TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

An Introduction to the Whys and Hows of College Essay Writing

WHY DO COLLEGES REQUIRE ESSAYS?

Admission staff want to make sure that students can write at the level demanded by the coursework at the institution.

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WHY DO COLLEGES REQUIRE ESSAYS?

• It Depends on the College
• How required is required?
• Does that fit you?

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• Effort
• Do you care enough to have someone proofread for easy mistakes?

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• Spelling�
• Grammar and Punctuation

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• Organization
• Does your essay make sense?
• Could any reader understand it?

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WHY DO COLLEGES REQUIRE ESSAYS?

• Level of Thought
• Does your essay make the reader think?
• Beyond Mad, Sad, Bad, Glad

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• Who are you personally, beyond your transcript, test scores, and résumé?
• The essay isn’t the place to address your grades or test scores
• It’s also not a place to list your extracurricular involvements

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• What makes you special and unique?

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• What sets you apart from other applicants?

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• To start building a personal relationship with you

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A COLLEGE ESSAY ISN’T…

• A place to explain your academic performance
• Most colleges offer other avenues for addressing academic performance, test scores, and other special circumstances
• It is ok to write your essay about ways in which special circumstances have impacted your life generally
• Interviews
• Additional Information essay

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• A place to be someone you’re not

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• A list of reasons why you’re a good fit for the college of your choice
• But it is ok to keep that college in mind while you write it

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• A five-paragraph essay
• You don’t need an Introduction, Supporting Paragraph, Supporting Paragraph, Supporting Paragraph, Conclusion

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• A blog post or a performance
• You can write more casually than you would for class, but keep abbreviations like “u”, “ppl”, and “bby” out unless you’re quoting something
• You have an audience, but it’s very different from those you’re used to

A NOTE ON OPTIONAL ESSAYS

• Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.
• (250 Words)

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• Do you wish to provide details of circumstances or qualifications not reflected in the application? (650 Words)

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GETTING UN-STUCK

• You don’t have to make me cry to be admitted.

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• You don’t have to be a writer to be admitted – you just have to be able to write.

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• You don’t have to be exciting to be admitted – you just have to be a little interesting.

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• You are unique. So is everyone else.

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GETTING UN-STUCK

• Make a list of qualities you’re looking for in a college or in your college classmates.
• Write about a time or times when you’ve demonstrated those qualities.
• “Wrap yourself in their language”
• How are you different from your classmates and close friends?  How are you similar?  Which traits make them great friends to you?
• Ask friends, family, teachers, and mentors what they notice about you.
• Understand your value!
• What is most challenging for you? Academically? Personally?
• Take some personality tests.
• BigFuture
• Myers-Briggs, True Colors, Enneagrams
• Keep a list of “flashbulb memories”.
• Do you have memories that come into your head often? Why do you think?
• Write descriptively about these memories.
• Don’t write about your WHOLE trip to grandma’s house – write about the meal she made for you or the afternoon you spent shopping.

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GETTING UN-STUCK

• Keep a daily journal.
• Write something down each day, even if it’s just one sentence.
• Keep a list of “flashbulb memories” as they come up.
• Gratitude, Daylio, Google Docs/Keep
• Keep a photo journal.
• Take one photo each day.
• Look back later and tell a story based on one photo.
• Keep a video journal.
• Save a quick video each day.
• 1 Second Everyday App

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• Practice writing from a prompt.
• Common Application
• University of Chicago Uncommon Essay Past Prompts
• https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/essay/past-essay-questions

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COMMON APPLICATION ESSAY PROMPTS �2022-2023

• 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.
• 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?
• Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
• Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
• Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
• 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?
• 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.

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LET’S GET STARTED – ACTIVITY

• Again, make a list of qualities you’re looking for in a college or in your college classmates.

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• Write down: How are you different from your classmates and close friends?  How are you similar?  Which traits makes them great friends to you?

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• Ask a friend, parent, teacher, or mentor to describe you. Take notes. Later, think about why they might have answered the way they did.

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• List 3 “flashbulb memories”
• Do you have memories that come into your head often? Why do you think?
• Write descriptively about these memories.
• Don’t write about your WHOLE trip to grandma’s house – write about the meal she made for you or the afternoon you spent shopping.

LET’S GET STARTED – ACTIVITY

Without thinking too hard, write down five possible essay topics

• They can be one word, one sentence, one thought, etc. or more complex

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• What does each topic say about you? What does it convey?

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• You can use these spare ideas for supplemental essays, scholarship essays, or further self-discovery

QUESTIONS?

THANK YOU!

Sarah Colangelo

Knox College

Senior Associate Director of Admission

Email: scolange@knox.edu

Office: 309-341-7144

Cell: 309-335-8357