One-Hour College Application Essay: Write Your College Admission Essay Today

203 Pages·2007·1.15 MB·English

by  Jan Melnik

593574758_Cvr 7/3/07 9:14 AM Page 1
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ONE HOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY
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Deadline looming? Need to write your college application essay now? C
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COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY
rescue. In about an hour, you can write a great essay and get on with
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your college search. L
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This book gives you the essentials for creating an effective essay—
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without getting bogged down in writer’s block. write your college admission essay today
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• Choose the best topic, style, and approach.
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• Draft the essay quickly using helpful worksheets. P
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• Gain inspiration from dozens of actual winning college application L
essays and suggested topics. I
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• Get the inside scoop from admissions officers at top schools about A
what they want to see—and what they don’t. T
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Get into the College of Your Choice with a
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1-800-648-JIST About the Author d
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Fax 1-800-JIST-FAX
www.jist.com Jan Melnikcoaches prospective is
college students to write outstanding sio
$8.95 Higher in Canada essays, resumes, and other application n
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materials. She has been a job search s
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coach and professional resume writer a
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for more than 15 years. She is the t
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author of How to Start a Home-Based d
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Resumes and Job Search. She recently LN
went through the entire admissions IK
process, times two, as her twin sons
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applied to colleges.
00FM.qxp 7/18/2007 4:19 PM Page i
ONE HOUR
•
COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY
write your college admission essay today
JAN MELNIK
00FM.qxp 7/18/2007 4:19 PM Page ii
ONE-HOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY
© 2008 by Jan Melnik
Published by JIST Works, an imprint of JIST Publishing, Inc.
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Printed in the United States of America
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Melnik, Jan.
One-hour college application essay : write your college admission essay
today / Jan Melnik.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-59357-475-8 (alk. paper)
1. College applications--United States. 2. Universities and
colleges--United States--Admission. I. Title.
LB2351.52.U6M45 2008
378.1'616--dc22
2007027290
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means,
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Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service
marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
ISBN 978-1-59357-475-8
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About This Book
One-Hour College Application Essay is a complete resource that provides
valuable information to high school juniors and seniors. Many stu-
dents claim that writing an application essay is one of the most stressful
activities that they faced in high school, and especially with regard to the
college admissions process.
This book attempts to dispel the anxiety associated with essay writing by
providing straightforward advice from the perspectives of college admission
deans and new college students alike (the latter of whom share their in-
depth experiences and advice about writing application essays).
For those who need to write an essay quickly, chapter 4 provides a one-
hour blueprint for getting the job done. Get your stopwatch ready; this is
exactly the game plan you’ll need!
But taking things in logical order, chapter 1 explains fully how the applica-
tion essay is used and why it is so important for most schools. There’s also
a handy timetable for the various methods of application (from Early
Decision and Early Action to rolling admissions and everything in
between).
Admissions experts weigh in on every facet of the application process, pro-
viding in-depth viewpoints about the application essay in particular in
chapter 2. You’ll find their do’s and don’ts to be especially helpful when
selecting essay topics and working through the writing process.
Chapter 3 shares additional expert admissions advice, including a selection
of handpicked essays. There is also up-to-date information on the trends
admissions deans are seeing with respect to admission and college atten-
dance.
Chapter 5 augments the one-hour essay-writing formula shared in chapter
4 with its detailed advice from college students. There are additional work-
sheets to use for essay writing as well as dozens of actual essay questions
gleaned from colleges and universities across the country.
While the emphasis in this book is on the application essay, it makes sense
to look at the whole admissions process. Chapter 6 describes all the many
components that make up a college application package. The chapter
includes in-depth information on everything from standardized testing to
letters of recommendation.
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Chapter 7 is a collection of actual unedited essays written by high school
juniors and seniors who now attend a wide spectrum of institutions
nationwide. They cover a broad range of interesting topics. These students’
insights will prove especially useful if you are still deciding about which
topics you will write.
