How Not to Write a College Admissions Essay

http://www.howcast.com/videos/28730-How-Not-to-Write-a-College-Admissions-Essay

Goals for today

§  Introduce the Common Application §  Get to Know Your Review Audience §  Creative Nonfiction = College Application Essay §  Do's and Don'ts §  Writing Workshop §  Your turn

Why do you have to write an essay to get into college?

Highest consideration goes to… Your High School Transcript §  Quality of courses you took §  Challenge of the courses you took §  Level of achievement in courses you took

http://www.providence.edu/admission/review-process/Pages/default.aspx

But that's not all... Who are you really? Your Essay, Short-answer, and Extracurricular Sections §  Smart, enthusiastic, well-written answers §  Depth of commitment §  Evidence of initiative §  Level of interest in the college

http://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_getinarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10047

These are the sections that could give your admission chances a boost!

The Common Application What is it?

The IB Advantage

You already have an advantage by taking IB courses or by being an IB Diploma candidate, but guess what... so do all the other IB students around the world.

Common Application Essay Questions

2013-2014 Essay Topics

1.  Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

2.  Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?

3.  Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

4.  Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?

5.  Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Know Your Audience Who reads your application?

http://imgmm0.starnow.com/95 /915795_1035115.jpg

1st Round 2nd Round Final Round Application Reviewer Panel of Admissions Officers Dean of Admissions

http://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/vandybloggers/manage/files/admissions-committee.jpg

http://www.conncoll.edu/media/website-media/camelweb/images/publications/t88t86jrxf.jpg

"A memorable essay, [the dean of admissions at the University of Virginia] says, 'tells

me someone knows how to write, and knows who he or she is,' and can help an applicant

with middle-of-the-road test scores stand out."

(Hoover, "Two, three essays? More can mean less")

What is Creative Nonfiction?

Memoirs/Narratives/"Big Ideas"/Factual Essays

"Admissions essays should reveal the student’s voice, personality, and unique way of looking at the world. The best essays are

ones that tell a big story in a small way: By focusing on a small event, the essayist shows how that reflects something larger. The essays don’t need to be funny, or sad, or controversial, but they do need to

engage the reader" (Wells, 47).

Show, don't tell. •  Create scenes that fit together to make your point in response to the prompt. •  Share a story, but make sure it's true.

(Gutkind, "What is Creative Nonfiction")

Your College Application Essay

A true story well told... You are an interesting person. Your essay should be yours.

Consider these examples of introductory paragraphs:

Generic I am very honored to apply as an undergraduate for a degree in Education at the University of Very Smart Teachers because as long as I can remember I have had a great love affair with books. Since I was eleven I have known I wanted to be a teacher. This is an example that represents 1,000 other people.

vs. Specific When I was eleven, my great-aunt Gretchen passed away and left me something that changed my life: a library of five thousand books. My best days were spent teaching my little brother about the things I had learned from them. Since then, I have wanted to be a teacher. This is an example of a real thing, which happened to a real person, told simply.

Do's and Don'ts

Do be: Concise, honest, an individual, coherent, accurate, vivid, likeable, cautious in your use of humor, and smart

(Hyman and Jacobs, "10 Tips for Writing a College Application Essay)

Don't: •  Take a stand and then not be able to back it up •  Open with a quotation •  Go on, and on , and on, ...and on •  Use a long word when a short word will do •  Use a metaphor, simile, or other common figure of speech •  Don't use common essay cliches ("future potential as a leader", "desire to

leverage my education, "my global perspective'") •  Never use the passive voice when you can use the active (use "is" not "was")

(Peterson, "How to Write a College Essay")

Getting from Here to There A Pre-essay Writing Workshop: Part 1 of 4

Go to:

http://titanpad.com/PEjMazZVhc (p.s. Case matters.)

List 3 interesting things about yourself that an admissions officer

would not know from looking at your application.

Take about 3 minutes.

Getting from Here to There A Pre-essay Writing Workshop: Part 2 of 4

1.  Please get into a group of 3.

2.  Individually: Write a 50 word letter to an imaginary college roommate.

(Think about the list of 3 things you just came up with

that are unique to you and include some or all of them.)

Take about 15 minutes.

Getting from Here to There A Pre-essay Writing Workshop: Part 3 of 4

1.   Trade letters with a group member.

2.   Read your group member's letter.

3.   Circle one thing you want to know more about.

Take about 5 minutes.

