Final
Exam - College Essay Portfolio
Name
____________
Due: A Block= June 9th (7:30-10:30)
C Block= June 11th (7:30-10:30)
Directions:
This
portfolio will count as your final exam grade. You will be given some class time to work on your
writing and editing, but successful completion of the work will require
significant outside work and time management. 10 points per day will be
deducted from any portfolio that is submitted after__________.
Components of the College Essay Portfolio
Completed (X)
3 draft
essays (choices indicated below)
______
Selection
of final essay to fully develop
______
Peer
editing ______
Revised
essay ______
Reflection ______
Reading
your completed final essay to class ______
College
Essay Portfolio Grading
|
Thoroughly
Complete/Skilled
|
Relatively
Complete/ Capable
|
Inconsistent/Developing
|
Incomplete/Inaccurate
|
3 draft
essays (min. 300 words)
|
20pts.
3 fully
completed essays: Engaging, insightful, well- developed writing with a sense
of audience/purpose.
|
15pts.
3
partially completed essays: well- developed writing with a sense of
audience/purpose.
|
10pts.
3
partially completed essays: Under-developed writing with little sense of
audience/purpose.
|
5pts.
Incomplete
essays: writing with little to no sense of audience/purpose.
|
Reading
of final essay during final exam block for your World Lit. class
|
10pts.
Engaging,
insightful, well- presented, with a sense of audience/purpose.
|
7pts.
Developed
writing presented with limited sense of audience/purpose.
|
4pts.
Inconsistent
writing presented with limited sense of audience/purpose.
|
1pt.
Incomplete
writing with little to no sense of audience/purpose.
|
Completed
peer editing form stapled to (edited) draft
|
10pts.
Attentive
& specific with evidence of an academic discussion & the ultimate
audience/ purpose.
|
7pts.
Some
evidence of an academic discussion & the ultimate audience/ purpose.
|
4pts.
Little
evidence of an academic discussion & the ultimate audience/ purpose.
|
1pt.
No
evidence of an academic discussion & the ultimate audience/ purpose.
|
Revised
draft of college essay
(after
peer editing)
|
25 pts.
Engaging,
insightful, well- developed writing with a sense of purpose & audience.
Strong evidence of input & adjustments from peer editing.
|
20pts.
Well-
developed writing with a sense of purpose & audience. Evidence of input
& adjustments from peer editing.
|
15pts.
Inconsistent
writing with a sense of purpose & audience. Little evidence of input
& adjustments from peer editing.
|
10pts.
Incomplete
essay. Little to no evidence of input & adjustments from peer editing.
|
Self-Reflection
(Writing
process & draft)
|
10pts.
Insightful
& specific comments about the writing process & final draft. Honesty
about strengths and weaknesses.
|
7pts.
General
comments about the writing process & final draft. Overview of strengths
and weaknesses.
|
4pts.
Brief/surface
comments about the writing process & final draft. Little understanding of
strengths and weaknesses.
|
1pt.
Incomplete
comments about the writing process & final draft. Little to no
understanding of strengths and weaknesses.
|
Completed
Common Application
|
25pts.
Application
is fully and accurately completed to the extent that is possible at the
completion of your junior year.
|
20pts.
Application
is partially and accurately completed to the extent that is possible at the
completion of your junior year.
|
15pts.
Application
is partially and inaccurately completed to the extent that is possible at the
completion of your junior year.
|
10pts.
Application
is incomplete and inaccurate.
|
* Please
note that all documents have been printed out for you. Your common application
will be handwritten to avoid confusion from having entered 2 applications into
1 account. (The application that you will be sending out is only available in
draft form at this time.)
2014-15
Common Application Essay Prompts:
The Common
Application will retain the current set of first-year essay prompts for
2014-15, without any edits or additions. The essay length will continue to
be capped at 650 words. The feedback received from member colleges and
school counselors has been positive. The essay prompts will be
reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that they continue to serve students and
member colleges well.
The essay
prompts are as follows:
1.
Some
students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that
they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds
like you, then please share your story.
2.
Recount
an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you,
and what lessons did you learn?
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 place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or
experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
5.
