The College Entrance or
Scholarship Application Essay
The purpose of the essay….
• To show your preferences--What do you want to learn?
What do you like to do, will these likes/dislikes help
you fit into and succeed in the college environment?
• To show your values—What matters to you? How do
you see yourself? What do you envision for your
future? How do your values fit you for this college?
• Your Thought Processes---How do you think? Are you
impulsive, whimsical, thoughtful, methodical,
informed? The essay reveals your thinking style, your
level of intelligence, the depth of your insights.
• Your writing skills—Do you have the compositional and
mechanical skills necessary to do college level work?
Three kinds of questions
• Those prompts that force you to reveal who
you are, giving you a chance to reveal your
personality, insight and commitment:
– “Please complete a one page personal statement
and submit it with your application.” James Madison U
– “How would you describe yourself as a human
being? What quality do you like best in yourself,
and what do you like least? What quality would
you most like to see flourish and which would you
like to see wither?” Bates College
• Those prompts that force you to answer “Why
Us?” You are asked to explain your choice of
school or career, revealing information about
your goals and about how serious your
commitment is to this particular school.
– “ Why is UVM a good college choice for you?
--University of Vermont
– “Please tell us about your career goals and any
plans you may have for graduate study.” –Westfield
State College
• Those prompts that ask you to show creativity in
your answer, to evaluate your path through your
choice of some tangential answer, through your
choice and explanation of a national issue, a
famous personality, an item to put into a time
capsule, a photograph or artifact. The answer
reveals your creativity and the breadth of your
knowledge and education.
– “Do you believe there’s a generation gap? Describe
the differences between your generation and others.”
--Denison University
– “Indicate a person who has had a significant
influence on you, and describe that influence.”
—Common application question
Prewriting
• Analyze to be sure EXACTLY what the question is asking, then
write a relevant thesis idea.
• List relevant main ideas: brainstorm your experiences, qualities,
etc that connect to the question, then select ideas which you
can illustrate with vivid person experiences that will suit the
prompt.
• Create a self outline: From your self outline, what examples,
incidents, details from your life could you use to support the
experiences, qualities, etc that answer the prompt?
• Remember that the universities are seeking applicants who fit
the mission of their school or prove themselves worthy of their
award. So you need to tailor your essay with their perspective in
mind to convince them you are right for admission/scholarship
• Choose material to write about that will allow you to keep the
university reader’s interest from the first word to the last.
Prewriting—hints to remember
• Don’t write on something general that could pass for what other
applicants have experienced. Don’t write what you think the
readers want to read (“your university is so prestigious, I knew I
wanted to go there, etc) The essay should reveal you as unique and
allow the reader to get to know YOU.
• Be resourceful. If you have trouble thinking what to write about
yourself, ask people who know you well what they would say about
you. Revisit a letter of recommendation someone has written.
• Don’t just repeat information already on your application form or
resume. Your essay MUST include specific incidents and examples
• Avoid gimmicks: don’t write in iambic pentameter or make your
writing funny or sarcastic. Such writing rarely succeeds.
• Be careful in expressing views, beliefs, opinions that will offend the
readers. If you write on how everyone should worship, how wrong
or right abortion is, or how you think the Republican or Democratic
Party is evil, you will not be admitted on the basis of your essay.
Choose from the following:
• “5 Paragraph theme”--2-3 points from your
brainstorming, a paragraph each, with plenty
of detailed evidence
• “less is more”—a single interesting point
about yourself (brief essay, ½ page at most)
• Narrative essay—a short and vivid story that
engages the reader, then explains well what
the incident reveals about you
Take into account….
• What will the official remember about your essay after
a day of reading hundreds of essays?
– If you are writing about a particular challenge you faced or
a trauma you experienced, stress the positive—what you
learned/gained from the experience, NOT how you
suffered or were victimized. You want admission or a
scholarship, not pity.
– Whatever you write about, keep the focus on your positive
qualities, not the effect of the experience on your mother,
your friend, etc.
– Don’t mention weaknesses unless you absolutely must
explain them away. Showcase your strengths. Even if you
must explain why you have a good GPA and bad test scores
or vice versa, focus on your strengths as you give a quick
explanation for the apparent contradictions.
• What will the official remember about you? What will
your lasting impression be, based on this one essay?
Drafting
• Your very brief introduction will give your
reader an idea of your essay’s content and
hook your reader, but it must be absolutely
concise: one vivid sentence will do. Spend
time and effort perfecting this first impression.
• The body must present the evidence that
supports your main idea: narrative, details,
SHOW, not tell.
• The conclusion must be brief, as well; a few
sentences should nail down the meaning of
the events and incidents you describe.
As you write-• Check your voice. Your writing should across as natural and
relaxed, but NOT sarcastic, too casual, too formal.
• Don’t try to impress with big words and over-long sentences
that might come across as pretentious and artificial.
• Pay attention to requirements. (Some essays must be in a
particular font. Some must be handwritten. Some must be
submitted directly on the form. Many must fit a certain
length requirement.) Not following directions will eliminate
you from consideration.
• Appearance is important: Spell correctly and make sure
grammar and punctuation are impeccable. You are on trial
here. (Write in Word, using the tools, then copy and paste.)
• Save your essay. There is nothing wrong with using the same
ideas, even the same essay, for several application. Just
make sure the essay fits the question.
Later…..post writing
• Proofread and Revise
• Set the essay aside, then read it a week or two
later and then Proofread and Revise again.
• Have your parents or friends read your draft
to check that it is readable, interesting,
communicates what you intended, and
answers the prompt questions well.
Topics to brainstorm
• What are your major accomplishments in
school? In your job/hobby/sport/other
competition? In your personal life?
• Why do you consider them accomplishments?
• What have you done outside of classrooms
that demonstrates qualities that will help you
to success in the university? Explain.
• What do you consider the most important
extracurricular or community activities you
participate (or have participated) in?
• What made you join these activities? What
made you continue to participate in them?
• What did you learn? How have you changed
because of your participation?
• What attribute, quality, or skill distinguishes
you from everyone else?
• If you had to describe yourself in one word,
what would that word be?
• How did you develop this attribute/skill/
identity?
• List 1-2 experiences that helped you develop
this attribute/skill/ identity.
• List 1-2 experiences which show this attribute/
skill/identity.
• What was the most difficult time in your life?
• Why? What made this time/experience so
difficult?
• How did your perspective on life change as a
result of your difficulty?
• Have you ever struggled mightily for
something and succeeded? What made you
successful?
• Have you ever struggled mightily for
something and failed? How did you respond?
• Pinpoint your favorites: books, movies/plays,
works of art.
• Have any of these influenced your life in any
meaningful way? Explain.
• Why are these your favorites? What qualities
in them do you value?
• Evaluate one person who has influenced your
life: what influence did that person exert on
you? Why?
• Of everything in the world, what would you
most like to be doing right now? Why?
• Where would you most like to be? Why?
• Who, of everyone living or dead, would you
most like to be with? Why?
• In light of all of the above, what do you love
most/value most in the world? Why?
• One common prompt: In 500 words, tell us
who you are. What do you want us to know
about you?
• Who are you?
• What vision do you have for yourself? Picture
yourself in twenty years: what do you want to
be, to have accomplished?
• What do you need to do now to become that
person, succeed in that accomplishment?
If you didn’t bring a prompt to class,
write on ONE of the following:
• Please complete a one page personal
statement and submit it with your application.
• Please tell us about your career goals and any
plans you may have for the future. Explain
your choices.