Unit+Two+-+College+Essay


 * Welcome to Unit Two for English 12! **

College Essay Revisions: Rubrc for revisions here. Due November 15



Sample Essays here:

Unit one required you to focus on how perceptions limit and strengthen us, and unit two will require you to extend that thinking and apply your analysis of perceptions to yourself. The personal statement (or college essay) is your chance to share your own perceptions, experiences, and beliefs in an attempt to leave a strong, positive impression on the admissions committee. It is an opportunity to add a human element to the rest of the data that fills your application.

Some of you have worked on these essays in the past and/or are now actually finishing your essays to apply to schools. If you have already completed and/or submitted an essay for application, please choose another topic for exploration. For our work over the next two weeks, you will …


 * Select a topic
 * Brainstorm
 * Draft a personal essay of 500 words in length
 * Meet with Mrs. Holsten at least once outside of class to receive one-on-one feedback
 * Critique your own draft
 * Revise and submit a second draft of this essay for grading and submission to college!

This assignment will be worth 100 points. Rubric coming soon!


 * Our Timeline for Completion: **


 * Day One: **
 * College Essay Overview
 * Choosing your Topic
 * Points to consider-audience awareness, being unique, getting specific, selecting an event from within last two-three years, taking an appropriate risk
 * **Due today: **
 * brainstorming
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5;">Questions gathered from various applications into shared google doc

Copy these questions and paste them into your "College Essay Prewriting" document
 * 1) What is the biggest problem you have ever solved?
 * 2) What is the biggest obstacle you have ever overcome?
 * 3) Do you have any activities or hobbies that are different from the things your friends do? What is it about this activity or hobby that brings you joy?
 * 4) Think of a time in your life that has stirred great emotion. How did this change the way you view the world and/or live your life today?


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Day Two: **
 * Setting the scene
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5;">using concrete language to show rather than tell
 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5;">Due today: **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5;">question selected by beginning of class on Friday 9/27


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Day Three: **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5;">Developing and Structuring your essay
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5;">How to organize your essay, using detail to develop your ideas
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5;">Focusing on showing rather than telling


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Day Four: **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5;">College essay critique and writing time. Rough drafts due by end of class.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Conferences during flex on Tuesday/wednesday

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**Day Five:** Revising your draft/ polishing and proofing