Senior Seminar
College Essay Letter Self-Review
1. Bracket the introduction and label it “Intro.”
2. At the end of the introduction should be the purpose statement—the central idea. It
must be an explicitly stated purpose statement. For example, Casey Ditty’s reads
“Therefore, I am going to try to answer this question thoroughly so I may be
accepted into Anderson University.”
 If the central idea is not explicitly stated, write one with an insertion arrow
where it goes.
 If the central idea statement is weak, revise it.
 If the central idea statement is strong, write “Strong central idea” in the
margin.
3. Now read the entire introduction. Does the introduction function as a funnel,
beginning broadly IN A UNIQUE WAY and then narrowing COHESIVELY to the
central idea? Check each sentence in the introduction to make sure that each one
leads smoothly to the next sentence. Revise for every sentence’s cohesion.
4. Now check the first sentence of the first body paragraph. Is it actually a topic
sentence? If not, write an appropriate topic sentence in the margin with an arrow
pointing to its intended location.
5. The first body paragraph should be in support of the first topic sentence. First of all,
read that paragraph for logical cohesion. Does everything in that paragraph support
the one topic sentence? If cohesion is a problem, revise.
6. Now read that same paragraph for depth. Remember Alice Walker’s depth from her
essay “Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is Self.” This is the type of depth for which
we aim. Place a star anywhere you need to deepen the analytical aspect of this
point. Then, on another sheet of paper, revise for depth, being sure to indicate which
paragraph is the insertion point for this analysis.
7. Complete #s 4 through 6 for each body paragraph. Make sure transitions exist
between each point.
8. Now read the conclusion. Does the writer work to effectively pull all of his or her
ideas into one INSIGHTFUL conclusion? If the conclusion is shallow or abrupt, revise
on another sheet of paper.
9. Does the conclusion include a call to action? In other words, do you explicitly state
what you want done as a result of the essay?
10. Highlight every pronoun “I” that begins a sentence. REVISE EVERY SENTENCE THAT
BEGINS WITH “I.” Aim for varied sentence beginnings with introductory elements
such as those we worked on earlier this week.
11. Now check the structure of the letter. Mark any change that needs to be made for
formal block style accuracy.