Getting to Know You: The Purpose of Each College Application Essay

Pacific Palisades Branch, LAPLTuesday, August 2, 2016

Rebecca Josephgetmetocollege@gmail.com@getmetocollege@allcollegeessayhttp://tinyurl.com/palisades0802

Overview of Shifting 2016 American Admissions Landscape

ACT/SAT test changes

FAFSA Changes New Coalition Application

Changes to Common Application and UC Application

2016 College Admissions

The Role of Essays

Getting to know you,Getting to know all about you.

Essays Are One Piece of The Applicant’s Quilt

Test Scores

Grades

Rigor of Coursework

ActivitiesRec Letters

Unique passions and potential

Demonstrated Interest

University of California• Fall 2017 application

opened yesterday.• Introduced new format

and prompts for both freshman and transfer essays

• Applicants must write 4 short 350 word max essays.

• Freshman can choose from 8 prompts.

UC Freshman Personal Insight Questions

• Freshman Personal Insight Prompts: Answer any 4 of the following 8 questions:• What do you want UC to know about you? Here’s your chance to tell us in your own words.• Which questions you choose to answer is entirely up to you: But you should select questions

that are most relevant to your experience and that best reflect your individual circumstances.1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced

others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving,

original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

6. Describe your favorite academic subject and explain how it has influenced you.7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?8. What is the one thing that you think sets you apart from other candidates applying to the

University of California?

UC Focus

• Leadership• Changing communities• Creativity• Academic Passions and Achievements• Overcoming Challenges• Initiative

• http://tinyurl.com/palisades0802

Great UC GuidanceQuestions & guidanceRemember, the personal questions are just that — personal. Which means you should use our guidance for each question just as a suggestion in case you need help. The important thing is expressing who are you, what matters to you and what you want to share with UC.

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time. Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or a taking lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about your accomplishments and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?

• Need more help?• Download the worksheet for freshman applicants [PDF]• See our writing tips & techniques

Great Strategy• Start with UC application. • Fill out the application including activity section

• 5 Honors• 5 Non A-G Courses• 5 Work/Jobs• 5 Community Service• 5 Extracurricular

• Then go to short insight questions. Really focus on four pieces of additional evidence you want to share with UCs about what you offer.

• These are practical, literal short essays.

The Common Application

Current CA 2015-2017 Prompts250-650 Words (2015-2016 percentages)

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. (49%)

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? (17%)

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. (10%)

5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. (22%)

New Coalition Application

New Kid on the Block

Coalition Essays• You are free to work on these essays at any time. (You can even store essay drafts in

your Locker!) They are useful for honing your essay writing skills as well as for inclusion with your application. If you plan to submit one of our general essays with your application(s), please use one of the prompts offered during your application year.

• Essay Prompts for 2016-2017 application are: (word limit depends on each college)• Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your

character or helped to shape it.• Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the

greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.

• Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?

• What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?

• Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

CSU EOP• List any volunteer, extracurricular activities, or work experience in which you are or

have been involved in the past two years.

• Why would you like to attend college? Discuss your career and personal goals. Are there any particular circumstances, school experiences, or persons that influenced your preparation or motivation to attend college (e.g., cultural/financial background, family, teachers, schools you attended)? Please explain.

• Briefly discuss your academic background. Did you utilize any additional support at your high school, such as tutoring? Do your grades in high school and/or college reflect your academic ability or potential?

• Briefly describe your family’s economic background. Include information about your financial challenges.

• Please tell us more about yourself. Is there any additional information you would like EOP to consider in determining your admission to the program?

 

Each College’s Additional Essays Differ

Lafayette College

Lafayette=Common App + 2 Additional Short Essays

2016-2017 Lafayette Member Questions: Additional Information• 1. Students identify Lafayette as an excellent fit for countless

reasons. In your response, be deliberate and specific about your motivation for applying to Lafayette. Why Lafayette? (Required, Paste in or type in, 20-200 word range)

• 2. There’s a difference between being busy and being engaged. Lafayette comes alive each day with the energy of students who are deeply engaged in their academic, co-curricular and extracurricular explorations. In response to the prompt below, keep it simple – choose one activity and add depth to our understanding of your involvement. What do you do? Why do you do it? (Optional, Paste in or type in, 20-200 word range) 

• 3. If you wish to include a copy of your resume as part of your application, please upload it here. (Optional, Upload)

Lehigh University

Lehigh University: Common App + 2 Writing Supplemental Essays

2015-2016 Lehigh Writing Supplement (NO Member Questions with Essays)1. What do you and Lehigh have in common? Please reply with 250-350 words. (Required, 250-350 word range, Paste in) 

2. Answer one of the following prompts. (Required, 150-250 word range, Paste in)• Imagine that you just completed your visit to Lehigh University. What would

you Tweet about us and why?• Describe your favorite ''Bazinga'' moment.• If your name were an acronym, what would it stand for and how would it

reflect your strengths and personality?• In your opinion, what are the five characteristics of a successful person?• You've just reached your one millionth hit on your YouTube video. What is

the video about?

College Perspectives• How they see the role of the

essay in holistic review

• The process must start with personal reflection

• Authenticity is crucial…in the essay as well as the application

• Our specific questions and what we hope to see

• Important points to always keep in mind

Essays=Opportunity

• Share• Reflect• Stand Out

http://tinyurl.com/heca2016essays

Before All Essays: Strategic Planning

Before Common App Long Essay: Brainstorming Strategies

Some Key Strategies• Resumes• Culture Bags• Letters to Roommates• UC Insight Questions• Short Activities Statements• Explain Gladwell’s Outliers. How Are You An Outlier?• Explain Harvard’s View of Kindness. How Are You Kind?• Read Sample Essays on College Websites

Before School Specific Essays

Through: Guided Questions

Through: Revising and Revising

Beyond: Completing The Puzzle

What Can We Do Now?• Pick the four UC

prompts you want to answer.

• Think of the pieces of your quilt?• Academics• Achievements• Passions• Experiences

Contact Dr. JosephRebecca Joseph, PhD

• Professor, Cal State LA• Founder, Get Me To College and

All College Application Essays• Current 2016 Unsung Hero, LA

County

http://tinyurl.com/palisades0802

Contact getmetocollege@gmail.com@getmetocollege @allcollegeessay