Transcript Essay Writing Strategies

College
Essays
Jen Motzer
Associate Director of
Admissions
Lake Forest College
Why do colleges require
essays?
 We
want to learn more about you
 Demonstration of your writing ability
 Provides YOUR voice to your application
for admission
What do admission counselors
want to see?
 YOUR
personality
 Be concise
 Strong opening paragraph to capture the
reader’s attention
 Tell us something we won’t learn from the
rest of your application
 Stay focused
 Write something different than the
“common essay”
What do admission counselors
NOT want to see
 No
personality (or your parent’s
personality!)
 Fragments or run on thoughts/sentences
 Grammar/Spelling Errors
 There, they’re, their’s…two, too, to’s.. Etc.
 The essay telling me how much they want
to go to another college
Tips to Get Started
 Start
writing early
 Your essay should have a thesis- what are
you trying to communicate?
 Make sure you’re answering the essay
question
 Have someone review your essay
(teacher, parent, etc.)
Common App Prompts
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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.
Recount an incident or time when you experienced
failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you
learn?
Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea.
What prompted you to act? Would you make the same
decision again?
Describe a place or environment where you are
perfectly content. What do you do or experience there,
and why is it meaningful to you?
Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal,
that marked your transition from childhood to
adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
Unique Supplement Essay
Examples
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What does #YOLO mean to you? (Tufts)
“Winston Churchill believed ‘a joke is a very serious
thing.’ Tell us your favorite joke and try to explain the
joke without ruining it.” (University of Chicago)
What matters to you, and why? (Stanford)
What makes you happy? (Tufts)
“Pick one woman in history or fiction to converse with
for an hour and explain your choice. What would you
talk about?” (Barnard)
What’s your favorite word and why? (University of
Virginia)
What do you hope to find over the rainbow?
(University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
“You’ve just reached your 1 millionth hit on your
YouTube video. What is the video about?” (Lehigh)
How to know if you did it right
 Is
it in the student’s voice?
 Does it progress as it unfolds?
 Does it have a beginning, a middle and
an end?
 Did you answer the essay question?
 Did we learn something new?
 Has it been proofread?
 Is the student excited about it?
Lake Forest’s Writing
Evaluation of Applicants
“The College believes that strong analytical
writing skills are one of the cornerstones of a
liberal arts education. Students submit an
essay as part of the admissions application
and this becomes the basis for not only
admissions evaluation, but First-Year English
placement for those who matriculate.”
Lake Forest College: Scale for
evaluating essays
Lake Forest admission counselors rate essays on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the
highest)
Rating 3
• Demonstrates some signs of critical thinking
• Essay develops a point from beginning to end
• Proper paragraphing and use of topic sentences and transitional
elements
• Shows some sophistication in vocabulary and sentence structure
Questions & Contact
Information
Jen Motzer
Lake Forest College
Associate Director of Admissions
303.838.0818
[email protected]