College Application Essay K

Your essay topic reveals your preferences. Are you an arts person or a hard-facts science type? Certainly, there is a difference between the person who’d like to talk about the cold war with Machiavellli and someone who’d like to get painting tips from Jackson Pollack.

Choice also reflects values. The person who drives a beat-up, rusty, 1971 Volkswagen is making a statement about how she wants to spend her money and what she cares about. We say, “That dress isn’t me” or “I’m not a cat person.” In choosing, you indicate what matters to you and how you perceive yourself.

Choosing shows how you think. Are you whimsical, a person who chooses on impulse? Or are you methodical, careful, a person who gathers background information before choosing? Questions about you and about career and college reflect these choosing patterns, and even a question about a national issue can show your particular thinking style, level of intelligence, and insight.

The “You” Question

Many colleges ask for an essay that boils down to, “Tell us about yourself.” The school just wants to know you better and see how you’ll introduce yourself.

The “Why Us” Question

Some schools ask for an essay about your choice of a school or career. They’re looking for information about your goals, and about how serious your commitment is to this particular school.

The “Creative” Question

Some colleges evaluate you through your choice of some tangential item: A national issue, a famous person, what you would put in a time capsule, a photograph. Here the school is looking at your creativity and the breadth of your knowledge and education.

There really is no correct way to respond to an essay request. No answer is wrong, but sloppy, general, insincere, or tasteless responses can hurt your cause. Some of the best essays, the memorable and unusual ones, are about very similar, just more focused topics. Essays about your family, football team, trip to France, parents’ divorce, or twin can be effective as long as they’re focused and specific: a single Christmas Eve church service, a meal of boiled tongue in Grenoble , dipping ice cream on a summer job.

You have something to react to, a way to show yourself and write about your real views. Just don’t forget the importance of writing an informed essay. For example, don’t write about a fantasy lunch with a famous writer and get the titles of her novels wrong. Also, when thinking about how creative to get, use common sense. Being creative to the point of wacky is a risk you may not want to take.

Brainstorm list of your strengths and outstanding characteristics. Focus on strengths of personality, not things you’ve done.

Now, next to each trait, list five or six pieces of evidence from you life (things you’ve been or done) that prove your point.

Look for patterns in the material you’ve brainstormed and group similar ideas and events together. For example, does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? Was basketball about sports or about friendship? When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?

The introduction gives your reader an idea of your essay’s content. It can shrink when you need to be concise. One vivid sentence might do: “The favorite science project was a complete failure.”

The body presents the evidence that supports your main idea. Use narration and incident to SHOW rather than tell.

The conclusion can be brief as well, a few sentences to nail down the meaning of the events and incidents you’ve described.

There are three basic essay styles you should consider:

Standard Essay

Take two or three points from your self-outline, give a paragraph to each, and make sure you provide plenty of evidence. Choose things not apparent from the rest of your application or “light up” some of the activities and experiences listed there.

Less-Is-More Essay

In this format, you focus on a single interesting point about yourself. It works well for brief essays of a paragraph or half a page.

Narrative Essay

A narrative essay tells a short and vivid story. Omit the introduction; write one or two narrative paragraphs that grab and engage the reader’s attention, then explain what this little tale reveals about you.

When you have a good final draft, it’s time to make final improvements to your draft, find and correct any errors, and get someone else to give you feedback. Remember, you are your best editor. No one can speak for you; your own words and ideas are your best bet.

Take a break from you work and come back to it later. Does your main idea come across clearly? Do you prove your points with specific details? Is your essay easy to read aloud?

Have someone you like and trust (someone likely to tell you the truth) read your essay. Ask them to tell you what they think you’re trying to convey. Did they get it right?

Your language should be simple, direct, and clear. This is a personal essay, not a term paper.

Careless spelling or grammatical errors, awkward language, or fuzzy logic will make your essay memorable --- in a bad way.

DOs

Keep our Focus Narrow and Personal

Your essay must prove a single point or thesis. The reader must be able to find your main idea and follow it from beginning to end.

Prove It

Develop your main idea with vivid and specific facts, events, quotations, examples, and reasons. There’s a big difference between simply stating a point of view and letting an idea unfold in the details:

OKAY: “I like to be surrounded by people with a variety of backgrounds and interests.”

BETTER: “During that night, I sang the theme song from Casablanca with a baseball coach who thinks he’s Bogie, discussed Marxism with a little old lady, and heard more than I ever wanted to know about some woman’s gall bladder operation.”

Be Specific

Avoid clichéd, generic, and predictiable writing by using vivid and specific details.

OKAY: “I want to help people. I have gotten so much out of life through the love and guidance of my family, I feel that many individuals have not been as fortunate; therefore, I would like to expand the lives of others.”

BETTER: “My mom and dad stood on plenty of sidelines until their shoes filled with water or their fingers turned white or somebody’s golden retriever signed his name on their coats in mud. I think that kind of commitment is what I’d like to bring to working with fourth-graders.”

DON’Ts

Don’t Tell Them What You Think They Want to Hear

Most admission officers read plenty of essays about the charms of their university, the evils of terrorism, and the personal commitment involved in being a doctor. Bring something new to the table, not just what you think they want to hear.

Don’t Write a Resume

Don’t include information that is found elsewhere in the application. Your essay will end up sounding like an autobiography, travelogue, or laundry list. Yawn.

“During my junior year, I played first singles on the tennis team, served on the student council, maintained a B+ average, traveled to

France

, and worked at a cheese factory.”

Don’t Use 50 Words When Five Will Do

OKAY: “Over the years it has been pointed out to me by my parents, friends, and teachers – and I have even noticed this about myself, as well – that I am not the neatest person in the world.”

Don’t Forget to Proofread

Typos and spelling or grammatical errors can be interpreted as carelessness or just bad writing. Don’t rely on your computer’s spell check. It can miss spelling errors like the ones below.

“After I graduated form high school, I plan to work for a nonprofit organization during the summer.”

You select the topic of your college application essay. THIS IS AS EASY AS PULLING THE ESSAY TOPIC REQUIRED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF YOUR INTEREST. ALL ARE FOUND ON LINE. Use information above as you make your way through the writing process. Double space, 1” top and bottom, 1.25” right and left, 10 font, 1 – 2 pages in length. Print title of assignment, student name, class, and date across top of first sheet, same font size.

	Publisher: Spark Publishing
	Pub. Date: June 2005
	ISBN-13: 9781411403499
	Sales Rank: 103,914
	185pp
	Series: SparkCollege Series