THE UNIVERSITY APPLICATION ESSAY The University Application ESSAY

THE UNIVERSITY APPLICATION ESSAY

The University Application ESSAY . . . your entrance essay must not only demonstrate your grasp of grammar and ability to write lucid, structured prose, but also paint a vivid picture of your personality and character, one that compels a busy admissions officer to accept you. (an online college-application editing service)

The University Application ESSAY It was a 17 th century Englishperson John Donne who wrote “No man island. ” An excellent statement, but it is also true that “No woman is also an island. ” The truth of this was brought home dramatically on September 11, 2001 in the US. Despite the fact that I was only 2 at the time, the images of that day will never be forgotten. Not by me, certainly. Even though technically I am not American (I live in a suburb of Paris now and I was born in Brussels), I feel, as Donne would say, “Part of the main, ” when I watch the youtube videos of those buildings come down in New York. And, of course, now I live in France and we had those tragic attacks here on November 13 this year, our black Friday. Coincidentally, this was also the day that my younger brother came down with a skin condition that the doctors have not yet been able to determine. It’s not like his skin condition was a direct result of the terrorist attacks, but it probably didn’t help.

The University Application ESSAY I have a personal connection to the events in New York, for many years ago my uncle’s sister’s best friend’s cousin worked in one of the towers. She was not working there on 9/11 but the fact that she had been in the building only months before brought the tragedy closer to me. It is for this reason that I have resolved to devote my life to bringing harmony among the nations of the world, especially in those nations who dislike us enough to fly planes into skyscrapers. With better understanding, I believe people will not have this desire to fly planes into skyscrapers and bomb stadiums. This is why I joined the Model United Nations at my school.

The University Application ESSAY Also it is my dream to find a cure for serious skin ailments to help my brother and also cancer. To be honest, I do not know yet if I will study medicine, but I also feel that I could contribute vitally to society even if I were a history major, for instance by writing important documentaries for Netflix or by posting shocking photos on Facebook. Many people in the world community today are on Facebook, therefore I feel that by writing and posting on Facebook, I could reach millions of people through this powerful medium and bring to them a higher awareness of such problems as Global Warming, the Zika virus, earthquakes in Chile and drug abuse.

The University Application ESSAY Another reason why I am devoted to serving humanity in my life was because I endured the difficult transition to moving to France. Not because of the French people, but because my parents told me and my brother the news only 2 months before I was about to begin 10 th grade (quelle horreur!) But this was an important experience because I learned a valuable lesson that I believe is preparation for college and beyond. At university, for instance, one is liable to find yourself living in a situation where people don’t get along, especially in the dorm bathrooms. Bathrooms in this sense are like a microcosm of the macrocosm. Bathrooms can also be a truly dramatic crucible, as the playwright Arthur Miller has demonstrated in his dramaturgical magnum opus by that title. I am not one to say, “Omigod, like poor me, ” despite the fact that my dad drinks too many margaritas and tries to run Mother over with the tractor in our garden. As the Danish composer Frederick Nietzche declared, “That which does not kill me makes me longer. ” This was certainly true of my mother, especially after being run over.

The University Application ESSAY Finally, what do I bring to the college experience? As President Kennedy observed in his 2 nd inaugural, “Ask not what your country can do to you. Ask, what can you do to your country? ” I would bring 2 things, primarily. First a positive attitude despite all of this crap I have had to live with. Secondly, full tuition payment. While Father pretty much wiped out the money in the process of running over Mother—she was in the house at the time—my grandparents say they can pay for my education, and can even throw in a little “walking-around money” for the hardworking people in the admissions department. Grandmother says she will give up her heart and arthritis medications, and Grandfather says he will go back to work at the urine mine in Utah despite the fact that he is 82 and legally blind. In this way, the university won’t have to give me a scholarship that could go to a more disadvantaged applicant. Thank you for listening. (adapted from “College Essay” by Christopher Buckley, The New Yorker, November 28, 2005)

The University Application ESSAY What are the major FAILS of this essay?

The University Application ESSAY What are the major FAILS of this essay? Ø not focused—too general with too many issues (FAIL);

The University Application ESSAY What are the major FAILS of this essay? Ø not focused—too general with too many issues (FAIL); Ø promises to save the world (FAIL);

The University Application ESSAY What are the major FAILS of this essay? Ø not focused—too general with too many issues (FAIL); Ø promises to save the world (FAIL); Ø tries to make tragic events personal (FAIL);

The University Application ESSAY What are the major FAILS of this essay? Ø not focused—too general with too many issues (FAIL); Ø promises to save the world (FAIL); Ø tries to make tragic events personal (FAIL); Ø tries to “name-drop” and use famous quotes (FAIL);

The University Application ESSAY What are the major FAILS of this essay? Ø not focused—too general with too many issues (FAIL); Ø promises to save the world (FAIL); Ø tries to make tragic events personal (FAIL); Ø tries to “name-drop” and use famous quotes (FAIL); Ø tries to invoke sympathy, sorrow (FAIL);

The University Application ESSAY What are the major FAILS of this essay? Ø not focused—too general with too many issues (FAIL); Ø promises to save the world (FAIL); Ø tries to make tragic events personal (FAIL); Ø tries to “name-drop” and use famous quotes (FAIL); Ø tries to invoke sympathy, sorrow (FAIL); Ø tries to BRIBE (MAJOR FAIL!)