Finally, in the appendix you’ll meet the admissions deans, directors, advi-
sors, and vice presidents who generously shared their collective experience
and advice throughout this book.
Good luck embarking on the college selection process. May you find
much help and inspiration in these pages to assist you specifically with the
essay-writing portion of your college application.
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Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the collective input,
guidance, and expertise of two important groups of people. First of
all, I am grateful to the college students who so willingly shared their own
stories, the essays they wrote, and their experiences about the entire col-
lege-search process in general—and their application efforts in particular.
Your collective experiences are inspiring and I wish each of you the very
best in the continuation of your studies and in all future endeavors.
Secondly, I am deeply indebted to the dedicated admissions deans, direc-
tors of admission, admission counselors, and vice presidents of student
enrollment/admissions who graciously answered my many questions,
offered their substantial wisdom and guidance, and provided illuminating
insights into the entire admissions process. Future undergraduates can rest
assured that the advice and counsel provided herein will be instrumental to
their success in creating authentic application packages that truly reflect
the best they have to offer.
I’m also very appreciative of the efforts of several others: I had the privilege
of working with an exceptional editor in Lori Cates Hand, who helped me
shape the development of this project with her direction and expertise. A
special thanks for accommodating my writing schedule is in order to my
German professor and now dear friend, Veronika Hofstaetter. Two of my
sons, twins Dan and Wes, were willing “guinea pigs” as I experimented
with various survey instruments probing the applications process. They
were equally agreeable about sharing their own stories, which you’ll find
interspersed throughout the book (at press time, they are college sopho-
mores). As always, my husband, Ron, was supportive throughout the
months of extensive research and writing time that I spent in creating this
work. Finally, as our youngest son, Stephen, enters his senior year in high
school, I hope he’ll glean considerable value and direction from the key
nuggets of wisdom and practical, salient advice offered by the generosity of
successful students who have gone before him and from the admissions
professionals at respected universities around the country.
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Contents
A Brief Introduction to Using This Book............................1
Chapter 1: Why You Need a Terrific Essay..........................3
A Little Background About the Admissions Process ....................3
Admissions Criteria ..................................................................4
Other Valuable Information on the College................................6
How Should I Choose Where to Apply? ......................................7
So Where Does the Essay Fit In? ................................................8
Timetable for the College Admissions Process ............................9
SAT and ACT Testing Information ..........................................10
SAT® Reasoning Test..............................................................11
ACT®Test ............................................................................11
Types of Application Decisions: When and How to Apply........12
Single-Choice Early Action......................................................14
Early Decision........................................................................14
Early Decision (II)..................................................................15
Early Action ..........................................................................15
Regular Decision ....................................................................16
Rolling Admission ..................................................................17
What’s the Reason for an Application Essay? ............................17
How an Essay Can Tip the Scales in Your Favor........................19
Key Points: Chapter 1................................................................22
Chapter 2: Advice from the Admission Pros: Selecting
a Topic, Style, and Approach..........................23
Some General Advice ................................................................24
Admissions Philosophy ............................................................24
Be Introspective and Express Yourself........................................26
Connect the Dots....................................................................27
Keep It Personal—But Not Embarrassingly So..........................27
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________________________________________________________________Contents
Tips for Selecting the Best Essay Topic for You..........................28
Write What You Know............................................................28
Be Careful with Tragic Subjects ..............................................29
Use the Essay to Clarify Your Application ................................30
Be Authentic..........................................................................30
Hints on Approaching Your Essay ............................................31
The Do’s and the Don’ts............................................................33
The Do’s ................................................................................34
The Don’ts ............................................................................37
Key Points: Chapter 2................................................................43
Chapter 3: More Advice from the Admission Pros:
Assistance, Feedback, Examples,
and Trends ......................................................45
Should You Seek Professional Help with Your Essay? ................45
Do Colleges Ever Provide Students with Feedback About
Their Essays? ............................................................................48
Strange, Curious, Provocative, Mediocre, and Winning
Essays........................................................................................49
