College Application & Essay Packet
By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection,
which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and
third, by experience, which is the most bitter. (Confucius)
Respond to the following quote using the questions as a
guide. You must have 5-7 sentences of response.
I don't care how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don't harness it
and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there you're never going to accomplish
as much as your ability warrants.
~Zig Ziglar
1. Paraphrase this quote. 2. Do you agree with Ziglar’s statement? Explain why or why not. 3.
Explain how this quote could apply to you as you start your senior year. 4. What does Ziglar
mean by “specific target”? What are some examples? 5. Based on the quote, how would you
describe Mr. Ziglar (teacher, student, slacker, bum, athlete, artist etc.)? Defend your response.
Setting Effective Goals:
Category
Artistic
My Goals
Attitude
Career
Education
Family
Financial
Physical
Entertainment
Public service
You must have at least 25 goals to submit. Please number them as you list.
College Essay Assignment
Many of you will be asked to write a personal essay this year for either admission to a
college/university or for consideration for a scholarship. Typically, these assignments
force you to focus on yourself, your values and beliefs, the experiences and people
who have influenced you, and your personal and
You are trying to
professional goals. Your assignment is to begin the
“sell” yourself as
process of thinking about what you will write for your
an “asset” to the
essays for college admission and/or scholarships. You will
school!
be writing two essays for this class, which you should be
able to use for your college and/or scholarship
applications.
If you have not done so,
you are to go online to the
school(s) to which you
expect to apply. If an
essay is required, print
the topics they require for
both long and short
essays. In your final
draft, you are to use the
topic as your title and put
the name of the college in
parenthesis. (If the
college of your choice
does not have the essay
accessible to you via the
website choose one of the
prompts below or come
talk to me.)
For this assignment, write 250 words for the first essay (short essay) and 500 words
for 2nd essay (long essay). Self reflection is an important life skill, so regardless of
your future intentions, the essays can provide you an opportunity to really explore your own personal
ambitions for life. Use your list of goals to help guide your thinking.
Short Essay Topic (250 words): What you can Carry Topic
Long Essay Topic (500 words):
1. You have just completed your 300-page autobiography. Please submit page 217.
2. Think about something you never did in high school but wish you had. Discuss why you didn’t do this,
why you wish you had, and what you think/hope the difference would have been.
3. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
Other Requirements:
 Typed, double spaced*
 Times New Roman 12 Font
 1 inch margins
 MLA Format
*rough drafts may be hand written but the handwriting must be NICE and LEGIBLE in BLUE or BLACK ink.
Due Dates
Essay type
Rough draft of short essay (250 words)
Final draft of short essay (250 words)
Peer edit & rough draft of long essay (500 words)
Final draft of short essay (500 words)
Point Value
20 points
40 points
20 points
60 points
TPP: 140 points
250 Word Essay
Indirectly characterize yourself.
I.
Think of an object/idea (or several) that represents you. What is it? Describe it in
detail.
II.
Describe how this object/idea indirectly characterizes you. What does it tell others
about you?
III.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Name some personality traits associated with your object/idea
Now, turn your responses into an essay…Some ways to start---but make sure you are creative!
For ________ years I have carried ___________. I have had to carry______________. I proudly carry
_______________.
Example: (276 words)
For more than ten years I have carried “Forever” in my wallet. While literally I only carry a worn pink piece of
eight by ten paper with faded black ink that whispers the song by the Beach Boys in my mind, what I really
carry is a promise.
The room is colder than I remember. I can hear the air working overtime trying to maintain the temperature
while the heat intensifies outside. I sit in the simple, black rubber chair staring at my hands and wondering if
I made a mistake. The tiny gift box sits beside me and I feel the nervous butterflies tap-dancing in my
stomach. When he walks in, I can’t help but smile. He sits down next to me and says three words, but not the
three you might expect. He says, “I’ll remember forever.” I hand him the box and thank him, while trying to
fight back the tears and he barely has time to grasp it before we are interrupted by a flood of people and I
walk away feeling the loss acutely. The card, a thank you for the tiny box, is waiting for me in my cubbyhole
the next day, and as the pink slip of eight by ten paper flutters out I know I’ll remember forever too.
Occasionally, I will unfold this promise and slowly trace the worn creases of the paper and remember a time
of innocence, love, and excitement. I will remember who I was, who I am and who I want to become and I will
whisper a prayer for the human race to hold onto the gift of promise forever like I do.
In a few sentences, describe your impression of the person who wrote this personal statement:
Rough draft-grade based on completion
250 word essay
Points
Earned
Did you answer the question appropriately?
Did you follow the length requirement?
(250 words)
Voice
-prompt is made personal
-unique flair is added to the prompt
Grammar
Mechanics
Formatting
-1 inch margins-Times New Roman-Double Spaced
5
5
Total
Final Draft Grade based on Content
250 word essay
Did you answer the question appropriately?
