This document provides guidance on how not to write a college admissions essay. It discusses that while transcripts are important, essays allow colleges to learn about the applicant as an individual. The document outlines what makes a strong essay, including focusing on a specific experience, showing rather than telling, and knowing the audience of admissions officers. It also lists essay dos and don'ts. Finally, it provides students an activity to help generate ideas for their own college admissions essay.

1. How Not to Write a College Admissions Essay
http://www.howcast.com/videos/28730-How-Not-to-Write-a-College-Admissions-Essay

2. Goals for today
! Introduce the Common Application
! Get to Know Your Review Audience
! Creative Nonfiction = College Application Essay
! Do's and Don'ts
! Writing Workshop
! Your turn

3. Why do you have to write an
essay to get into college?
Highest consideration goes to...
Your High School Transcript
! Quality of courses you took
! Challenge of the courses you took
! Level of achievement in courses you took
http://www.providence.edu/admission/review-process/Pages/default.aspx
But that's not all...
Who are you really?
Your Essay, Short-answer, and Extracurricular Sections
! Smart, enthusiastic, well-written answers
! Depth of commitment
! Evidence of initiative
! Level of interest in the college
http://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_getinarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10047
These are the sections that could give your admission chances a boost!

4. The Common Application
What is it?

5. The IB Advantage
You already have an advantage by
taking IB courses or by being an
IB Diploma candidate, but guess
what... so do all the other IB
students around the world.

6. Common Application Essay Questions
2013-2014 Essay Topics
1. Some students have a background or story that
is so central to their identity that they believe
their application would be incomplete without
it. If this sounds like you, then please share
your story.
2. Recount an incident or time when you
experienced failure. How did it affect you, and
what lessons did you learn?
3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief
or idea. What prompted you to act? Would
you make the same decision again?
4. Describe a place or environment where you are
perfectly content. What do you do or
experience there, and why is it meaningful to
you?
5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or
informal, that marked your transition from
childhood to adulthood within your culture,
community, or family.

7. Know Your Audience
Who reads your application?
http://imgmm0.starnow.com/95
/915795_1035115.jpg
1st Round 2nd Round
Final Round
Application Reviewer Panel of Admissions Officers Dean of
Admissions
http://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/vandybloggers/
manage/files/admissions-committee.jpg
http://www.conncoll.edu/media/website-media/
camelweb/images/publications/t88t86jrxf.jpg

8. "A memorable essay, [the dean of
admissions at the University of Virginia] says, 'tells
me someone knows how to write, and knows
who he or she is,' and can help an applicant
with middle-of-the-road test scores
stand out."
(Hoover, "Two, three essays? More can mean less")

9. What is Creative Nonfiction?
Memoirs/Narratives/"Big Ideas"/Factual
Essays
"Admissions essays should reveal the student’s voice, personality, and
unique way of looking at the world. The best essays are ones that tell a big
story in a small way: By focusing on a small event, the essayist shows how
that reflects something larger. The essays don’t need to be funny, or sad, or
controversial, but they do need to engage the reader" (Wells, 47).
Show, don't tell.
• Create scenes that fit together to make your point in response to the prompt.
• Share a story, but make sure it's true.
(Gutkind, "What is Creative Nonfiction")

10. Your College Application Essay
A true story well told...
You are an interesting person. Your essay should be yours.
Consider these examples of introductory paragraphs:
Generic
I am very honored to apply as an undergraduate for a degree in Education at the
University of Very Smart Teachers because as long as I can remember I have had a
great love affair with books. Since I was eleven I have known I wanted to be a teacher.
This is an example that represents 1,000 other people.
vs.
Specific
When I was eleven, my great-aunt Gretchen passed away and left me something that
changed my life: a library of five thousand books. My best days were spent teaching my
little brother about the things I had learned from them. Since then, I have wanted to be
a teacher.
This is an example of a real thing, which happened to a real person, told simply.

