Name: _____________________________________________​ ​Due Date:​ ​_______________________

College Essay

Assignment​: Choose one of the topics below and write a 500 – 750 word personal essay.

Goal: To begin senior year with a “working draft” that can be reworked to support multiple college essays.

Format​: Your paper must be double spaced and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. Don’t kill trees with a title
page, but your essay must have a title. If you choose “College Essay” as your title, you are admitting that
you have already given up.

Tone​: You have to walk a fine line in this essay. It must ​sound​ like you, but your best, most scholarly version of
yourself. Decide which parts of the essay can be more conversational and vivid and which need to use
your best diction.

Your College Essays should:

● show who you are
● show you can think
● show you can write

Pre-Writing Activities:

1. Go to the following website and read about “Clichés to Avoid and Tips to Follow. Take notes in the graphic organizer
on the next page (2).

http://www.reed.edu/reed_magazine/autumn2006/features/my_essay/what_to_say.html

2. Complete the Brainstorm Chart on pages 3-4.

3. Read some sample essays from: Reed Magazine “My Essay” website (see site address above)

1
 Clichés to Avoid Tips to Follow

1. The Trip
1. Tell a story. Give detals!

2. Miss America

2. Write to DISCOVER something about yourself.

3. The Jock/Athlete

3. Practice. Write lots of these essays

4. Pet Death

5. Tales of My Success
4. Find a style just informal enough…but not too
informal.

6. The Perspirant aka “Sweaty” applicant

5. Write something UNIQUE to you.

7. My Memoirs

2
Brainstorm Chart College Application Essay

Experiences that have shaped me into who I am today: Significant people in my life who have influenced me
(for better or worse):

Places or things that have contributed to my personal Things I know more about than the average person:
growth and development:

Accomplishments - goals I worked toward; Important failures/Important lessons:

achievements that meant a lot:

3
Issues/problems in the world that concern you: Times you took a stand:

List of fictional characters, historical figures or Experiences that illustrate what I would bring to the diversity
creative work (art, music, science, etc.) that had of a college community OR encounters that demonstrated the
an influence on me: importance of diversity:

4
Other topics that would produce an amazing essay about who I am and would show that I can write:

2018-19 Common Application 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?

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was
the outcome?

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.

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new
understanding of yourself or others.

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?

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.

5
College Application Essay--Peer Review Use this form to give feedback to the writer.

Topic:___________________________________________________________________

Writer's Name:____________________________________________________________
Reviewer's Name:__________________________________________________________

Ideas/Content
□ How are you moved by this essay? Do you experience a moment of epiphany, gain a new understanding or new
perspective on something from this story? Explain your answer (so the writer can see whether s/he has
accomplished what s/he intended!)

□ As a reader, what do you not understand? What do you want to know more about? What background knowledge
would help you understand the story/essay better?

□ Does anything in the essay seem irrelevant or unnecessary? For example, extraneous details that make the reader
lose focus on the topic? Where? (Mark in the essay and explain.)

□ Where can the writer develop scenes with more vivid detail or description? Look at the climax of the story/essay. Is
the writer walking us through the experience or simply telling us about it? Where, for example, could the writer use
setting/scene description or dialogue to enhance the essay? (Mark in the essay and explain.)

□ Do people in the essay need more of an introduction or better description in order to stand out more clearly as
memorable figures? Identify the people and explain in the space below.
□ Does the writer reflect upon the events in the essay? If not, make suggestions regarding how the writer could
discuss the significance of the story in the essay.

Organization
□ Consider coherence of the paper as a whole, and within each paragraph. Do all points relate back to the thesis of the
paper? Does information in paragraphs stray from the main idea of the paragraph? Explain.

Style
□ Focus on words and sentences in the essay. Identify any place where the writer could express an idea more simply
and directly. (Mark in the essay and explain.)

□ What, if any, words unnecessarily repeated? Circle them in the essay.

□ Which sentences seem short and choppy? Mark in the essay and explain
□ Do you notice any sentence fragments or long, awkwardly drawn out run-on sentences? Mark in the essay and
explain.

6
 How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation

Prepare! Put together all the information a potential recommender will need:
□ A Resume, Activities List, and a Brag Sheet with thoughtful discussions on your goals, values, and accomplishment -
(also available in Naviance ​→​ under About Me ​→​ Request for Letter of Recommendation Survey)
□ Information about colleges or scholarships you are applying to
□ Pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelopes (if it will be mailed through the US Postal Service)
□ Add Teacher Recommendation Requests on Naviance.

Ask Teachers!
□ WHEN​?
About 1 MONTH in ADVANCE of any deadline. Be considerate of teachers’ time. If you want to get a jump on
things, consider asking at the end of your Junior year, so that a teacher can put you at the top of their
recommendation list.
□ WHO​?
Teachers who know you well and in whose classes you exceled. Your Junior-year teachers are good choices, or Senior
teachers who you have known more than a year. ASP Mentors are also a good choice, especially if you were
their student in class.
□ HOW​?
o Meet with teachers IN PERSON. Choose a time convenient for the teacher, not passing time, or during
lunch. After school or Tutorial are probably good times, but if you’re unsure, send a quick email to make an
appointment to talk about a potential letter of recommendation.
o Ask your teachers if they would be able to write a STRONG recommendation letter for you. Be prepared
with your Resume/Activities List/Brag Sheet so that you can give that to your teacher if they agree to write
the recommendation letter.

Reminders and Thank You Cards!

□ It’s a good idea to send a quick email with a thanks and a reminder to a teacher about the upcoming deadline for a
recommendation letter. Send these out about 1.5 to 2 weeks before a deadline.
□ If you need additional recommendation letters, you must still have a face-to-face talk with teachers. DO NOT add
more recommendation requests on Naviance or via email without discussing it with your teacher.
□ After you get accepted into colleges or secure scholarships, let teachers know the results. They love knowing that
their recommendation letters actually helped you!
□ WRITE A THANK YOU CARD!!!