Write 400 words (freewrite or draft) either on one of your college admission essay prompts OR for your Tragic Character Comparison Essay.
Types of Response
--Personal essay: focuses on reflection & personal growth.
--Essay of Reminiscence: presents one or more past experiences.
--Essay of Experience: presents one or more past experiences and relates them to the present and the future, focusing on what was learned.
For any of these essays, there is no set format or magic formula to follow. The one thing to avoid is 5-paragraph essay format!. Instead, the structure of your essay should arise organically from what you have to say and from how you want your reader to experience it. Your essay will have a beginning, middle, and end but what you do with each of these should be based on what you are trying to communicate and what effect you would like it to have. Keep in mind that, more than anything, your essay is an opportunity to share your unique personhood with your readers.
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A topic brainstorm sheet is available here.
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The College Board has useful section on Essay Skills for the college admissions essay. Included are a section on how to choose a topic and tips on writing the essay itself.
Samples of successful essays can be found at APStudyNotes, Johns Hopkins, quintcareers.com/ and at
college-admission-essay.com
The Common Application essay prompts are at http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/common-application-essay-prompts.htm
Bad topics for your college essay are graciously provided for you at:
http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/tp/bad-essay-topics.htm
A list, "Top Ten Common College Admissions Mistakes," is at
www.college-admission-essay.com/collegeadmissionessaymistakes.html
An extensive list of college admissions essay topics is at:
http://www.eduers.com/University/College_Admission_Essay_Topics.html
True fact: You can pay more than $1000.00 to have a professional essay editing service such as EssayEdge help you with your essay. (Or you can just ask me and get help for free).
The College Board suggests you compete the following as part of your brainstorming process:
- Discover Your Strengths: Do a little research about yourself: ask parents, friends, and teachers what your strengths are.
- Create a Self-Outline: Now, next to each trait, list five or six pieces of evidence from your life—things you've been or done—that prove your point.
- Find Patterns and Connections: Look for patterns in the material you've brainstormed. Group similar ideas and events together. For example, does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? Was basketball about sports or about friendships? When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?
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