Discuss
an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition
from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
________________________________________________________________________________
What colleges look for in an essay:
A. Sophisticated,
grammatically correct writing
B. Clear,
coherent communication
C. Passion;
spirit; commitment
D. Substantive
content
E. An
answer to the question!
Landmines - Things to Avoid!
A. The
"I" essay
B. Lots of
contractions: it's; we’re; they’re; I’ll; I’ve;
we’ll
C. Trite or pompous
phrases or words: myriad, plethora, broaden your
horizons,
etc.
D. Using $50 words
that are not appropriate just to try to impress
Topics/Styles That Can Be Risky
1. Profanity
2. Drugs
3. Describing
inappropriate behavior
4. Boyfriend/girlfriend
5. Shock value
6. Sympathy
7. Travel/community
service ("Oh, those poor people . . .") - not a warning to avoid
writing about these trips, just be careful about tone.
8. Humor (if you're
not naturally funny, don't try to start now! Some humor= good but too much=
bad)
9. Writing about
depression or other sensitive mental health issues
10. Writing about religion
11. Poetry
Recipe for the College Essay
A. Think, plan,
outline before you actually start writing.
B. Write about
something you care about, know about (demonstrate passion and intellectual
curiosity).
C. Be focused and provide
detail rather than choosing too broad a topic and not getting specific enough
(trying to solve the problems of the world in 500 words).
D. Proofread your essays
carefully. Don’t rely solely on spellcheck and grammar check programs.
E. Keep in mind your
audience - 23 - 65 years olds with diverse backgrounds
F. Read your essay out
loud.
TEN TIPS FOR WRITING
COLLEGE ESSAYS
1. Keep it short
and to the point, usually no more than 500 words. Most essays are about one
page in 10-12 point type. Admissions officers have much reading to do. They are
not fond of multiple page essays.
2. Be sure you
absolutely answer the question when responding to a specific query.
3. In most
instances avoid politics, religion and tired topics. (See list of “tired”
topics.) You don’t want to write an essay that one of a thousand other
applicants could write because they probably will. If you think the Admissions
Committee might receive many other essays like yours, then choose another
topic. You want to be memorable and unique, not one of so many. Examples of
this mistake include four essays on the junior hiking trip, six on Anytown,
three on Outward Bound, three on planning the prom, etc.
4. Write from your
heart. Tell the truth. Don’t try to present yourself as something you are not.
5. Don’t be afraid
to tell about your passions. Readers want to know what you genuinely care
about, what is meaningful and important to you.
6. Write in
“natural, ordinary, everyday” prose. Avoid those $50 SAT words you rarely use,
those that are not in your usual vocabulary. Avoid long, convoluted sentences
and lots of semicolons. Avoid slang. Don’t try to be clever and end up being
cute or silly. Get rid of the cliches.
7. In your
beginning, try to be a bit creative and get the reader’s attention. You want to
aim for a “hook” that will make him want to keep reading. Sometimes you can
accomplish this by being a bit mysterious. Another idea that can sometimes work
is the trivial observation that anyone can relate to but might not think to
mention in a college essay. Jerry Seinfeld built a career on this skill.
Remember some of his killer opening lines? Never ever begin your essay with “My
name is . . .” or “I am a senior at Greensboro Day School, and I really want to
go to NC State.”
8. Avoid being too
general or jumping from on topic to another, better to focus on one meaningful
episode or experience in your life, not a complete history or bio. Think small.
Strive for depth, not breadth. Don’t try to accomplish too much. In college
essays, less is more.
9. Edit, spellcheck
and proofread carefully. Then do it again. Have several people read your
essays. Let it sit for a while and go back to it for a second impression.
Sometimes you still think it’s great. Sometimes, not. Remember good writing us
usually “rewriting.”
10. Use details, illustrations, and
anecdotes. Use strong words, analogies, similes and metaphors. Instead of “I
ran up the stairs;” “I dashed breathlessly up the 64 steps.” Instead of saying,
“I like to follow my dreams,” tell them what the dream is and how you plan to
make it come true. Don’t say you are an inquisitive person. Tell them a story that
demonstrates that quality.
ESSAYS I DIDN’T WANT TO FINISH:
“I am the sum of my experiences.”
