Writing the College Essay

For more tips visit http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_perstate.html

by Susan D. Van Raalte

Writing college admissions applications can be sheer agony for the approximately two million high school seniors applying to college every year. In extreme cases, students have been known to hide unopened applications under their mattresses or eat their way through a gallon of ice cream a day! In lesser cases, students procrastinate, lose sleep, and cause their parents to be very concerned. Here are some explanations for this unproductive behavior:

Often students worry about finding something important to say. At the age of sixteen or seventeen, they look at themselves and ask: "What do I do? I go to school, play a little soccer. So What?" Nothing that they have achieved or experienced seems remarkable enough to impress a college admissions committee.

Once students have figured out what to say, they must struggle with how to say it. It is difficult enough to write routine expository essays describing three characteristics of someone like Huckleberry Finn. Now, as the students apply to college, they must write lucidly and persuasively about themselves.

To make matters worse, the demands of a college application are unlike any task students have ever done before. The volume of paper generated and the number of steps involved can be overwhelming. Students need to develop techniques to stay on top of the paperwork, learn the mechanics of responding to short-answer questions, and understand what a school is really looking for when it poses a question.

High school guidance counselors and teachers are well aware of these problems. They know students need help with their college applications, and they care a great deal about getting their seniors into college. Unfortunately, large workloads and limited time make it increasingly difficult for even the most devoted professionals to personally supervise the details of the college application. To help guidance counselors and teachers help students, here are some essential pointers.

GET ORGANIZED

Most students are surprised and even overwhelmed by the amount of paper they generate as they work through their college applications. A filling system can help provide order and ensure that nothing is missing when it comes time to send in the application.
The filling system can be elaborate, or simple. For example, some students may use fancy file boxes with hanging folders; others may choose manila envelopes. The important point to keep in mind is that the filing system must reflect the needs of the individual student.

At the beginning, one folder per college should be enough. But as students begin to work on their applications, they may find that the file will begin to grow with notes, rough drafts, and correspondence. To save the time of rummaging through one fat folder, it is a good idea to subdivide the master file by making a folder for each of several categories, such as general information, application materials, brochures, and correspondence.

TAKE A PERSONAL INVENTORY

In order to write a revealing essay, students need to take stock of who they are and what experiences have gone into making them that way. While most students feel they must write about some tangible accomplishment, such as having a climbed Mt. Olympus or having won the award for competency in French, students should be reminded that the experiences of everday living can make the most interesting topics.

Students frequently overlook the family as a source of rich and interesting essay topics.For example, a student could write about being an only child or one of many, having a mother who has recently gone back to work, moving from town to town, or participating in a family activity or tradition such as an annual trip or an ethnic holiday celebration.

As students examine their family life, academic interests, extracurricular activities, and employment experiences, they should look for ways in which they have changed and developed. One helpful technique is for students to think in terms of a time line.As they review a particular experience, they should try to identify what they did and how they felt at "one time" and then again at "time two" and even "time three." In this way, students can keep track of how they have changed over time and can write about their experiences in a more concrete way.

ANALYZE THE QUESTION

It is unfortunate but true that capable students often reduce their own chances for admission to college because they misread or misinterpret essay questions. While some students make mistakes because they do not read carefully, others create problems for themselves when they assume that questions from different applications on similar topics can be answered in exactly the same way.

The analyses of three general college essay questions, given in the chart, can help students understand what they are really being asked and differentiate among similar sounding essay questions.

KEEP THE READER IN MIND

When students write their college applications, and more specifically the personal essays, their first reader want them enough to admit them. To increase the students' chance of getting this response, they will need to find out what makes their reader "tick" and identify the assumptions and experiences the students and reader share.

This concept, called audience analysis, should influence all phases of the students' writing, including topic selection, idea development, word choice, and style. When a student is gathering his or her thoughts, the question is not just "what ideas can I find that are relevant to my topic?" but "What do I know about my reader's experiences and ways of seeing things that I can use to get the reader to relate to my topic?" Similarly, when a student begins to organize his or her thoughts, the question he or she should ask is not just "What order makes the most sense?" but "What order will make the most sense to my reader?"

To apply this concept of audience analysis to their application essays, students will want to understand how admissions officers think and feel in their professional capacity. Admissions officers are looking for students who can handle the academic workload and make a positive contribution to college life. They are particularly impressed with students who have taken the time to learn about their school and can demonstrate that the students will be both happy and productive there. In addition, admissions personal will react favorably to an application that can demonstrate:

* a serious intent to pursue a college level education
* a genuine desire to attend a particular college
* an ability to think clearly, logically, and abstractly
* an ability to write engaging, thoughtful essays that keep the reader's attention and differentiate the student from other applicants