Download - Writing College Application Essays
Writing College Application EssaysRevised 8/2013
Agenda
Role of the Essay
What Admissions Officers Look For
DOs & DON’Ts
The Writing Process
Get Started
Role of the Essay
School A
Grades/Tests
Personal
School B
Grades/Tests
Personal
•Essay•Letter of Rec•Extra Curricular•Diversity•Leadership
•GPA•Class Choice•Entrance/Placement Exams
Role of the Essay
BE
creative
personal
unique
SHARE
your story (past)
your passions & beliefs (present)
your goals (future)
DEMONSTRATE
your writing ability
your ability to reflect and learn from life
SHOW
your best work
you belong at the school
what you can bring to the
school
The essay lets you…
Role of the Essay
Interview with Gonzaga Law AdmissionsJune 21, 2010U.S. News & Work Report
What can applicants do to set themselves apart from their peers?
Successful applicants distinguish themselves via the personal statement. They use it as a means of expressing their values and to connect those values with their desire to attend law school.
Role of the Essay
$Approach scholarship essays as college application essays
Participate in NELA’s Scholarship Strategies workshop
Agenda
Role of the Essay
What Admissions Officers Look For
DOs & DON’Ts
The Writing Process
Get Started
What Admissions Officers Look For
FIT•diversity•interest•community involvement•evidence of past
performance•evidence of future
performance
REFLECTION•ability to grow and learn
from challenges•evidence of critical
thinking
WRITING•tone•appropriate examples•organization•focus•grammar conventions•ability to follow directions
What Admissions Officers Look For
What do you look for in application essays? What do the essays tell you about a candidate?
We look for well-written essays that reflect the applicant's capacity for critical thought and self reflection. The essays reveal an applicant's ability to construct a cohesive statement and a coherent argument. Disjointed statements and those that leave the reader feeling a disconnect between values and actions reflect poorly on the candidate. We'd rather read about an event that triggered the candidate's desire to attend law school, or to learn about her or his passion for justice, than to read they want to be a lawyer because their father is a lawyer.
Interview with Gonzaga Law AdmissionsJune 21, 2010U.S. News & Work Report
Agenda
Role of the Essay
What Admissions Officers Look For
DOs & DON’Ts
The Writing Process
Get Started
DOs & DON’Ts
DO DON’T
•Use “I” Statements •“I believe” or “I think”
•Use active voice: “I did this” •Use passive voice: “It happened to me”
•Recycle your work •Cut and paste without modification
•Use specific and real examples (show) •Use vague or hypothetical examples (tell)
•Use authentic language •Abuse the thesaurus
•Write about yourself •Brag about yourself•Write about someone else•Feel pressured to compare your experiences to others
•Express your wisdom •Write about cliché takeaways
•Explain lessons from challenges •Complain about challenges
•Focus on the change/lesson learned •Focus on the story
•Answer all essay prompts •Miss an opportunity to show who you are
DOs & DON’Ts: Topics
CAUTION
relationships
sports injuriesmission trip
DOs & DON’Ts: Topics
DIVERSITY
race & ethnicity
income
learning style
ability
sexuality
genderreligion/ values/ beliefs
age
position/ rank
“the other”
life experience
DIVERSITY
race & ethnicity
income
learning style
ability
sexuality
genderreligion/ values/ beliefs
age
position/ rank
“the other”
life experience
race & ethnicity
DIVERSITY
DOs & DON’Ts
DO DON’T
•Use “I” Statements •“I believe” or “I think”
•Use active voice: “I did this” •Use passive voice: “It happened to me”
•Recycle your work •Cut and paste without modification
•Use specific and real examples (show) •Use vague or hypothetical examples (tell)
•Use authentic language •Abuse the thesaurus
•Write about yourself •Brag about yourself•Write about someone else•Feel pressured to compare your experiences to others
•Express your wisdom •Write about cliché takeaways
•Explain lessons from challenges •Complain about challenges
•Focus on the change/lesson learned •Focus on the story
•Answer all essay prompts •Miss an opportunity to show who you are
DOs & DON’Ts: The Right Ratio
STORYEXAMPLENARRATIVE
REFLECTION
DOs & DON’Ts
DO DON’T
•Use “I” Statements •“I believe” or “I think”
•Use active voice: “I did this” •Use passive voice: “It happened to me”
•Recycle your work •Cut and paste without modification
•Use specific and real examples (show) •Use vague or hypothetical examples (tell)
•Use authentic language •Abuse the thesaurus
•Write about yourself •Brag about yourself•Write about someone else•Feel pressured to compare your experiences to others
•Express your wisdom •Write about cliché takeaways
•Explain lessons from challenges •Complain about challenges
•Focus on the change/lesson learned •Focus on the story
•Answer all essay prompts •Miss an opportunity to show who you are
Agenda
Role of the Essay
What Admissions Officers Look For
DOs & DON’Ts
The Writing Process
Get Started
The Writing Process
adapted from: Carson Dellosa
Prewriting: think
What do I want to say?
