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Personal Narrative/College Essay Assignment Guidelines:
You may use a college application essay prompt from the college of your choice or from
the Common Application, but it is not mandatory to do so. If you do not need a college
essay, then you may choose any personal narrative topic you want to write about.
If you are using a college entrance essay prompt, make sure to put your prompt at the
top of your paper.
If using the Common Application: Choose from the following Common Application
essay prompts (If you are wondering why there are only 4 prompts to choose from
instead of the 5 that are on the Common App, I have eliminated the descriptive prompt
from our choices since our focus in this class is the personal narrative):
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. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal that marked your transition
from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
Remember our class discussion—many topics could be made to fit under these prompts.
Some ideas could be (from Mr. Gunnar’s English) :
1. Any difficult situation: a time when someone let you down, a time when you let
someone down, a time when you had to make a tough choice, a time when you
struggled to learn something, etc
2. Any “first”: when you first realized you had a problem, or someone close to you had
a problem, when you first felt needed or rejected, when you first lost something you
loved or that was dear to you, when you first realized an injustice, etc
3. A time when things did not turn out as expected
4. A humorous event that may have been embarrassing or awkward at the time
5. Any event that shaped you in a particular way, making you insecure, proud,
courageous, fearful, ambitious, motivated, that gave you a calling, etc.
6. Any event which challenged your basic values or beliefs
7. Any emotional event
It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you read the Characteristics of the Personal
Narrative handout for guidance on this assignment (on class web site under Assignments
quarter 1, week2 and on the Resources page).
Tone should be personal (not formal)! Admissions would like to know you on a personal
level other than your test scores and transcript. Use 1st person!!
Your Introduction should “hook” your reader in the opening lines. Catch your reader’s
attention by using dialogue, a startling statement, a relevant quotation, question, fact,
definition, etc.
Show, Don’t Tell! Include details and descriptions that unfold the experience to the
reader. Let the reader experience what you did!
Your Conclusion should include your analysis or reflection on the issue. What was
learned? How are you different? How will you understand others or live your life
differently from this experience? Etc. This does not mean that you can’t make reflective
comments throughout your narrative.
This helpful handout lays out the structure of the Personal Narrative. It can be found at
this web address
http://www.sbcc.edu/clrc/files/wl/downloads/StructureofaPersonalNarrativeEssay.pdf
This web site contains sample essays from John Hopkins University. We read a couple
of them in class. http://apply.jhu.edu/apply/essays.html
If necessary, read over the handout General Tips for the Common Application 2013
handout on web site.
http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/College_Admissions_Essays_Samples_Critiques_and_
Writing_Tips.htm