AP Literature & Composition Presentation adapted from the following materials: McGraw-Hill’s Writing an Outstanding College Application Essay (2005); Rudy Santacruz’s presentation; UC Berkeley Admissions Presentation

TThis is your opportunity to: IIntroduce yourself to the people who are trying to decide whether or not to invite you to their campus. Imagine it is a face-to-face interview…what would you say? The most important thing is to BE YOURSELF! SShow that you are effective communicator (e.g., literate and engaging). PProvide information to support/explain the rest of your application. This includes filling in any gaps or answering any questions/issues that may be raised by your application. This is also your opportunity to include anything that is not mentioned elsewhere in your application. DDifferentiate yourself from other students with similar applications. RRemember that you only get ONE chance to make a first impression!

 Do not use your essay to restate information that is already in your application or to list every accomplishment, activity, award, or personal quality.  Focus on one aspect of your life in each essay.  Examine the prompt carefully so you know exactly what is required.  Brainstorm and see if there are any topics with potential.  Keep an open mind.  Focus on aspects of your life that you are passionate about, that describe who you are as a person, that are relevant to your future goals, and that show you will be a successful college student.

 What type of essay will I write?  Think of this as a narrative: you are telling a story, with lots of concrete details, to an audience in order to capture their interest and help them to understand you better  What tone will my essay have?  Formal or informal, objective or personal, serious or humorous, sarcastic or reverent, etc.  Remember to be appropriate and not negative  Also, avoid clichés and attempts to be wildly creative or hilariously funny—the odds of achieving the effect you intend are probably not good.  The tone you choose should be reflective of your personality. Don’t try to be someone you are not. For Discussion: Think about one or two words that you would use to describe your personality or that others would use to characterize you. What tone best conveys these words?

 Write with a focus and a clear voice.  Pay attention to clarity of thought, organization, and syntax.  This also includes things like tense consistency, use of active voice, etc.  Engage the reader.  Your narrative should have a conversational, yet appropriate, tone.  Illuminate your ideas with details, examples, and anecdotes.  YOU NEED TO INCLUDE CONCRETE EXAMPLES!!!  Avoid sounding like a thesaurus.  Nothing is more awkward or turns readers off more than the use of pompous or inappropriate words. Imagine you are having a conversation with the reader (but again, be appropriate).  Keep it within the assigned word count.  UC: 1000 words total; no less than 250 words  Check to see that you have addressed ALL the requirements of the prompt.

 Remember: minimum eligibility will NOT get you accepted  Leadership (consistency) This cannot be emphasized enough, even if you were “only” a participant  Improvement  Academic Challenge (rigor)  Overcoming Struggles Remember not to complain or make excuses—use this opportunity to take responsibility and show the readers how you have overcome obstacles in your life  Involvement in your community (consistency)  Extracurriculars (consistency again)  It is not just about what you did in high school, but about what you will bring to the university of your choice.  Did you take advantage of the opportunities that were given to you, or did you waste them?  The last question readers will ask themselves, after reading your entire application, is “What more could this student have done?”

 Your essay should grab the reader’s attention (make your voice heard!)  The purpose of the opening is to identify you as a unique individual and to introduce the topic and the tone of the essay.  Consider using a quotation (be careful to avoid a cliché), a piece of dialogue, a rhetorical question, a startling statement, an engaging anecdote, a challenge, a revelation, an interesting fact, etc.  Try two or three openings to get you started and get your creative juices flowing.  May be explicit or implicit:  Explicit response makes direct reference to the words of the prompt  Implicit response presents a situation that illustrates the prompt without actually using its exact wording For Discussion: Thinking back to the words you used to describe yourself, which opening would work best to convey those words?

 Elaborates on the situation established in the opening/introduction.  Presents a sense of who the writer is (you).  Consider particular strategies: cause-effect, contrast- comparison, definition, description, exemplification, narration, etc.  Consider organization: chronological order, most-to-least important point, least-to-most important point, specific to general, general to specific, etc.  Consider details: What subtext about you is revealed by your choice of specifics? Again, you MUST include CONCRETE EXAMPLES!!!  Consider diction: What does your choice of words reveal about you?  Consider syntax: What does your sentence structure tell the reader about your command of the English language?  Consider connective tissue: the words and phrases that link each of your points to both your opening and the prompt.  Remember: your goal is present yourself as worthy of consideration for admission to this particular college or university!!!

 Does not need to be a summary or restatement.  May be explicit or implicit.  Some good ideas:  Make a final dramatic point  Reveal an insight gained from the ideas presented in the body of your essay  Connect yourself to the college (or system of colleges)  Leave the reader with a provocative, final point about you  Create an open-ended invitation to get to know you better

 Your words form the reader’s initial impression of you.  The reader will read between the lines to form an opinion of whether or not you will be a good fit for their college.  Qualities they are looking for:  Enthusiasm  Intelligence  Uniqueness  Scholarship (not $)  Ability to communicate  The fit for this college (do some research!)

 Don’t be afraid to begin en media res (in the middle of things).  Don’t be afraid to pat yourself on the back (but don’t gloat, and avoid pomposity).  If you address a negative topic or issue, do your best to link it to a positive outcome or insight.  Choose one facet of an experience, and polish it for a single effect on the reader.