Writing a Successful College Essay

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Writing a Successful College Essay
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A strong personal statement is reflective that
is, it demonstrates that you have thought about
and gained a clear perspective on your
experiences and what you want in your future. It
does not simply tell a reader what you think
he/she wants to know. Instead, it gives the
reader a vivid and compelling picture of you--in
essence, telling the reader what he or she should
know about you. Remember that the focus of the
essay is YOU--your achievements, your obstacles,
your goals, your values. -www.berkley.edu
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Brainstorm

• What are you like?
• What have you done?
• Where do you want to go?

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Brainstorming Activities

• 10 Things Nobody Knows About Me
• 10 Things Im Good At
• 10 Things Im Not Good At
• 10 Things I Want to Get Out of College
• Where do I see myself in 4 years? 10 years? 20
  years?
• Self Outline

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Create a Self-Outline
Family
Bonding with BFFs-dinners etc.
Fun
travel
Motivated
Buy a house
A Night Out In Syracuse
Golf Tourney
Masters degree
Making Strides
charitable
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What NOT to do

• Dont write about something you would only tell
  your best friend or psychiatrist
• Sex and personal relationships are off limits
• Dont repeat information, like GPAs or SAT
  scores, already found in the application.
• Dont thesaurus-ize your essay
• Dont use clichés
• Avoid mentioning potentially controversial
  subjects, money or prestige. You never know who
  is reading your essay!

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What You Should Definitely Do

• Write a catchy introduction
• Choose a topic with concrete examples to support
  your ideas.
• Be proud of yourself!
• Show dont tell
• Each paragraph should contain information
  essential to the core components of the prompt

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Selecting a Topic

• Be memorable!
• Choose a story/snapshot memory an ordinary story
  told in a unique and captivating way, one that is
  rich in meaning and alive with imagery.
• Its not about breadth, its about depth.
• Whats your purpose? This will become your
  thesis.

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Admission Office Tips

• The Handshake
• This is your opportunity to seal the deal.
• Answer the question and dont write your life
  story.
• Be clear, be focused, be organized.
• Dont manufacture hardship.
• Less is more.
• No typos or grammatical errors
• Dont be boring
• Use transitions and vary your sentence structure.

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Writing the Essay

• The intro
• Dont give away your story right away.
• Set the mood
• Create mystery or intrigue
• Body Paragraphs
• Must relate to your intro/topic/purpose
• Conclusion
• This is your last chance to impress!
• Do not summarize
• What makes you memorable?

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Revise, Revise, Revise

• Seek the advice of others, but not too many
  people!
• At least one person who really knows you and one
  person who knows about writing
• Read your paper both forwards and backwards out
  loud, starting with the last sentence. You might
  hear run-ons or fragments better this way.
• Delete anything that doesnt relate to the topic.
• Vary your sentence structure
• Be active in your writing, not passive!

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Common Mistakes

• Gimmicks
• No haikus!
• Using misplaced famous quotes
• The admissions committee doesnt care what
  Benjamin Franklin thought or what John Lennon
  sang.
• Slang
• Repetition
• Generalities
• Ive always been a hard worker.
• The experience showed me the value of teamwork.

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Possible TopicsCommon Application

• Evaluate a significant experience, achievement,
  risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have
  faced and its impact on you.
• Discuss some issue of personal, local, national,
  or international concern and its importance to
  you.
• Indicate a person who has had a significant
  influence on you, and describe that influence.
• Describe a character in fiction, a historical
  figure, or a creative work (as in art, music,
  science, etc.) that has had an influence on you,
  and explain that influence.
• A range of academic interests, personal
  perspectives, and life experiences adds much to
  the educational mix. Given your personal
  background, describe an experience that
  illustrates what you would bring to the diversity
  in a college community, or an encounter that
  demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
• Topic of your choice.