How To Write The College Admissions Essay

How To Write The College Admissions Essay Over time, however, I grew determined to improve the quality of life for my family and myself. Living without a father meant money was tight, mom worked two jobs, and my brother and I took care of each other when she worked. For a brief period of time the quality of our lives slowly started to improve as our soon-to-be step-dad became an integral part of our family. He paid attention to the needs of my mom, my brother, and me. One purpose is to communicate a lot of information fast. Another is to allow you to share a lot of different kinds of information, as the example essay below shows. For this essay type, I recommend the Montage Structure. A montage is, simply put, a series of moments or story events connected by a common thematic thread. Complete the brainstorming exercises, as these will help no matter which structure you choose. A description of these extracurricular activities may have sounded like a laundry-list of the author’s accomplishments. But because she’s naming other stickers (which connects them to the essay’s thematic thread), she basically gets to name-drop those activities while showing other parts of her life. Once you’ve written down your qualities, examples, and at least 1-2 insights, try outlining your essay. To keep things simple, one example and one insight per paragraph. Help the reader understand which experiences have shaped the qualities you’ve listed. They’re not the kind of beads you’d find on a store-bought bracelet; they’re more like the hand-painted beads on a bracelet your little brother made for you. As with the Type A essay, complete the brainstorming exercises described at the start of this chapter. No matter which structure you choose, these exercises help. Take special care to complete the Feelings and Needs Exercise, as it can be a powerful essay-outlining tool. Next, the author used the Narrative Structure to give shape to his essay. First, it’ll make for a much more interesting story; second, it’ll show that you’ve truly developed these qualities. Ask three people in this profession what unexpected qualities, values, or skills prepared them for their careers. Please don’t simply use their answers as your own; allow their replies to inspire your brainstorming process. Go to a college's website and click on a major or group of majors that interest you. Sometimes they’ll briefly summarize a major in terms of what skills it will impart or what jobs it might lead to. Students are often surprised to discover how broadly major-related skills can apply. But if you choose this path, you’ll likely need to use either an uncommon structure or next-level craft to create a stand-out essay. Although I’ve lived in the same house in Cary, North Carolina for 10 years, I have found and carved homes and communities that are filled with and enriched by tradition, artists, researchers, and intellectuals. Read her essay below, then I’ll share more about how you can find your own thematic thread. I am a diehard Duke basketball fan, and I can identify all of the Duke basketball fans at my high school on one hand. The theme of your essay is the thread that connects your beads. Imagine that each different part of you is a bead and that a select few will show up in your essay. A montage essay can come together in many different ways. For the purposes of this section, your future goal or career is the theme that connects all the parts of your story. The Type D essay section delves more deeply into other ways of weaving thematic threads. Well-known examples from movies include the “training” montages from Mulan, Rocky, or Footloose, or the “falling in love” montage from most romantic comedies. In just a few minutes, we learn the entire history of Carl and Ellie’s relationship. First, the author brainstormed the content of his essay using the Feelings and Needs Exercise. Without a father figure to teach me the things a father could, I became my own teacher. I learned how to fix a bike, how to swim, and even how to talk to girls. I became resourceful, fixing shoes with strips of duct tape, and I even found a job to help pay bills. I became as independent as I could to lessen the time and money mom had to spend raising me. But our prosperity was short-lived as my step dad’s chronic alcoholism became more and more recurrent. When I was eight, my younger brother Fernando’s birth complicated things even further. As my step-dad slipped away, my mom continued working, and Fernando’s care was left to Jose and me. I cooked, Jose cleaned, I dressed Fernando, Jose put him to bed. This is a great way to figure out the “bones” (i.e. structure) of your essay.