THE WRITING PROCESS

Writing the College Admissions Essay

WHY
WRITE
THE
COLLEGE
ESSAY?
 BRAINSTORMING

BRAINSTORMING Through QuickWriting

QuickWrite prompts are designed to help you recall events and

activities that will aid in planning the essay.

What do you liked to do? activities

What are your interests? hobbies
Who is your family and what do you care about? values
How do you act in tough situations? character.
 CHOOSE YOUR BEST STORY
•Remember, the best essays are focused, detailed, revealing and insightful, and finding
the right topic is vital to writing an interesting essay with all those qualities, and more.

•Topics can be common events or experiences that you use to reveal your character,
your personality and your growth as a person.

•It should be about something specific that has happened more recently, within the
past 2-3 years.

•It's vital that you have a specific point you want to make about what kind of
person you are, what kind of college student you'd make, or what the experience
you're describing taught you.
EXAMPLE - CHOOSE YOUR BEST STORY
 DEVELOP AN OUTLINE
• Paragraph 1 - Start in the middle of the action: 
Don't spend a lot of outlining background info—it is boring. Instead start right where your
story starts to get interesting. (I'll go into how to craft an intriguing opener in more depth
below.)

• Paragraph 2 - Briefly explain what the situation is: 

Now that you've got the reader's attention, go back and explain anything they need to know
about how you got into this situation. Only include the background details that are necessary
to either understand what happened or illuminate your feelings about the situation in some
way.

• Paragraph 3 - Finish the story:

Explain how you resolved the conflict or concluded the experience.

• Paragraph 4 - Explain what you learned:

How did this experience affect you?
 ORGANIZE AND PLAN

The essay should be 3 – 4 paragraphs, around 600-700 words.

 START WRITING!
Start Writing!

The key to writing your first draft is not

to worry about whether it's any good—
just get something on paper and go
from there. 
You will have to rewrite, so trying to
get everything perfect is both
frustrating and futile.
Aim for 3-4 paragraphs.
 START WRITING!

Aim for 3 -4 paragraphs,

an introductory paragraph,
your story (1 or 2 body paragraphs)
and a concluding paragraph.
600-700 Words
And later, we will talk about the opening paragraph
more. Focus on getting your story down for now.
 REVISE, REVISE, REVISE
Plan to revise your essay
several times.
When it is time to revise and
rewrite pay attention to flow,
wording, and how the ideas
mesh. You will want to hone
your structure and your
voice.
 READ THE ESSAY OUT LOUD!

Read the essay out loud. Then

have a friend or family member
read it to you.
You will hear the mistakes!
 TUTORING

Once you have

your essay the
way you want it,
now it is TIME
TO GET
TUTORING.
 PROOFREAD AND EDIT
Pay attention to detail.
Are your i’s dotted and t’s crossed?

Have a friend or tutor read for grammar,

punctuation, and spelling.

Do you use active voice?

SEE A TUTOR or GO TO THE TUTORING

CENTER!
 REMEMBER!
Remember your GPA
and test scores are only
ONE aspect of your
application. The college
essay adds another
dimension – it tells the
college who you are and
helps you stand out.  
 ESSAY PROMPTS
PROMPT #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.
Essay A: 
Tell us your story. What unique
opportunities or challenges have
you experienced throughout your
high school career that have
shaped who you are today?
 DEVELOP AN OUTLINE
• Paragraph 1 - Start in the middle of the action: 
Don't spend a lot of outlining background info—it is boring. Instead start right where your
story starts to get interesting. (I'll go into how to craft an intriguing opener in more depth
below.)

• Paragraph 2 - Briefly explain what the situation is: 

Now that you've got the reader's attention, go back and explain anything they need to know
about how you got into this situation. Only include the background details that are necessary
to either understand what happened or illuminate your feelings about the situation in some
way.

• Paragraph 3 - Finish the story:

Explain how you resolved the conflict or concluded the experience.

• Paragraph 4 - Explain what you learned:

How did this experience affect you?