COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY WRITING

Application Essays For state-supported universities (Texas A&M, UT, Texas Tech, etc.), the Apply Texas Common Application is used. Each school’s essay topic requirement varies. There are four topics with the first three being the ones most required. For private universities, each school has its own essay requirements and prompts that vary.

Apply TX Prompts Topic A Describe a setting in which you have collaborated or interacted with people whose experiences and/or beliefs differ from yours. Address your initial feelings, and how those feelings were or were not changed by this experience. Topic B Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your life, and the skills and resources you used to resolve it. Did it change you? If so, how? Topic C Considering your lifetime goals, discuss how your current and future academic and extra-curricular activities might help you achieve your goals.

Topic A  Describe a setting in which you have collaborated or interacted with people whose experiences and/or beliefs differ from yours. Address your initial feelings, and how those feelings were or were not changed by this experience. What is this prompt asking of you?

Topic B  Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your life, and the skills and resources you used to resolve it. Did it change you? If so, how? What was the challenge? How did you react? Did you change?

Topic C  Considering your lifetime goals, discuss how your current and future academic and extra-curricular activities might help you achieve your goals. What will you write about?

What Major Universities are Looking For Essentials of a good application essay according to Texas A&M College Station, Texas State, and UT Austin are as follows: Fluency, Logic Grammar, Mechanics Unified Theme/Subject Clarity, Creativity Organization, Examples David A. Byrd, Ph.D. Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, College of Education & Human Development Texas A&M University

Good vs. Bad Topics Because most of the prompts for college applications are open-ended, you are responsible for selecting a topic on which to write. Good TopicsBad Topics Why my brother is my best friend.Why my brother is the only friend I have in the world. My weekend helping the homeless. My weekend throwing water balloons at people on the street. How the global warming crisis affects me. How bad global warming is for the world.

Topic Selection Whatever topic you select to write on, it should do the following: Show much thought Show how it built your character Separate you from all of the other applicants Support other parts of your application Show critical thinking Explain HOW and WHY your topic impacted your life. David A. Byrd, Ph.D. Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, College of Education & Human Development Texas A&M University

Selecting YOUR Topic Topic selection is the most important element of the application essay. “A well-written essay with no content is not as memorable to the reader as one that is compelling, thought-provoking and leaves the reader feeling that he/she really knows the applicant” (Dr. David Byrd, Texas A&M University College Station 25 June 2012).

Topic Selection Tip #1 Keep a diary or journal of your personal experiences. This will help you: Practice your writing Keep a record of you experiences Find your passion and what/who you feel are important Find your voice

Topic Selection Tip #2 Think about how you would describe yourself to a complete stranger in 3 minutes or fewer. What do you think a person needs to know about you? What is important that can’t be seen from your physical appearance?

Topic Selection Tip #3 Become conscious of things that you do that you feel are important or meaningful to you. Critically think about WHY you do these things…HOW do they affect you? If you only do these things because someone else wants you to or because they will look good on your application, don’t write about them. Add these things into your diary/journal.

Essay Categories Admissions Counselors read thousands of essays that fall into several categories. The attempt-at-humor essay The cry-for-help essay The I-make-the-world-a-better-place essay The laying-it-on-too-thick essay The way-too-broad-of-a-topic essay The I’ve-overcome-so-many-obstacles essay The my-personal-growth-will-make-you-sick essay

Most Important Element Answer the question! Many well-written essays never answer the question or address the prompt. If the topic is why you would be a good fit for the college, don’t go off on a tangent about the importance of relationships. Every sentence, example, idea must tie to the prompt.

Essay Introductions The beginning of your essay must grab the reader’s attention. Don’t be quirky or give the reader an excuse to put down your essay – draw him/her in. Don’t fill the beginning with every SAT word you know or try to be shocking. A good first line of an essay creates a sense of excitement, interest, or anticipation that motivates the reader to continue on and learn about you.

What You Really Want Colleges to Know About You What You Want to Tell the CollegeHow to Include it in Your Essay Even though my grades aren’t very good, I would really be happy at your school. Discuss how you will rise to the occasion and show how other dimensions of your personality will make you an asset to the school. I am a little obsessed with my grades, but I did go to the prom once. It’s ok to be honest here but explain why you value grades over being social and how is an asset. The prestige of your school matters to me. Do NOT write this! Harvard knows why you are applying; elaborate instead on how YOU will enrich the school. I have wanted to go to your school since I was a small child and it would fit my personality the best. Be specific. Describe why the school appeals to you and why you’ve always wanted to go there. Explain how these reasons tie in with who you are.

If You Don’t Remember Anything Else… Remember this… WHAT you say is more important than HOW you say it. Keep your essays short and to-the-point. Essays should be 1 to 1 ½ pages in length. The essays should support other parts of your application. Write about unique situations that make you who you are and separate you from other applicants.

A Great Example The first time that science really made sense was in seventh grade, when a frog lay splayed out on the desk in front of me. While the stench of formaldehyde made others eyes water and stomachs churn, I was too fascinated to notice. I was intrigued by the frog’s still form and innards arranged in neat array under the flap I had incised in its abdomen. Inside were precise engineering marvels, finer than the gearings within a Swiss watch, each perfectly evolved through a process I had only read about and never truly understood. Here was the basis for religion, the faith in a higher power that actually represents faith in the innumerable and incomprehensible wonders of nature. I have always enjoyed observing patterns: the point and counterpoint in Beethoven's 15th string quartet and the intricate fingerings and crescendo in his Kreutzer sonata, as well as the rise and fall of the empires of history. However, my favorite patterns have always been found in science, in particular, (Phi) “The Golden Ratio” and its divine implementation throughout Nature, from Da Vinci’s study of the human body to Zeising’s study on plants. But what if the pattern, the exquisite creation, breaks? What if something goes wrong, an artery bursts, the...

An Awful Example I really like helping people. From friends to family to random strangers, I find a lot of personal fulfillment from doing things that make their lives easier. That is why I want to be a doctor. Getting paid to help people feel better excites me, as do the intricacies of the human form. At (your college), I plan on majoring in Biology and being premed, and your wonderful programs hold the key to my dreams.