The University Application ESSAY What are the major FAILS of this essay? Ø not focused—too general with too many issues (FAIL); Ø promises to save the world (FAIL); Ø tries to make tragic events personal (FAIL); Ø tries to “name-drop” and use famous quotes (FAIL); Ø tries to invoke sympathy, sorrow (FAIL); Ø tries to BRIBE (MAJOR FAIL!) Ø does not clearly illustrate who the student is (BIGGEST FAIL of ALL)

The University Application ESSAY What’s the solution? How do I write an essay that shows that I’m special, that I’m worth it?

The University Application ESSAY Common Application 2016 -17 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. (50%) 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%) 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. (22%) (percentage of students from 2015 -16 who responded to this question)

The University Application ESSAY Other prompts from around the U. S. : Tufts University: "What is more interesting: Gorillas or guerillas? » University of Georgia: "Aliens from another planet have landed in your neighborhood and have asked you to show them around your town for one day in order to learn about life on Earth. Where do you take them and what do you do? » University of Chicago is known for its outrageous topics. A few years ago, they asked students to improvise a story, essay or script using the following requirements: • • The line "And yes, I said yes, I will Yes" (Ulysses, by James Joyce). Its characters may not have superpowers. The work has to mention the University of Chicago, but please, no accounts of a high school student applying to the University. This is fiction, not autobiography. The work must include at least four of the following elements: a paper airplane/a shoe/the invisible hand/two doors/a transformation/pointillism/a fanciful explanation of the Pythagorean Theorem/a ventriloquist or ventriloquism/the Periodic Table of the Elements/No. 2 pencils/the concept of jeong.

The University Application ESSAY UCAS Essay 2016 -17 : The Personal Statement https: //www. ucas. com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/when-apply/writing-personal-statement Why are you applying for your chosen course(s)? Why does this subject interest you? Why do you think you are suitable for the course(s)? How do your current or previous studies relate to the course that you have chosen? (i. e. HL or AP classes, TOK or Extended Essays) • • Have you taken part in any activities that demonstrate your interest in the course(s)? Discuss any skills from activities that will help you in your future course. Include any other achievements of which you are proud, positions of responsibility that you have held, and attributes that make you interesting, special or unique. Include details of jobs, work or volunteer experience, particularly if they are relevant to your chosen course and/or if you know what your future career, how will you use the experience and knowledge you will gain from your course studies? YOUR ESSAY MUST ADDRESS AT MINIMUM THE FIRST TWO POINTS and in total be no more than 4000 characters

The University Application ESSAY So what is my next step? Ø Begin thinking A LOT about yourself and who you are; Ø Brainstorm ideas, topics that illustrate who YOU are; Ø Begin writing in a journal or online blog as often as possible about anything that interests you, frustrates you, alarms you, amuses you, reassures you. . . You will be surprised at how much this will help when you write your university essay. Ø Be ready to participate in our College Essay Writing Workshops starting next week.

The University Application ESSAY Why do I need to take so much time to brainstorm and organize and draft and revise for this essay? (it’s just another essay—I can procrastinate and wing it the week before, like I always do, right? ) Why should I care about the essay?

The University Application ESSAY Can’t I just wing it and wait until next year, the week that my application is due? Response? _________

The University Application ESSAY Can’t I just wing it and wait until next year, the week that my application is due? Response? NONONOONOOO. . .

The University Application ESSAY Why should you care?

The University Application ESSAY Why should you care? Ø Because this may be the single most important essay you will write in your life.

The University Application ESSAY Why should you care? Ø Because this may be the single most important essay you will write in your life. Ø Because if you write a poor essay, we will make fun of you and put it on the world wide web!

The University Application ESSAY Examples from student essays that we put on the internet (to mock): o Mt. Elgon National Park is well known for its rich deposits of herds of elephants. o The book was very entertaining, even though it was about a dull subject, World War II. o He was a modest man with an unbelievable ego. o Scuba One members are volunteers, but that never stops them from trying to save someone’s life. o I look at each stage as a challenge, and an adventure, and as another experience on my step-ladder of life. o For almost all involved in these stories, premature burial has had a negative effect on their lives. o My mother worked hard to provide me with whatever I needed in my life, a good home, a fairly stale family and a wonderful education. o I enjoyed my bondage with the family and especially with their mule, Jake. The moral? THIS MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ESSAY YOU WRITE IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE (no pressure!), SO TAKE THE TIME AND CARE TO WRITE IT.