Summer Work 2009

Seniors

 

Task: To create a folder which will assist you in your college preparation.

Purchase a folder with brads and pockets (your choice of type)—Include a photo if possible—most applications asked for a 2 x 2 sized photo.
    1. Résumé—3 copies—in the pocket

      Name

      Address

      Phone

      Email

      Social Security #

      ACT/SAT score

      TAKS scores (this year’s)

      THEA/Accuplacer score or exemption explanation

      [Rank in class leave a place for this part—we’ll add the info.

      GPA: ___/6.0; ____/4.0 ____ (numerical GPA) at the beginning of the year

      List of AP and Dual Credit courses taken

      AP test scores (if applicable)

      List of Extracurricular activities

      List of activities done outside school

      Work experience

      Volunteer activities

      Awards/Honors

      Name of father/his occupation

      Name of mother/her occupation

      Number of siblings

      Number of siblings in college

      Other information that would give a letter-writer some idea of your financial need (optional but helpful)

    2. List of possible references: Names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses—NOT your friends—adults only
    3. Three college application essays, typed, double spaced, Times New Roman 12 point. One page maximum length.
    4. A list of names/addresses of people you plan to send graduation invitations to.

THE ESSAYS (should be typed, no longer than one page. Put your name and SS# at top of each page.)

Topic A: Describe a significant setback, challenge, or opportunity in your life and the impact it has had on you.

Topic B: What additional information do you wish to be considered in the decision to admit you? For example:

1. exceptional hardship, setback, or personal experience that has shaped your abilities or academic credentials.

  1. personal responsibilities
  2. exceptional achievements or special talents such as poetry, art, bilingual proficiency, etc.
  3. educational goals and choice of major
  4. ways you contribute to the commitment that the university has made to create an institution with a diverse learning environment.

Topic C: Why you deserve a scholarship.

 

 

Basis of your grade:

Neatness (The résumé MUST look good!!!)

Originality of essays

Mechanical accuracy

 

You will receive a test grade for the essays and two daily grades for the packet as a whole. Mechanical errors in the essays will take points from the daily grades UNLESS they are so bad as to interfere with the reading.

This assignment is due the 3rd class day of next year.

Comments about the essays:

  1. Your essay is not graded by Olympic judges. It is read by an admissions officer who wants to get an impression of the kind of person you are. Your essay should make an emotional impression. A great application essay will present a vivid, personal, and compelling view of you to the admission staff.
  2. Make sure you have one GREAT idea. Admissions officers read hundreds of essays a day, and they have probably read many on the same few topics. Try to make yours stand out.
  3. Your great idea should be a small, personal topic. Keep your focus narrow.
  4. Make sure the "real you" comes out in your essay! In addition to writing a great essay about yourself, your writing style and personal voice should be evident in the essay. (think TAKS)
  5. Details, Details, Details! The more details you include, the stronger, more interesting the essay. (ex. I live in Lincoln, Mass., a town 15 miles west of Boston, where half the property is conservation land, and the other half is covered with large houses.)
  6. Smooth out the rough edges. Consider four ways to make changes: 1. add more detail; 2. cut away repetitive phrases; 3. combine sentences for a smoother flow of ideas; 4. write it another way. If a word, sentence, or paragraph bothers you, write two new versions. One of them will please you.
  7. Fun things about entrance essays:
    1. An applicant to Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine, once wrote, "If there is a single word to describe me, that word would have to be profectionist."
    2. Nearly all college admissions officials will admit that, left to themselves, most high school seniors will submit essays of stupefying dullness.
    3. Essays are particularly helpful for choosing among the "gray area" applicants—those who are neither obvious "must-haves" nor obvious "no-ways."
    4. The application is a lifeless thing—a few sheets of paper and a few numbers. The essay is the best way to breathe life into it.