11. Do's and Don'ts
Do be:
Concise, honest, an individual, coherent, accurate, vivid, likeable,
cautious in your use of humor, and smart
(Hyman and Jacobs, "10 Tips for Writing a College Application Essay)
Don't:
• Take a stand and then not be able to back it up
• Open with a quotation
• Go on, and on , and on, ...and on
• Use a long word when a short word will do
• Use a metaphor, simile, or other common figure of speech
• Don't use common essay cliches ("future potential as a leader", "desire to
leverage my education, "my global perspective'")
• Never use the passive voice when you can use the active (use "is" not "was")
(Peterson, "How to Write a College Essay")

12. Getting from Here to There
A Pre-essay Writing Workshop: Part 1 of 4
Go to:
http://titanpad.com/PEjMazZVhc
(p.s. Case matters.)
List 3 interesting things about
yourself that an admissions officer
would not know from looking at
your application.
Take about 3 minutes.

13. Getting from Here to There
A Pre-essay Writing Workshop: Part 2 of 4
1. Please get into a group of 3.
2. Individually: Write a 50 word letter
to an imaginary college roommate.
(Think about the list of 3 things you just came up with
that are unique to you
and include some or all of them.)
Take about 15 minutes.

14. Getting from Here to There
A Pre-essay Writing Workshop: Part 3 of 4
1. Trade letters with a group
member.
2. Read your group member's letter.
3. Circle one thing you want to know
more about.
Take about 5 minutes.

15. Getting from Here to There
A Pre-essay Writing Workshop: Part 4 of 4
1. Pass letters back to authors.
2. Authors elaborate on circled item.
Take about 10 minutes.

16. Your turn
Application Essay Assignment
Choose one essay question from the handout and respond to it.
Requirements: 250 words, typed, double-spaced, MLA format
Due: Thursday, April 25.
Remember...
You are trying to express to an Admissions Officer at your first-choice college that you are a unique
and valuable individual (in addition to having amazing writing skills), so...
• Follow the guidelines.
• Use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Write about yourself.
• Use your own voice.
• Focus on one aspect of yourself.
• Be genuine.
• Consider an everyday topic that you feel deeply about.
• Share your opinions, but avoid anything too risky or controversial.
• Tell a good story.
• Rewrite and revise.
• Don’t repeat what is already in your application.
(Merrill, "Tip sheet: An Admissions Dean Offers Advice on Writing a College Essay")

17. Find out more...
Applying for College
Meeting for Juniors and their parents
Monday, May 20
7pm in the CPA
Follow the counseling office on Twitter
@dexcounselors

18. Resources
Gutkind, Lee. "What is creative nonfiction?" Creative Nonfiction. 2012. Web. 17 April 2013. https://
www.creativenonfiction.org/what-is-creative-nonfiction
Hoover, Eric. "Two, three essays? More can mean less." New York Times. 12 April 2013. Web. 17 April 2013.
"How not to write a college admissions essay." Howcast. Web. 12 April 2013. http://www.howcast.com/videos/
28730-How-Not-to-Write-a-College-Admissions-Essay
Hyman, Jeremy S. and Jacobs, Lynn F., "10 tips for writing a college application essay." U.S. News and World
Reports. 15 Sep. 2010. Web. 10 April 2013. http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/
2010/09/15/10-tips-for-writing-the-college-application-essay
Merrill, Martha C. "Tip sheet: an admissions dean offers advice on writing a college essay."
The New York Times. 23 June 2009. Web. 12 April 2013. http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/tip-
sheet-essay/
Peterson, Chris. "How to write a college essay." MIT Admissions- Blogs. 30 July 2012. Web. 10 April 2013.
http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/c/miscellaneous
Wells, Jennifer “'It sounds like me': using creative nonfiction to teach college admissions essays." English
Journal 98.1(2008): 47–52.
"The Common Application." The Common Application. 2012. Web. 10 April 2013. https://
www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Default.aspx