The College Application Essay

1. The College Application Essay IT’S ABOUT YOU! Michael Settanni, Writing Coach

2. Tonight’s presentation • Background • Roles • Getting started • Authentic voice • The personal narrative • Self-editing • Do’s and don’ts • The new Common Application questions • Coaching conference dates • Contact information • Your questions/concerns

3. My role as a writing coach • Explain the rules • Make suggestions for locating a topic • Help focus and organize the essay • Respond honestly • Give direction • Guide practice • I don’t rewrite the essay

4. Your role • Focus! Focus! Focus! • Edit! Edit! Edit! • Work! Work! Work!

5. Question: How important is the essay really? • Answer: Very! • Get noticed, but don’t . . .

6. Subject and Topic Understand the difference • YOU are the subject. • The topic is what you choose to write about. It can be virtually anything you’ve experienced, from the mundane to the monumental, but it must reveal something true and essential about YOU.

7. Choosing a suitable topic: “People are interesting and so are you.” • Make the ordinary extraordinary • Present yourself in a favorable light: strengths, characteristics • Ask yourself questions (see handout) • Select an experience that allows you to demonstrate personal development: What did you learn about yourself, others, the world? Were you changed in some way? • Choose your topic with space limitations in mind (a 650- word absolute maximum for the Common Application).

8. The Approach: Am I writing an essay, a memoir, a story? The college application essay is a personal narrative. That is, it’s an essay, memoir and story all at the same time. It should have some of the analysis, observation and interpretation of an essay, some of the reflection on experience of a memoir and some of the conflict and resolution of a story. All in 650 words or less.

9. The NEW Common Application essay prompts • Number of prompts reduced from six to five • Word limit increased to 650 • “Topic of your choice” removed • See handout for copy of 2013 prompts

10. The personal narrative is . . . . . . a story you tell about an experience you’ve had. It should have • a beginning, middle, end OR introduction, body, conclusion • conflict and resolution, a controlling idea • anecdote(s), examples and concrete details • Reflection, observation, analysis • a point a word about graphic organizers

11. Authentic voice: What is it? It’s how you express your character/makeup/nature/temperament in writing. It can be many things, but it mustbegenuine.

12. Show, Don’t Tell. Use: • Active voice (handout) • Strong verbs • Anecdotes • Dialogue • Concrete details

13. The Process • Pre-write—Write—Rewrite—Rewrite—Proof—Publish • Procrastination (avoid avoiding) • Three to four drafts and a final edit • Most writing benefits from compression

14. Self-editing • Less is more: Kill your darlings • “First word, best word” may have worked for Allen Ginsberg, but it won’t for you. • Revise for specifics, telling details, concrete examples • Everything counts: spelling, grammar, mechanics • Read ALOUD

15. Make sure you • Follow directions • Respond to the prompt • Write with an authentic voice (active, genuine) • Showdon’t tell (STRONG verbs) • Write about something that matters to you • Make a point • Reveal something positive about yourself • Check carefully for errors

16. Avoid • Predictability • Exclamation points. . .really! • The thesaurus (except to avoid repetition) • Unnecessary descriptors (adjectives, adverbs) • Writing errors of all kinds (lots of gremlins out there) • Boasting, self-promotion • Smarmy, self-righteous or overly sentimental tone • Fluff, padding • Avoiding (don’t procrastinate)

17. Writing Conferences • Dates: September 12 and October 3 • Time: Ten-minute sessions from 2:30 to 5:00 • Sign Up: Guidance office starting TOMORROW • Please note: Essays MUST be submitted to me via email at least four (4) days prior to the session you’ve scheduled.

18. Contact information Phone: (610) 220-3422 Email: msettanni@comcast.net

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