Why?
Because there is no outline for this essay!
That's right, this is a chance for you to break the mold. You don't have to follow an outline, a formula, or a set of arbitrary rules. You only have to make sure your writing is between 1 1/2 - 2 pages and make sure it demonstrates the best of you and your writing skills.
But, all that freedom can be kind of scary.
Now, before you say, "But, Miss Hamman, I don't know what to write!", please understand that you have had 11 solid years of English education. Your past teachers have been packing your tool box with all of the tools you need to craft a paper that shows off the best things about you.
YOU just have to decide what it is you want to build and how.
It may feel, at first, like you are aimlessly wandering with your essay. You may feel like you want to erase everything and start over. DON'T. Just write. You don't have to keep every sentence. You don't have to keep every word. But keep them on the page until you feel you've made your point. Then go back and get rid of the stuff you don't need.
Your essay, like all essays, will have a thesis. That thesis should state why you deserve to be accepted to the university of your choice. This could be a trait you possess, a talent you have, or a perspective you could bring to the campus.
In the powerpoint below, you'll see suggestions of things to use to write your introduction from all of my classes. Look through them if you need ideas.
After we discussed the tools we all have, we then talked about how to start using them. I decided to pick prompt #2 for MY essay: "Most students have an identity, an interest, or talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself."
So, I started to think about what I felt most shaped me as a person - who/what I identify with, what I'm passionate about, or what I'm good at. Ultimately, I narrowed it down to my identity. More specifically, I focused on how a particular EVENT involving my identity shaped me.
Below are the notes I took on part of my graphic organizer that we reviewed together as a class.
From these notes, we deduced that my identity shaped me by making me more adaptive. I identify myself as a teacher with supportive friends from the Midwest. When I moved to Texas, that shaped me as a person by forcing me to adapt to new surroundings and my career.
We decided to start with an attention grabber/hook of some sort. In some classes, we began with a quote. In others, we began with a question. One class wanted to start with dialogue. Ultimately, how you make your reader care is up to you.
From there, we decided to elaborate a little on our hook. What was it referring to or why was it significant to the essay. It usually involved me reflecting on or explaining how I had gotten to where I was in the moment I described in my hook.
Finally, we tied it all together in my thesis. Now, I don't just want to come out and say "I think I should be accepted to ___________ University because I know how to adapt." First off, that's kind of boring and a little too direct. Secondly, it doesn't really show that I know how to adapt, BECAUSE IT'S JUST A COOKIE CUTTER THESIS. Is it okay to write a thesis like this in your rough draft? MOST DEFINITELY. However, eventually, you will probably want to change it in your final draft.
Take a look at some of the examples our classes came up with below.
Your assignment this weekend is to write YOUR introduction. You may type or handwrite.
BONUS: send it to me this weekend. You can send it via email, you can snap a picture of it, you can read it aloud and send me the audio. However you choose. (This is not a grade, nor is it extra credit, but it helps YOU and ME by giving me an idea of where you are heading with your essay and allowing me processing time to give feedback)
Have a GREAT weekend and GO EAGLES!
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