College Entrance Essay
Pre-Writing Strategies
Tips and Reminders
Common Application prompts 2015:
• Instructions. The essay demonstrates your
ability to write clearly and concisely on a
selected topic and helps you distinguish
yourself in your own voice. What do you want
the readers of your application to know about
you apart from courses, grades, and test
scores? Choose the option that best helps you
answer that question and write an essay of no
more than 650 words, using the prompt to
inspire and structure your response.
Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your
goal. Use the full range if you need it, but
don’t feel obligated to do so.
2015-16 Common Application Essay Prompts
1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so
meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it.If
this sounds like you, then please share your story.
2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success.
Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect
you, and what did you learn from the experience?
3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted
you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can
be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything
that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to
you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your
transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or
family.
ApplyTexas Essay Prompts A, B and C
For U.S. Freshman and International Freshman Applications
(Fall 2015)
• Essay A:
• Describe a setting in which you have collaborated or interacted with
people whose experiences and/or beliefs differ from yours. Address
your initial feelings, and how those feelings were or were not
changed by this experience.
• Essay B:
• Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your life, and the
skills and resources you used to resolve it. Did it change you? If so,
how?
• Essay C:
• Considering your lifetime goals, discuss how your current and
future academic and extra-curricular activities might help you
achieve your goals.
.
Once you have selected a topic
[or two], try one of the following. . . .
The “Old Stand-by” of the sunburst or the spider
web:
– Put the topic (a shortened version) in the middle
of a page and see how many ideas burst forth or
radiate out from the middle.
– Add details to these ideas—becoming more and
more specific as you continue.
– Would this make a good essay? Does it answer the
prompt?
Failure
Listing
• Listing: Create a list of the ideas that come to
mind when you read through the topics.
– Cross-Reference this list to see which ideas or
concepts appear more than once
– Select one [or more] of these listed topics and see
how many details [who, what, when, where, why,
how] you can recall.
– Would this make a good essay? Does it answer the
prompt?
Lifetime goals in relation to current activities:
• Ultimate Goal: work as a nurse in a neonatal
care unit
– Academics:
• Anatomy & Physiology (advanced)
• Tech Program for medical training—(list courses &
experiences)
– Extra-curriculars:
– Volunteer in a hospital (details)
– Babysitter / caregiver (details)
Free Writing
• Free Writing: Literally set a timer for 3-5 minutes [or you
can do this to your favorite song] and sit down with
pen/paper or at the computer and write/type continuously
until the time expires.
–
–
–
–
Don’t over think this—just try to get your ideas on the page
Don’t stop to check your work or ponder what you should write
Don’t stop to check your text messages, either!
After the time ends, examine your work
• What should your keep?
• What should you “move” to another section or put aside for
another topic?
• What should you add / or detract to fully and concisely answer the
topic?
– Have you included all the details needed to make this piece
real and interesting?
– Is your essay lacking voice? In other words, does it sound too
generic or fake?
Remember
• *Ultimately, the 250-500 word count is designed
to make a good, concise essay. Many colleges will
ask students to upload responses, and when the
essay is too long, it will be rejected or cut short.
• **You may be asked to recall a specific event or
story, BUT the college essay insists that you have
grown, developed, changed, or continued to
process the experience. It is not JUST the
moment, the person, or the event that concerns
the reader; your growth is the focus.