College+Essay+Writing

[[file:From the University of Chicago.doc]]
**Websites:** //A "college essay" Google search yields 52,800,000 hits. Yikes! Here are some of the better/more useful and credible ones. (There is a lot of junk out there, so be careful. For example, one site, from Education.com – whatever that is – had samples that were downright dull!)//

A site that has a lot of neat information; unfortunately, there is very little on the essay but it's a neat site. One page I found particularly funny was: Anomalous Anonymies. Hysterical bloopers. Maybe could be used as a 10 minute activity.
 * Guide to Grammar and Writing** []

There are some great replies to the article, so students can really get a big picture idea of the validity of the article.
 * College Confidential** has a page on how to craft the perfect essay. []


 * Teen Inc**. has an impressive collection of essays. They have the most discussed, the top, etc. They are great models for kids. []


 * The College Board** also has a page devoted to the college essay: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills/9408.html

For practice, the **University** **of Chicago** has a great selection of odd and offbeat prompts. They really get the kids out of their comfort zones. []. Among this year's prompts: “What does Play-Doh™ have to do with Plato?”

**Sample Prompts: taken from:** http://www.collegeessayexamples.org/sample-college-essay-prompts/ **Video and audio:** //An interesting trend in college admissions is the video essay. Tufts University has its applicants submit a one-minute video essay. Although this format strays from the traditional written essay, the writing teacher can still implement elements of writing into this approach: a script! And, although it has little to do with "college" essays, one of my favorite sites is "This I Believe" - on this site students can listen to personal essays - **hearing** what is written is so important!//
 * Tell us about an experience where you were not successful and what you learned from the experience.
 * Recall a situation when you took a risk and you know you did the right thing.
 * Answer this question. How can I prepare educationally to survive in today’s global society?
 * What has been your most profound intellectual experience?
 * Select a novel, a movie, a poem, a musical masterpiece, or other work of art that has influenced your view on the world and the way you view yourself.
 * Describe an experience you had that caused you to question or change a value that you have.
 * Please provide information about yourself that you feel will completely and accurately portray you, e.g., your background, personal traits, goals, etc. Be sure to describe what influenced these factors.
 * What tasks have you undertaken or done in the last year or two that has nothing to do with academics.
 * If you could have a conversation with someone (living or deceased) that you consider important, who would that person be and what would the conversation be about?
 * If you could be any animal you wanted, what would it be and why?
 * Describe how the negative experiences in your life (death, injury, illness) have had a positive effect on your life.
 * What single adjective do you think your friends and family would use to best describe you and why?
 * If you could choose one quotation to describe yourself, what would it be and why?
 * If you were completely free of money and family obligations, where would you spend the summer before starting college?
 * If you could become someone else (real or fictional), who would it be and why?


 * Tufts University** video essay submissions. The Christian Science Monitor chose its top submissions: []


 * Boston University** has a short two minute video that gives tips on how to write the personal statement. []. The Executive Director of Admissions tells what gets noticed and why.


 * This I Believe** has thousands and thousands of essays. They are personal, they are wonderful. Many are in the form of podcasts. [|http://thisibelieve.org]

**Books:** //There is an abundance of college essay books for sale, but be careful to find the right one. In my humble opinion, among the worst: __College Essays for Dummies__ and __Write Your College Essay in Less Than a Day__. Awful.//

//Among the best:// Harvard Independent. //100 Successful College Application Essays,// Penguin, 2002. Really interesting collection of essays. Fun to read what others have submitted to colleges/universities. Great writing.

PrincetonReview. //College Essays that Made a Difference.// Neat format. Has an overview of what colleges are looking for. Before each sample essay, there is a bio page that gives the student’s SAT scores, where they applied to, name, hometown, etc.