Getting from Here to There A Pre-essay Writing Workshop: Part 4 of 4

1.   Pass letters back to authors. 2.   Authors elaborate on circled item.

Take about 10 minutes.

Your turn

Application Essay Assignment Choose one essay question from the handout and respond to it.

Requirements: 250 words, typed, double-spaced, MLA format Due: Thursday, April 25.

Remember... You are trying to express to an Admissions Officer at your first-choice college that you are a unique and valuable individual (in addition to having amazing writing skills), so... •  Follow the guidelines. •  Use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. •  Write about yourself. •  Use your own voice. •  Focus on one aspect of yourself. •  Be genuine. •  Consider an everyday topic that you feel deeply about. •  Share your opinions, but avoid anything too risky or controversial. •  Tell a good story. •  Rewrite and revise. •  Don’t repeat what is already in your application.

(Merrill, "Tip sheet: An Admissions Dean Offers Advice on Writing a College Essay")

Find out more...

Applying for College Meeting for Juniors and their parents

Monday, May 20

7pm in the CPA

Follow the counseling office on Twitter @dexcounselors

Resources

Gutkind, Lee. "What is creative nonfiction?" Creative Nonfiction. 2012. Web. 17 April 2013. https://www.creativenonfiction.org/what-is-creative-nonfiction

Hoover, Eric. "Two, three essays? More can mean less." New York Times. 12 April 2013. Web. 17 April 2013.

"How not to write a college admissions essay." Howcast. Web. 12 April 2013. http://www.howcast.com/videos/28730-How-Not-to-Write-a-College-Admissions-Essay

Hyman, Jeremy S. and Jacobs, Lynn F., "10 tips for writing a college application essay." U.S. News and World Reports. 15 Sep. 2010. Web. 10 April 2013. http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2010/09/15/10-tips-for-writing-the-college-application-essay

Merrill, Martha C. "Tip sheet: an admissions dean offers advice on writing a college essay." The New York Times. 23 June 2009. Web. 12 April 2013. http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/tip-sheet-essay/

Peterson, Chris. "How to write a college essay." MIT Admissions- Blogs. 30 July 2012. Web. 10 April 2013. http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/c/miscellaneous

Wells, Jennifer “'It sounds like me': using creative nonfiction to teach college admissions essays." English Journal 98.1(2008): 47–52.

"The Common Application." The Common Application. 2012. Web. 10 April 2013. https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Default.aspx

Let's Play "Admissions Panel" Peer Editing of Your Application Essays

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/admission/photos/admission-stills-slideshow/

What is peer editing?

Purpose: To share your writing with other students for constructive feedback and then use this feedback to revise and improve your work.

During the process of peer editing students will: •  Offer productive feedback •  Accept constructive criticism •  Begin to revise their work

Remember: Revision is as important as creating.

Ms. Colby's letter to her college roommate

Dear college roomate,

“Ask not what your country

can do for you, ask what

you can do for your

country.”

I am a freshman at Trite

University. I like dogs.

Can you believe that we

both got accepted to this

college... how random was

that??? I am so in the zone

and enraptured.

Love you’re roomate,

Ms. Colby

What did I do wrong???

Don't: •  Take a stand and then not be able to back it up •  Open with a quotation •  Go on, and on , and on, ...and on •  Use a long word when a short word will do •  Use a metaphor, simile, or other common figure of speech •  Don't use common essay cliches ("future potential as a

leader", "desire to leverage my education, "my global perspective'")

•  Never use the passive voice when you can use the active (use "is" not "was")

(Peterson, "How to Write a College Essay")

With your assigned partner

1.  Read your essay to your partner. 2.  Questions for both of you to discuss as you read...

o  Does it meet the guidelines? o  Is it grammatically correct? o  Does it answer the prompt? o  Is it concise? o  Is it written for the appropriate audience? o  Is it unique to the student? o  Does it tell a story? o  Do you find it interesting?

3.  Switch. 4.  Make revisions to your essay.

Find out more...

Applying for College Meeting for Juniors and their parents

Monday, May 20

7pm in the CPA Follow the counseling office on Twitter

@dexcounselors

Resources

"Admission Official Trailer #2 (2013) - Tina Fey Movie HD." YouTube. Web. 18 April 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2W7TaF9l6s

Peterson, Chris. "How to write a college essay." MIT Admissions- Blogs. 30 July 2012. Web. 10 April 2013. http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/c/miscellaneous