How to Write an effective College Admissions Essay!

1. How to Write an effective College Admissions Essay! AP Literature & Composition Presentation adapted from the following materials: McGraw-Hill’s Writing an Outstanding College Application Essay UC Berkeley Admissions Presentation

2. Purposes of the College Essay • This is your opportunity to: • Introduce yourself to the people who are trying to decide whether or not to invite you to their campus. • Show that you are effective communicator (e.g., literate and engaging) • Provide information to support/explain the rest of your application • This includes filling in any gaps or answering any questions/issues that may be raised by your application. • This is also your opportunity to include anything that is not mentioned elsewhere in your application. • Differentiate yourself from other students with similar applications. • Remember that you only get ONE chance to make a first impression!

3. Choosing the Best Subject for You • Do not use your essay to restate information that is already in your application or to list every accomplishment, activity, award, or personal quality. • Focus on aspects of your life that you are passionate about, that describe who you are as a person, that are relevant to your future goals, and that show you will be a successful college student.

4. Planning Your Essay • What type of essay will I write? • Think of this as a narrative: you are telling a story, with lots of concrete details, to an audience in order to capture their interest and help them to understand you better • What tone will my essay have? • Formal or informal, objective or personal, serious or humorous, sarcastic or reverent, etc. • Remember to be appropriate and not negative • Also, avoid clichés and attempts to be wildly creative or hilariously funny—the odds of achieving the effect you intend are probably not good. • The tone you choose should be reflective of your personality. Don’t try to be someone you are not.

5. Things to Keep in Mind as You Begin • Avoid sounding like a thesaurus. • Nothing is more awkward or turns readers off more than the use of pompous or inappropriate words. Imagine you are having a conversation with the reader (but again, be appropriate). • Keep it within the assigned word count. • Check to see that you have addressed ALL the requirements of the prompt.

6. Things Readers are Looking For • Not just about what you did in high school, but what you will bring to the university of your choice.

7. Things Readers are Looking For • Who you are and what kind of thinker you are • How you perceive the world • Not only that you feel but that you can think • That you pay attention • That you can look at an experience and evaluate it (think critically) • Dedication and determination • Passion • The fit for this college (do some research!)

8. Responding to Short-Answer Questions • Brief, direct responses that provide particular, concrete information to supplement the other sections of your application. • Do not use the very same response/wording from your longer personal essay. • Use your opening to immediately address the topic without actually repeating it. • Provide specific details that refer only to the given topic. • Consider each sentence to be capable of becoming a topic sentence in a longer essay. • Be specific. Be clear. Be direct. Be brief. • Avoid being redundant.

9. Last, But certainly Not Least • Don’t be afraid to begin en media res (in the middle of things). • Don’t be afraid to pat yourself on the back (but don’t gloat, and avoid pomposity). • If you address a negative topic or issue, do your best to link it to a positive outcome or insight. • Choose one facet of an experience, and polish it for a single effect on the reader.

10. Some General Application Tips • Readers consider your application as a whole. • Low grades/test scores should not hold you back from applying • Readers use their “parent lens” and try to reward you for what is good in your application. • Don’t lie—background checks are conducted. • If a college decides it needs more information about you, they may conduct a deeper review: this means they may look at first and/or second semester grades, so don’t slack off.