Compiled for Pope John XXIII High School by

Christopher D. StuckCollege Counselor

In general, there are 2 types of essays.

Type 1: Open ended• Promotes creative writing

Ex: “Step outside and describe how you would change what you see. Why?”

Type 2: The personal statement• Usually encourages self description• May ask to explain academic deficiencies• Why did you apply here?• Why should we admit you?

Provides a portrait of the applicant beyond what is evident on academic record

May be used in lieu of a resume to describe extracurricular activities and service

Helps the college assess critical thinking, writing abilities, interests, experiences, values, attitudes, and expectations

Can help determine how creative and resourceful a student can be when confronted with a difficult topic

Colleges are increasingly asking for graded writing samples in addition to or in the place of an essay.

These are assignments that you have completed for a class and have been turned in to your teacher, graded and returned.

The writing sample shows the student’s ability to write in an academic setting, as well as the teacher’s assessment of that writing.

Provide reasonable straightforward responses

Demonstrate your best writing abilities Provide vivid, clear impressions of

yourself Avoid broad, unsupported statements

about yourself Allow the reader to draw his or her

own conclusion

Do keep your focus narrow• Prove a single point; the reader should be

able to follow your main idea from beginning to end

Do provide proof• Supplement your main idea with facts,

quotes, examples and reasons Do be specific

• Rather than tell the reader that you had a life changing event, describe the event and how it changed you

Do NOT tell the readers what you think they want to hear• Be original, and be YOURSELF

Do NOT forget to proofread• Typos and grammatical errors reflect poorly

on the writer, and can be interpreted as carelessness.

• Do not trust your computer’s spell check. Ask someone to look over your essay.

Writing Ability• Want to see if you can write at the college

level• Avoid using words that you don’t understand• Understand sentence and paragraph structure• Keep a good pace; flow logically and have a

good conclusion• Make it believable• Keep it relatively brief and coherent

Insight into who you are• Do not make it sound like a marketing piece• Make it sound like how you talk (but with good

grammar)• Again, be yourself, not someone you think the

college wants to see• Write about something you actually care about• Essay should provide why you love what you love,

believe what you believe, and are what you are• This shows that you know how to reflect and

analyze

Sex, drugs, violence

Travelogues

The News

Swearing

Humor/ sarcasm