1. College Admissions Essay: Writing Workshop College Club Fall 2010

2. GOAL “Impress a college admissions panel with a compelling personal essay. It provides you the chance to “WOW” the reader and stand out from the crowd.” Its all about BEING YOURSELF

3. Think Positively! Outside of the application itself, this is second of importance to many schools Recognize the power of your words Those words could capture the readers attention

4. The Eyes Behind “The Read” A reader or Admissions Counselor  Be aware if the Counselor you have established a relationship with is the one reading your essay It’s a subjective process What’s beyond your control?  Who they are  Life/work experiences  How many essays they read in a day

5. The Readers Responsibilities Review applications for 8-10 hours a day Read thousands of essays per year Rate and present applicants to the Admissions Committee

6. What do they want to know? Who you are To hear your voice in words Your writing ability

7. Being YOU Reader knows their audience (17-18 year olds) Be honest with yourself  Don’t write what you THINK they want to hear Find a balance: don’t be obvious about trying to impress, not too formal or too informal Depict your personality

8. The Mechanics Embrace your style and writing ability Spelling and grammar… MATTER Proofread, teacher edit and/or peer edit Its all about putting in energy And… No One is Perfect

9. Finding a Perspective Generating a topic is a process Brainstorm a list of possible events, experiences, or passions which you feel strongly about Beware of “perfectionism” FIRST person: “I” vs. “You”

10. Lets Get Started!!! Personal Statement:  What do you care about?  What do YOU want to say about yourself?  What are important aspects of your personality?  What are your values?  What do you aspire to?

11. Common Application Questions Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken or an ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national or international concern and its importance to you.

12. Examples of Questions Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence. Academic interests, life experiences and personal perspectives impact your education. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring the diversity in a college community.

13. AVOID The third person essay Generic essay Resume essay If given a choice or a topic of your own… recycling

14. A Good Start Get out your brainstorming ideas and develop the one you feel will generate the most interest for YOU Be clear Get to the point Create curiosity

15. In the end… Don’t:  End with “In conclusion…”  “…and that’s why I want to attend your university”

16. Don’t forget the practical Include your name, date of birth and social security number on the top of each page SPELLING/COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY check Word count: close, don’t count

17. Before you press “submit” Let it sit 2 days before you read it the final time Read out loud Does it ring true? Do YOU like it?

18. Procrastination is for the Monkey’s “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” -Dr. Seuss