College Essay Support

MoHi Counseling Department!

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Step 1: Spend some time getting to know yourself.

Who- am I? Has influenced me? Is my role model? Do I aspire to be?

What- have I accomplished? Do I do on a daily basis? Do I do to be successful?

When- did I become interested in___? Do I want to travel to __?

Where- do I want to attend college? Be in 5/10/15 years? Pursue my future?

Why- am I passionate about ___? Do I want to be___ when I grow up? Attend this university?

How- will I achieve my goals? Overcome a challenge? Live my life? Be a role model? Give back to my community?

So What?- This is a big one. It’s essentially the Thesis of You.

Step 2: What is the purpose of the essay? Do some research.

1. College Admissions?
1. Who
2. What
3. When
4. Where
5. Why
6. How
2. Scholarship?
• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
• How

Step 3: What is the question asking?

• Identify the question.
• Common Application Question?
• Specific University/scholarship question?
• Identify key words. What does “it” want to know about you?
• Answer it quickly, with your first thoughts, bullet points, a few words.
• Make sure you are answering the question correctly.
• If you have the option to choose any question, choose the one that you feel comfortable sharing with another person.
• Consider the purpose/end goal of writing this essay.

Common Application Questions

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story.

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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?

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

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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 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.

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

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6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging 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?

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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.

Step 4: Write a rough draft

This looks different for everyone:

• Outline
• Bullet Points
• Paragraphs
• Cut-and-paste
• Word Vomit
• Talk-and-type

Whatever your process, just get some words on the page. Many people will be willing to help you edit it, but they have to see your words!

Step 5: Prepare to write multiple drafts

Brainstorm→ Free write/Word Vomit→ Draft 1→

Writer Revision→ Draft 2→

Peer Revision→ Draft 3→

Expert (teacher/counselor) Revision→ Draft 4→

Fresh Eyes (come back to it after a day or two)→ Read it out loud→ Complete Draft 5/Final Copy! →

Submit and be Happy!

Boettcher Foundation- Common Essay Mistakes

1. The essay reiterates the resume or transcript. Don’t fill your valuable essay space with information that can easily be found in other parts of your application.
2. Students write more about another person than themselves. Many essay prompts will ask about a person you admire or who has influenced you. Even though you’re talking about someone else, make sure that you and what you’ve learned from the other person are the focus of your personal essay.
3. Students write more about the issue than themselves. Again, some essay prompts will ask you to write about an issue or you may simply want to do so because it matters to you. Although you’re passionate about it, don’t make the mistake of writing more about the issue than about why it’s important to you.
4. The essay is more about what happened than its significance. Don’t build up the tension with a great story that never ties back to its effect on you as a person.
5. The student writes about challenges but doesn’t illustrate growth. Challenges and obstacles can be some of the most compelling elements of college or scholarship applications—that is, if applicants are able to demonstrate how they’ve overcome their circumstances and grown as a result. Boettcher Foundation Essay

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Boettcher Foundation- Tips

Generally speaking, effective essays are emotionally honest and give insight into who the applicant is as a person. They illustrate genuine motivation and goals, rather than superficial or heavy-handed interest in issues or accomplishments that students THINK we want them to care about.

Specific language and active verbs.

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Questions to Consider...

• Would the committee member reading this essay have an authentic and honest view of who I am and what I hope to accomplish?
• Did I answer the prompt thoroughly and concisely?
• Is the final draft polished and presentable, free of errors, typos, or anything else that would distract from the overall message?
• Am I able to discuss my essay topic in person?
• Am I proud of how I represented myself on the page?

Final Tips

• Give yourself Time.
• Now is not the time to procrastinate (whether you work well under pressure, or not!) The amount of time and effort will be apparent in your essay. Give yourself at least 2 weeks for this process.
• Give yourself Space.
• This might be physical, mental, and/or emotional. Take a break from social media. Find a place you feel comfortable writing that will be distraction free. Don’t try to multi-task, just dedicate yourself to this essay.
• Give yourself Grace.
• Sometimes done is better than perfect. Truthfully, we will always find flaws, or things to improve in our writing. That’s part of the beauty of the process: Growth! When you’ve put in the time, effort, and improvement… double-check one last time, and then submit! :)

Best of luck, Writers!

Write well and make good choices!