Kelley Ross
AP English: Lit. & Comp.
College Essay #1
AP Literature and Composition
September 1, 2010
Due: Wednesday, September 15
1. While these topics appear easy, they are deceiving. Students often fail to spend
adequate time planning and organizing an essay that distinguishes them from the
thousands of similar essays. Another common problem is that students write
narrative accounts of what has already been addressed in the application process.
Admission counselors are not looking for one paragraph on school classes, one on
extracurricular activities, and a final one on your future plans. Pay close attention to
the topic—all parts of it.
2. In an essay of this length (approximately 500 words or less), I think your introductory
and concluding paragraphs should be brief and to the point. Your supporting
paragraphs should be clear, concise, and filled with specific detail.
3. You must turn in one copy of your essay. It should be double-spaced with your
name and date at the top. This essay will be approximately 1½ to 2 pages in length
because of the 500 word limit. Use standard 1” margins and no more than a 12-pt
font.
4. I would recommend that you use space and a half between lines. I think that single
spacing will be too crowded and that double spacing will not permit enough space to
develop this topic adequately. If you need the extra space, then I would advise that
you single space the paragraphs and double space between the paragraphs. That
should look neat enough.
5. Don’t procrastinate—you must spend time planning how you will approach this
writing and what you will include. Then another chunk of time will be required for the
revising and editing of this essay.
5. Please include a header with your name, class, and date. Refer to mine above. Click
'View', 'Header and Footer', and then type your information. Click 'close'.
6. The key to writing a good essay for this assignment is to choose one specific
experience, relationship, challenge, or obstacle. You must answer the rest of the
prompt with specific details that will demonstrate both your ability to write and your
maturity. Remember that this is not a narrative of your life up to this point. Develop
your essay with specific examples and specific details that will make this memorable
experience, relationship, challenge, or obstacle come to life. It is important that your
writing reflect you – don’t be too generic – after writing your essay, read it and
decide if it could have been written by any in-coming freshman. The reflection
should be a valid description of you – not Roget’s Thesaurus nor someone else’s.
Write clearly and succinctly and concisely.
Kelley Ross
AP Literature and Composition
September 1, 2010
Here are some good editing tips taken from The College Application Essay published by The College Board:
1.
Remember that good writing has a natural, easy-to-read quality. Keep the language and structure simple, direct,
and clear. Don’t try to hide shoddy thinking behind elaborate language. Use the fewest and simplest words
possible.
2.
Strike a balance between a personal and a formal tone. In a choice between a long, fancy word and a short,
simple one, choose the simple word. Avoid the thesaurus, be yourself, and don’t substitute a stuffy style for
substance.
3.
Remember that your audience is the admissions committee, not the English faculty’s poet-in-residence or
chairman of the chemistry department. Be intelligent and knowledgeable, but above all, be yourself.
4.
Avoid clichés and sentences that sound good but don’t mean anything. Make every sentence count.
5.
Avoid worn-out literary sources. Forget “to thine own self be true.” Over-used quotations, old saws, and
familiar maxims will sap the freshness of your performance.
6.
Use active verbs and vigorous expressions. Instead of “Due to my parents’ coaxing, I decided to try once more”
say “My parents coaxed me to try again.” Instead of “My interest in sports was encouraged by my father” say
“My father encouraged my football career.”
7.
Avoid empty words and phrases like “really,” “special,” “unique,” “interesting,” “each and every,” and
“meaningful.”
8.
Avoid vague and predictable conclusions: “I learned a lot,” “I interacted with others different from myself,” “I
benefited from the love and support of my family,” “I learned to work with others.”
9.
Proofread, proofread, proofread. The essay that began, “If there is one word that can describe me, that word is
‘profectionist,’” did not make a favorable impression on the admissions committee. An admissions reader may
not disqualify you for grammatical errors, but why take the chance? Essays are read as an indication of writing
skill.
Another list of tips taken from Peterson's Essay Edge:
1. Do answer the question.
Many students try to turn a 500-word essay into a complete autobiography. Not surprisingly, they fail to answer
the question. Make sure that every sentence in your essay exists solely to answer the question.
2. Don't bore the reader.
Do be interesting. Admission officers have to read hundreds of essays, and they must often skim. They're not
looking for a new way to view the world; they're looking for a new way to view you, the applicant.
3. Use detailed and concrete experiences.
Specific, clear details provide strong support to your arguments. Too often, an essay with an interesting story
will fizzle into a series of statements that tell rather than show the qualities of the writer.
4. Do be concise.
Wordiness not only takes up valuable space, but it also can confuse the important ideas you're trying to convey.
Short sentences are more forceful because they are direct.
5. Don't "thesaurus-ize" your essay.
Kelley Ross
AP Literature and Composition
September 1, 2010
Refer to number 2 in the previous list.
6. Don't use slang.
Write an essay, not an email or text message. Slang terms, clichés, and contractions are unacceptable.
7. Do vary your sentences and use transitions.
The best essays contain a variety of sentence lengths mixed within any given paragraph. Also, remember that
transition is not limited to words like nevertheless, furthermore, or consequently.
8. Do use active-voice verbs.
Refer to number 6 in the previous list.
9. Conclude effectively.
Avoid summary. The conclusion is the last chance to persuade admission officers or impress upon them your
qualifications.
10. Revise, Revise, Revise.