How do I want to say it?
What examples will I use?
Who will read my writing?
What do I need to know to begin?
Who can I talk to about my ideas?
Drafting: write
Are my thoughts organized?
Which ideas do I want do develop?
In what order do I want do say them?
Who can read this and offer
suggestions?
Revising: improve
Have I read what I have written?
Should I add or take out parts?
Have I used the best ideas and words?
Does my writing make sense?
Does it say what I want it to say?
What suggestions have others made?
Which of those suggestions am I going to apply?
Editing: correct
Have I used complete sentences?
Are my spelling, capitalization and
punctuation correct?
Has someone checked my work?
Publishing: share
Agenda
Role of the Essay
What Admissions Officers Look For
DOs & DON’Ts
The Writing Process
Get Started
Get Started
The Common Application-FreshmanPlease write an essay of 250 – 500 words on a topic of your choice or on one of the
options listed below. Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or 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. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that
influence. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music,
science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence. A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds
much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
Topic of your choice.
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The Common Application-Transfer StudentPlease provide a statement of 250 – 500 words that
addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve.
Personal Essay This personal essay helps us become acquainted with you as
a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself.
University of Washington
Personal Statement Format Content as well as form, spelling, grammar, and punctuation, will be
considered. Suggested length is 750-1000 words. Academic Elements (required)
Academic History Tell us about your college career to date, describing your performance,
educational path and choices. Explain any situations that may have had a significant positive or
negative impact on your academic progress and/or curricular choices. If you transferred multiple times, had a significant break in your education, or changed career paths, explain.
What are the specific reasons you wish to leave your most recent college/university and/or program of study?
University of Washington
Your Major and/or Career Goals Tell us about your intended major and career aspirations. Are you prepared to enter your intended major at this time? If
not, describe your plans for preparing for the major. What led you to choose this major? If you are still undecided, why? What type of career are you most likely to pursue after finishing your education?
How will the UW help you attain your academic, career, and/or personal goals?
University of Washington
Personal Elements (required) Cultural Understanding
Thoughtfully describe the ways in which culture had an impact on your life and what you have learned about yourself and society as a result. How has your own cultural history enriched and/or challenged you?
NOTE: Culture may be defined broadly. Cultural understanding is often drawn from the ethnic background, customs, values, and ideas of a person’s immediate family, community, and/or social environment in which they live.
University of Washington
Educational Challenges / Personal Hardships (if applicable) Describe any personal or imposed challenges or hardships you
have overcome in pursuing your education. Examples: a serious illness, a disability, first generation in your
family to attend college, significant financial hardship or responsibilities associated with balancing work, family and school.
Community, Military, or Volunteer Service (if applicable) Describe your community, Military, or volunteer service, including
leadership, awards, or increased levels of responsibility.
University of Washington
Experiential Learning (if applicable) Describe your involvement in research, artistic endeavors, and
work (paid or volunteer), as they have contributed to your academic, career or personal goals.
Additional Comments (optional) Do you have a compelling academic or personal need to attend
the University of Washington-Seattle at this time? Is there anything else you would like us to know?
Get Started
challenges
triumphs
influential people
significant events
dreams/goals
Resources
Public Library/College Writing Center scholarshipjunkies.com THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU!
– counselor– friends– peers– teachers– family– professionals
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