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College Essay writing goals for this summer
Option 1: Outline your ideas
Option 2: Outlines + Meet with Tessa and begin writing drafts
Goal: Brainstorm montage and narrative style topics for your personal essay outlines.
A montage essay structure jumps around in time with different life stories that are connected by a passion, interest, connection etc.
Example of montage: When I was 7, I joined my first soccer team. When I was 14, I started an outdoor camping club. When I was 17, I did my first solo canoe trek. I am passionate about physical activity and the outdoors because I feel a sense of freedom.
A narrative essay structure is centered around a single story (experience or time of transformation) with sequence of events, lessons learned and impact on you.
Example of narrative: Throughout my life, I was very close to my school's janitorial staff. Sharing my life with them has taught me about the intricacies of my country's classism, allowing me to explore perspectives outside of my own.
PART 1: MONTAGE BRAINSTORM
When starting to brainstorm topics for your essay, brainstorm a list of...
- 3+ things you love
- 2+ things you're good at
- 1+ thing that's challenging to you
Montage Brainstorm
Example of Montage Brainstorm
3+ things I'm good at:
- Soccer
- Connecting with people
- Playing violin
- Being analytical of the news/government
- Advocating for what I believe in
2+ things I love:
- The outdoors
- Knitting
- A cozy cup of tea
- Cooking for others
1+ thing that's challenging to you:
- Asking for help when I need it
- Slowing down
- AP Physics
- Letting others take the lead
After completing your montage brainstorm list, begin looking at connections within your list. Are there any larger themes within these connections?
1+ thing that's challenging to you:
- Asking for help when I need it
- Slowing down
- AP Physics
- Letting others take the lead
3+ things I'm good at:
- Soccer
- Connecting with people
- Playing violin
- Being analytical of the news/government
- Advocating for what I believe in
2+ things I love:
- The outdoors
- Knitting
- A cozy cup of tea
- Cooking for others
connection: physical activity
theme: I feel liberated and free when physically active
Example of Montage Brainstorm: Connection & Themes
what are 2-3 themes that came out of your Part 1 brainstorm?
what is the importance / impact of that theme in who you are today?
what are stories and vignettes that highlight this theme and how its impacted you?
Respond to the following questions
PART 2: NARRATIVE BRAINSTORM
Brainstorm three challenges or transformational experiences that have had a significant impact on you
Narrative Brainstrom
Three experiences that had a significant impact on me:
- Reading the book "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" and realizing I didn't have to blend in with the rest of my assigned "flock"
- Relationship with the janitorial staff at my high school and my experience with classism
- Making homemade pasta with my extended family every Sunday for the first 18 years of my life
Example of Narrative Brainstorm
Narrative Essay Outline Structure
Add your brainstorms and outlines for both the Montage and Narrative exercises in your individual folder under "writing" tab.
In addition, you can also share your google document with Tessa.
Part 3: Documentation
Good luck!
Be creative and outline your stories in the way you think is best
After working on your outlines, feel free to reach out to Tessa!
Remember the following tips and tricks (on the next slides) as you continue to brainstorm and work over the summer
Four Elements That Make a College Essay Great
- Core Values (information about you). After reading an essay, can we name at least 4-5 of your core values? Can we find a variety of values, or do the values repeat?
- Vulnerability. Does your essay sound like it’s mostly analytical or like it’s coming from a deeper, more vulnerable place?
- “So what” moments (impact on you & interesting connections). Can we identify at least 3-5 “so what” moments of insight in your essay? Can we understand the impact on your life?
- Craft (show, don't tell!). Do the ideas in the essay connect in a way that is logical, but not too obvious? Does it use descriptive language that brings us to the moment or feeling you're describing?
Things to avoid when working on your outlines this summer:
- Gathering a lot of different voices to help guide your essay (parents, friends, etc)
- Fully committing to one essay direction
- Avoid talking about...
- losing a loved one (including pets)
- a person you admire
- community service experience
- ADD/ADHD journey
- sports (there are many exceptions here)
Resources:
The College Essay Guy (my favorite!)
Schedule a 30 minute meeting with me throughout the summer (2 meetings per student)
Due on the first day of school:
Three outlines OR outlines + essay draft
Researching and reading college essay examples from Universities you're interested in — read essays with "admissions" lens and decide what you like / dislike