Adjectives & Experiences

Adjectives & ExperiencesThursday, Sep. 5, 2013

Write five adjectives that best describe who you are. Then, identify three personal experiences

which exemplify each quality.Courageo

us When I gave a presentation in front of the whole school. When I decided to take the a more difficult honors class When I stood up against my friends when they made fun of someone.

Do-Now

Agenda1. The Common Application (or the Common

App) 2. Analyzing College Essay SamplesHomework: College Essay: Draft 1 (due Monday, Sep. 9)

The Common ApplicationThe Common Application (or the Common App)

is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to any of 500+ member colleges and universities in

the United States and various other countries.

Colleges that require the Common App include:

– Boston College– Boston University– Harvard– Tufts – Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

The Common Application Essay

A significant portion of the Common App is the college essay, which has updated for the 2013-2014 application.

“The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so. (The application won't accept a response shorter than 250 words.)"

Common Application Essay Prompts1. 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? [shows confidence & introspection]

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? [shows analytical ability; connects your environment to your identity]

5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Common App Essay Tips• Memorable Moment: narrow your focus by identifying a

memorable moment, write about a single frame within the reel of your life

• Bold Beginnings: catching the reader’s attention via descriptive lang., action, dialogue, or an intriguing statement

• Explode a Moment: “explode” a part of your experience by describing the associated senses (sights, smells, etc.)

• Show, Don’t Tell: distinguish between telling how you feel and showing through the use of action words.

• Extended Metaphor: try to include a metaphor/symbol that that continues throughout your essay

Bold BeginningsCollage admissions staff, while evaluating students on their total merit, take notice of the first lines that make essay-reading a particular pleasure. Here are some of their favorite openers:

• I have old hands.• When I was in eighth grade I couldn't read.• I change my name each time I place an order at Starbucks.• On a hot Hollywood evening, I sat on a bike, sweltering in a

winter coat and furry boots.• I was paralyzed from the waist down. I would try to move

my leg or even shift an ankle but I never got a response. This was the first time thoughts of death ever crossed my mind.

• The spaghetti burbled and slushed around the pan, and as I stirred it, the noises it gave off began to sound increasingly like bodily functions.

A college essay is simply ONE of MANY factors which contribute to an applicant’s acceptance or rejection

(i.e. SAT scores, GPA, extracurricular activities)

College Essay SamplesThe following essays were taken from MyEssay.com, an online college essay assistance service, as well as from previous Boston Public School seniors.

Read and evaluate each essay. Identify whether you believe the essay was strong enough to grant the student admission into the identified college.

What worked? What didn’t? Which essays helped the students get accepted to

these schools? Which ones didn’t?

College Essay Rubric

2 + 3 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1

15 x 5 = 75%

HomeworkRead THREE of the remaining five

college essay samples and complete the back of the rubric provided.

Also, select one of the Common Application essay prompts,

and compose a formal response (remember, no more than 650 words)

DUEMonday, September 9