Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The College Application Essay: Tips and Suggestions
Erin K. Johnston
Director of College Guidance
National Cathedral School
What does the admission committee learn from the application essay?The essay is an opportunity to demonstrate
How the student writes
What is important to the student
The student’s story, beyond GPA and test scores
What the student values
How the student thinks and problem-solves
What the student will bring to his or her new community
The student’s interest in the university
The essay is the student’s voice, in written form.
How many essays does an applicant write?
• The Common Application = 1 essay (7 prompts) plus optional “Is there anything else?”
• Common Application• Application questions
• Writing supplement
How many essays does an applicant write?continued• A note on “Optional” essays
• Non-Common Application universities & colleges
• International universities -> a personal statement
• The Coalition Application
Common Application: 2017 – 2018 essay prompts
1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. [No change]
2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? [Revised]
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? [Revised]
4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. [No change]
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. [Revised]
6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? [New]
7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. [New]
Common Application Prompts as FREE WRITES1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful …..
2. …Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure…
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea…
4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve…..
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth…
6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time…
1. The most important thing about me is …
Or If my life were a movie, the pivotal scene would occur when ….
2. People say we learn from mistakes. I really messed up when …
3. I remember this one time I could NOT keep my mouth shut! I …
Or When they’re kids, people learn right from wrong. One wrong that people seemed not to have learned yet is …
4. I’m an inventor. I’m going to invent…
Or I’m proud of the time I fixed a problem when …
Or If I ruled the world, I would change …
5. I got my first taste of adulthood when ….
6. People think I’m lying when I tell them I spend so much time ….
Let’s brainstorm together: how would we answer these prompts?Put another way, what do you imagine the admission office sees a LOT of?
1. Background, identity, interest, or talent
2. Failure
3. Challenging a belief
4. Problem solved/problem to solve
5. Personal growth
6. Thing I love
7. Topic of your choice!
Essay DO’s and DON’T’s
• Do spell check; have someone proofread it
• Use the first person; write clearly and directly; informal writing can be ok
• Maximize the essay to highlight parts of the application that have not yet been showcased
• Re-use the same essay for different prompts, when applicable
• Address/answer the question asked
• Be honest; be yourself
• Remember that this is your chance to talk about what you want to talk about
• Don’t let a grown-up over edit the essay; keep the kid voice
• Don’t abuse a thesaurus
• If a college collects more than one essay, show versatility; don’t be repetitive and talk about the same thing in each essay
• Don’t recycle or rework an essay so many times that it no longer makes sense or you forget to tweak it for your intended audience
• Don’t forget to highlight strengths
• Don’t forget to consider the reader
• Don’t brag; don’t blame others
More tips
• The “Why do you want to come here?” can be one of the more important pieces of writing that a student submits
• The essay is a snapshot, not the full story.
• On campus visits, students are sometimes advised to avoid certain topics (the three Ds; the torn ACL; the “look around my room and you’ll understand who I am”). But for some, they SHOULD write about those things!
When editing an essay
• Bring to the student’s attention any repetitive words or phrases
• WORD CHOICE: Point out words that could be strengthened or aren’t used correctly.• Help a student understand why a topic or word could be inappropriate
• Incomplete phrases
• Ask: what is the title of this essay? What does your reader learn about you that he or she didn’t know before reading?
• It’s ok to say “This is a great piece of writing, BUT…”