“Words are the building blocks of both written and oral
communication.”
“The reality of the world outside my own life is sometimes a
disappointing experience.”
“Art created with emotions is boundless.”
“In my life there have been an incredible number of
influences.”
“Out of class interests have been an important aspect of my
life.”
“Since I was very young, I have always been very competitive
and career-oriented.”
“The biggest influence on my character has been the presence
of my father in my life.”
“The title Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper entitles the
bearer with much power and control.”
“A phrase becomes significant when it takes on a meaning
beyond its literal level.”
ESSAYS I DID WANT TO FINISH:
“At the time, I was in tears. . .”
“By far the most popular activity in Wichita Falls is to put
on your boots and go to the Stardust Club.”
“The Amazing Transparent Man, Stolen House, Countdown, Lady
in a Cage, and Hey, Let’s twist are just a few of the movies I’ve seen at the
Kamas Star Theater since 1999.”
“I was three when my sister waddled into the playground of
my life on padded baby legs, interrupting my blissful solitude.”
“For the past four years, every Friday night I can be found
in a church being degraded and harassed. “No, no, no!” Mr. Montoni roars. His
sour coffee breath hitting me full in the face. “Shift to fifth position! Use
your head for more than growing hair! Listening to this overused and by now not
terribly funny expression of his, I am filled with an all-consuming desire to
whack him over the head with my violin.”
“As I pushed open the wooden door, the bell attached to it
rattled and stirred the silence. Mr. Kim, the shopkeeper, slid back the
curtains and slowly approached the counter. He had a Santa-like face, complete
with beard, wild hair and eyebrows that were fluffy and white.”
‘Personally, I would never bury a time capsule. My fifth
grade class buried one, and it seemed useless.”
THE COLLEGE ESSAY: WHAT ARE ADMISSIONS OFFICERS LOOKING
FOR?(All quoted statements are from Edward Fiske)
·
Honesty. Write in your own
voice.
·
First person use. This is not an
academic essay, it is a “personal” essay.
·
Insight into your personality. Reveal
something meaningful—something real about yourself.
·
Any subject. The key is your
unique perspective on it, your analysis of it.
·
Spark, vitality; signs of a lively mind.
·
Perhaps some humor (But be careful
not to be flippant); maybe some modest self-deprecation
·
A compelling opener. Think
about how many essays these guys read.
·
An answer to the question they pose. Don’t
“substitute an answer to one college’s question for that of another unless the
two are exactly the same.”
·
Writing that need not be Pulitzer
Prize winning, but is:
·
Coherent
·
Thoughtful
·
Carefully
organized
·
Concise (Remember the KISS rule: Keep
it short and simple.)
·
Imaginative
·
Mechanically sound (PROOFREAD!)
WHAT ADMISSIONS OFFICERS SHUN
·
Stiff, artificial writing; ostentation or
pretension.
·
Slick essays that sound like something “paid
for” (barrels of outside help, maybe a hired consultant).
·
Essays that “tell” rather than “show. Such
writing is often tedious and unconvincing, filled with trite sayings. Be
specific; it is the details from which all larger themes take shape.
·
The “social-problem-of-the-year” bandwagon
essay. After the horrors of 9/11, many students (whose hearts
and emotions were yet raw) tried to write about this act of terrorism. Many
said the same thing; even the well-written essays did not offer a meaningful
glimpse at the uniqueness of the writer.
·
Cynicism. “Colleges want
bright, active people—not negative, whiney, wet blankets. A positive approach .
. . will score points.”
·
Overly self-centered essays. One
admissions dean remembers, “I hated it when an applicant wrote that he had
learned from a trip to the ghetto how fortunate he is to live in a nice
house.”
ON GETTING HELP
“There’s a fine line between legitimate consultation and
illegitimate misrepresentation. . . . Many admissions officers have finely
honed radar to detect ghost-written essays.”
Don’t have 4 or 5 people read your work; if
you incorporate everyone’s ideas, the writing will sound like the work of a
committee—it will no longer capture YOU.
Humorous Writing:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1371223/posts
Sample College Essays:
http://www.teenink.com/college_guide/college_essays/
