elizabeth DeLaHunt, Sarah Lawrence College Admissions Director).  “Be true to the person you’ve already become” (DeLaHunt).  Write about those things that are most important to you (DeLaHunt).

Goals and Objectives  To write an interesting and effective essay about yourself  To flesh out the person behind the grades, the scores, the accomplishments  To demonstrate your abilities for insight, awareness, honesty, and self- evaluation  To distinguish yourself from 1000’s of other seniors

BEFORE YOU START TO WRITE  Begin thinking of topics early  Send for actual applications early  Write a time line of your life (note special dates and events)  Make a list of possible essay topics and discuss them  Pre-write the essay in your head  Give yourself plenty of time

 Be sincere, honest, straightforward, clear and SPECIFIC  Discuss something of personal importance  Demonstrate your own style and voice  Address a talent, interest, passion, observation, personal accomplishment, extraordinary feeling

DO’s  Read directions carefully  Answer the question clearly  Take it seriously  Put in feeling, if real  Be honest and sensitive  Show talents  Show why the college should want you  Show you know that school & its programs  Proofread carefully  Be yourself, but not too informal  Show organization

STRONG ESSAYS...  Use specifics  Include good examples  Reveal personality  Show direction early  Employ transitions  Demonstrate sincerity  Extend examples to say how they affected you  Exhibit honesty  Apply an informal, but a “polished” vocabulary  Answer the question  Include a strong thesis  Take risks  Use correct  Use correct grammar & spelling  Include lessons learned

The ESSAY SHOULD NOT  Describe anything phony, off-beat, in bad taste, or potentially insulting  Use rude language, words not in your vocabulary  Be pretentious or outrageous  Deal with a questionable or controversial topic  State anything already described in other parts of the application

DONT’s  Don’t Put It Off  Don’t list/repeat academic achievements  Don’t repeat anything mentioned elsewhere in the application  Don’t talk down to your reader  Do NOT be disrespectful  Don’t be too casual in tone  Don’t be too general, too basic  Don’t use the same essay for all your applications

WEAK ESSAYS...  Lack specifics  Lack insights  Does not reveal the author’s personality  Lack focus and direction  Are too short or too long  Do not answer the question

Before You Finalize and Mail It, Double-Check for...  Grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes (Use the WP Grammar Check)  Wordiness—Be concise  Neatness  The YOU in the paper (Does it reflect your personality and are you satisfied?)  Required signatures and correct postage  A second copy of the complete application for your file

Okay, then...  Let’s look at some sample essays

Possible Topics  “How would you describe yourself as a human being? What quality do you like best in yourself and what do you like least? What quality would you most like to see flourish and which would you like to see wither?” (Bates College)  “Why is UVM college a good college choice for you?” (Univ of Vermont)

More Topics  “Do you believe there’s a generation gap? Describe the differences between your generation and others.” (Denison University)  “Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.” (Common App)

Recipe for an Essay Rough Draft  Step One: Think about yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your best qualities? Are you an intellect? A creative type? Curious? Adventurous? Passionate? Determined? See the “Questions for Brainstorming “ sheet

Step Two:  Choose a positive quality you’d like to convey to the admission committee. Do not pick an event or something you have done. President of the Environmental Club is not a personal quality. Focus on a quality of your mind or of your character. Complete this sentence: “I am a very______ person.”

Step Three:  TELL A STORY!!!! Set a timer for 20 minutes. Pretend you’re taking an exam and the question is, “Tell a story about an experience or time when you demonstrated that you were a very________ person.” Use the characteristic you identified in Step Two. Write or type non-stop for 20 minutes; force yourself to keep telling the story and what it reveals until the timer goes DING. (The College Application Essay by Sarah Meyers McGinty)

Begin Writing NOW!  Reveal yourself  Be genuine  Be thoughtful  Relax