Writing Friday: College Essay Brainstorming and Graphic Organizer

Today, we began the writing process for our first summative grade of the year: the college essay. First, we discussed the assignment itself. You can see the assignment sheet below. It was copied onto purple paper in class.



Here are the most important points from that handout:

• Review the due dates listed
• Your essay should be only 1 1/2- 2 pages long
• The outlines I provided in class and that are posted on this blog are for the ApplyTexas application which is used by pretty much every Texas university. Out of state universities typically use the Common Application, which uses different prompts. You may use one of these prompts, but must clear it with me first. 
• Yes, you have to write an essay, even if you aren't planning on attending college. Just pretend for 3 weeks.

After we discussed the expectations for the assignment, we broke down the prompts and reviewed some possible ideas for what to write for each one. You can find that information in the powerpoint below:

Then, we moved on to the task of selecting a prompt to write about. Each prompt asks you to focus on a different aspect of your life. You may want to write about all three, BUT YOU CAN'T. You must choose ONE.

If you're having trouble, just consider:

Out of all of the forces that have shaped you as a person - your surroundings, your identity, your personal goals - which one has had the strongest influence or which has made you the best person you can be?

Once you have decided, you will select one of the three graphic organizers below to begin brainstorming and outlining your essay. You may not use all of the ideas you put into the graphic organizer, but we want you to complete it all the same.

You don't have to write in complete sentences for this. You can do a bulleted list, flow chart, mind map, etc.

Prompt 1: What was the environment in which you were raised? Describe your family, home, neighborhood, or community, and explain how it shaped you as a person.



Prompt 2: Most students have an identity, an interest, or talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself.



Prompt 3: You've got a ticket in your hand - Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?