Points
Possible
5
5
20
Points
Earned
Points
Possible
10
Organization
Personal
connection
Clear
answer to
the prompt
Clear
connections
Did you follow the length requirement?
(250 words)
Voice
-prompt is made personal
-unique flair is added to the prompt
Grammar
Mechanics
Formatting
-1 inch margins
-Times New Roman
-Double Spaced
MLA
Total
5
10
5
10
40
Rough draft-grade based on completion
500 word essay
Points
Earned
Submitted a peer edit that was completed by the essay writer?
Did you follow the length requirement?
(500 words)
Is it written nicely, following all requirements?
5
20
Total
Final Draft Grade based on Content
500 word essay
Points
Earned
Did you answer the question appropriately?
Points
Possible
10
5
Points
Possible
25
Organization
Personal
connection
Clear
answer to
the prompt
Clear
connections
Did you follow the length requirement?
(500 words)
Voice
-prompt is made personal
-unique flair is added to the prompt
Grammar
Mechanics
10
Formatting
-1 inch margins
-Times New Roman
-Double Spaced
MLA
10
10
5
Total
60
College Application Essay Grammar & Usage Check (self edit)
Usage
1. Scratch out any of the following words and re-word the sentence.
a lot
very
really
nice
there is
it is
it was
there was
things
stuff
plus
even
2. Scratch out any words that seem like slang (something you would hear on the street, in the halls, or on MTV<
BET< CMT< VH1 Or The Simpsons)
Ex. Hang-out bling-bling
benjamins
cool
dude
3. Scratch out any clichés that are in the paper. Clichés are phrases that are overused
Ex. Last but not least
sad but true
4. Scratch out any generalizations (stereotypes) or vague statements.
Ex: My dad is like any other dad.
I had the normal childhood.
5. Scratch out any words you know are too pretentious (smarty-pants sounding) for the essay
Ex: epiphany
6. Scratch out any words you don’t know
Sentence structure
7. Search for the subject and the verb in each sentence (yes, this will take a while.) Scratch any sentence that does
not have a subject AND verb—these are called fragments.
8. Find all the overly long sentences and break them into two sentences or more. If you have to take a deep breath
or a bathroom break in the middle of the sentence, its too long. It’s probably a run on.
9. Connect sentence that are written on a first grade level.
Ex: I am Suzy. I like school. = I am Suzy, and I like school.
(Leave a few of these if they are for effect like).
Odds and ends
10. Make sure any number under 100 is written as a word. (ex. Ninety-nine)
11. Change “no matter what” to “Regardless”
12. Take out any counting in the essay. (ex. First second, third)
13. Remove these words from the conclusion: “Lastly or Finally”
College Application Essay Peer Edit
You must read someone’s 500 word essay and answer these questions
First Impression:
1. Did you enjoy reading the essay? Explain why or why not.
2. Did the concluding statements leave you with a positive feeling about the applicant? Explain.
3. Write three suggestions to the applicant about how to make the essay more interesting/vibrant.
Content
4. What specific aspect of his/her life does the applicant write about? Is it focused?
5. What can the applicant offer the school?
6. Were there any parts of the essay that didn’t stay focused on the main topic? Explain.
7. Ask three questions of the applicant.
Style
8. Is that paper grammatically correct? Use the self-edit sheet (above) to be sure. Make all grammar notes directly
on the essay.
9. Does the applicant use words well? Circle words that you thought were good choices.
10. What is the applicant’s personality in this essay?
Final Decision
11. Would you admit this applicant to your school based solely on this essay? Explain why or why not.
Letters of Recommendation
When you ask for letters of recommendation, consider the following:
1. Ask someone who knows you well and who can communicate that knowledge. Recommendations ask, “How long and
in what capacity have you known this individual.” Knowing you for only a week or two as a student in this class this year
will not lead the admissions people to trust the stated opinions. Choose someone who has taught or coached or
employed you for at least several months.
2. Ask well ahead of time and ask whether the teacher feels (s)he can be positive. If (s)he hesitates, ask someone else!
3. Proved a stamped envelope along with the correct forms filled out fully for your part of the information.
4. Provide a resume of your accomplishments along with your interests, goals, and other pertinent information so that the
teacher can add background to the letter.
5. Waive your rights. Teachers will write more.
6. Make sure you ask politely if the letter has been completed about a week before the deadline. “Mr. X, I want to thank
you for writing my letter to ______. I’m just checking today to see if my file is complete. Have you had a chance to get to
the letter? “
7. Give appropriate thanks. Your writers usually spend hours composing these letters on your behalf, and a word of thanks
(a real note) or other small, tangible gift is a simple courtesy.