A Life-Changing Experience....................................................49
Standout Examples—Some Good and Some Bad......................49
Other Trends and Insights from the Admission Experts ............58
Key Points: Chapter 3................................................................61
Chapter 4: Quick Steps for Crafting an Essay in
an Hour............................................................63
Questions to Get You Started (or at Least Thinking
Creatively) ................................................................................64
The Creative Writing Process ....................................................66
Framing the Essay ..................................................................66
Refining the Essay’s Appearance................................................68
Editing and Revising ..............................................................68
One-Hour College Application Essay Writing Exercise..............70
STEP 1: Select a Topic (5 Minutes) ........................................71
STEP 2: Brainstorm Initial Responses (5 Minutes) ..................75
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ONE•HOUR COLLEGE APPLICATIONESSAY ________________________________
STEP 3: Complete Your Outline (10 Minutes)........................75
STEP 4: Focus on the Introduction (10 Minutes) ....................76
STEP 5: Write the Body (10 Minutes) ....................................77
STEP 6: Wrap Up with a Conclusion (10 Minutes) ................77
STEP 7: Read for Flow and Consistency and Write the Title
(5 Minutes)............................................................................78
STEP 8: Spell-Check by Computer and Visually Proofread
(5 Minutes)............................................................................78
Key Points: Chapter 4................................................................79
Chapter 5: Actual Essay Questions for Practice—Plus
Student Advice................................................81
The Common Application: First-Year Application for
Undergraduate College Admissions ..........................................81
Deciding on an Essay Topic ......................................................83
Essay Questions from Actual Applications ................................83
Specialty Applications..............................................................99
Advice from Your (Former) Peers ............................................101
The Hardest Part About Writing My Essay ............................101
Additional Recommendations for Writing a Great
Application Essay..................................................................103
Key Points: Chapter 5..............................................................108
Chapter 6: Other Pieces of the College Application
Package..........................................................109
The Essentials..........................................................................109
High School Transcript..........................................................109
Academic Progress Report......................................................111
Standardized Test Scores (SAT and/or ACT)..........................111
Strength of Academic Curriculum..........................................112
Rank in Senior Class ............................................................112
GPA....................................................................................112
The Application Essay ..........................................................113
Letters of Recommendation....................................................113
Student Interview ................................................................118
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________________________________________________________________Contents
Extra Credit ............................................................................118
Parent-Peer Evaluations........................................................118
Work Samples and Portfolio..................................................119
Student Resume....................................................................119
Personal Statement ..............................................................121
Extracurricular Activities......................................................121
Volunteerism/Community Service ..........................................121
Personalized Cover Letter......................................................122
Geographic Region Represented/Ethnic Backgrounds/First
in Family to Go to College....................................................122
Extraordinary Skill or Ability (Musical, Artistic, Athletic) ......123
Additional Factors ..................................................................123
Relative Rankings ................................................................123
Personal Qualities ................................................................124
Key Points: Chapter 6..............................................................124
Chapter 7: Actual Winning Essays to Inspire You ........125
Essay Theme #1: Why This School?........................................126
Why Duke?..........................................................................126
Why Tufts? ..........................................................................127
Finding a School That’s an Ideal Match ................................128
Essay Theme #2: Influential Person ........................................129
Two Modern-Day Heroes—to Me..........................................129
An Influential Uncle—a Valuable Lesson for Life ..................132
An Influential Coach—On the Football Field (and Off)........133
A Grandfather’s Influence by Example ..................................135
Essay Theme #3: Becoming a Teacher ....................................137
Babysitter…to Mentor…to Teacher ......................................137
Planting the Seed to Become a Teacher ..................................138
Essay Theme #4: Athletics as a Backdrop................................140
For Her, Running Is a Passion and a Lifestyle ........................140
Perseverance and Determination............................................141
Going the Distance: On the Course…and in School ..............142
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