The College Essay

Beginning Your FutureSelecting a College and Starting the Application ProcessGetting Started-Check with Guidance, Mr. Lessa, and me. We will be working very closely with you over the next few weeks. We will make sure that no one slips through the cracks

-Start the process by first checking out some SUNY Schools.

-Stop in and look at the faculty pages in the yearbook. Find out where your teachers attended college. Visit those teachers with questions.Different Schools are Different!MOST SUNY schools have decent Business and Humanities Curriculums. But there are certain SUNY schools that specialize or have particularly good department-others may not have certain departments at all (or very small departments with limited majors)For ExampleSUNY Purchase has an excellent Fine Arts Department. But you wouldnt want to go there for Pre-Med, Business, or Law.SUNY Albany is massive-with many excellent majors, but not a school you would go to for artSUNY New Paltz has a good mixMore to ConsiderWhere do you want to live?-Country-Woods-A mountain-A large city-A small city-Near a lake or river-Close to NYC-As far as possible from NYC?-The suburb????Narrowing Your SelectionMake a list of what you are looking for in a college. Keep in mind school sizes, distance away from home, gender and ethnic variety, sports, clubs and activities, minimum requirements to get in (GPA, rank, SAT scores)Padding that ResumeJoin some clubsVolunteerGet a jobPump those grades waaaaaaaaaay up WHY?Thanks for Asking!Colleges will be looking closely at how well you perform at the beginning of your senior yearWhile most students see it as the end of the line, colleges see it as the time and place where the work is more demandingmore COLLEGIATE! Thus, doing well now shows that you can handle the added difficultyOk, the First Big StepDownload the Common App from https://www.commonapp.orgIt looks like a LOT of information-and it is sort of.Force yourself to sit down and start it-without distractions! Log off FB, Turn off the cell phone and just concentrate

Make an InventoryYou will need information from GuidanceYou will need transcripts from the School OfficeYou will need financial information from your parents/gaurdiansYou will need (later) even more financial information for Financial AidYou will need a College EssayYou may need additional writing samples for some colleges-and for grantsAsk your parents if their jobs offer any scholarships. Many major companies offer money-you just need to applyYou will need at least two (2) recomendationsThe Recommendation ProcessAsk NowAsk OftenEmail RemindersDont ask in ClassAsk after school-or in your teachers free time.Ask and ye shall receive

Who to AskAsk a teacher who knows youAsk a teacher who knows what you are capable offDont just ask a teacher you got high grades forAsk a teacher from a class in which you started off poorly but then salvaged through hard workAsk a teacher who has something to sayAsk a teacher who teaches a subject you may want to major inAsk a teacher who has not written you 500 JUGsBack to the Lecture at HandAt this point in the process the weather will be turning cold and the year will be progressing infinitely faster than you thought it could ever moveDo you have a car? A friend with a car? A friend in college? A Parent ready for a road trip?There are 50 colleges in the city 50 more within 20 miles You get my drift. Plan a trip that allows you to stop at as many as you can over a long three day weekend. Get a cheap hotel and make an adventure.Take a lot of picturesCall the schools ahead of time and see if you can plan a tourBack at the Bat CaveYou will be completing your drafts of the College Essay. Common App TopicsEvaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to yo Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influenceDescribe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence. A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.Where Do I Start???At the Beginning!

Step 1-Write down a list of the first 5 ideas that pop into your head

Step 2- Expand on each thought for 3-5 sentences, write down a few more ideas

Step 3-Come see me, Mr. Lessa, Or Mrs. MorciglioliolioPicking a strong idea that you can follow through on is most important!Paragraph THE FIRSTDescribe the event, person, or experience.

Use sensory language

HUH?What is sensory language?Sensory language is descriptive and detailed language geared towards explaining how you saw, felt, heard, and smelled something.For Example: A Getting Hurt StoryI will never forget the sharp THWACK of the football as it was punted through the air. I quickly noticed it was spinning end over end towards me. There were 12 seconds on the clock and I felt the weight of the whole season on my shoulders WHAM! I then heard a sound like the snapping of brush in a campfire as the 500 pound Linebacker pulverized me into the 20 yard. I woke up later with the uncomfortable presence of tubes in my throat and an IV in my arm. Then I saw what no young man wants to see My legs bent at 90 degree angles away from my body.What did this event sound, taste, feel, look like? Be specific!

This is where the reader will enter your mind! Make his stay an interesting one!Paragraph TWOOOO!The second paragraph specifically outlines the lessons you gained from the experience, the truths you absorbed from that person you chose, or the instruction you obtained from the event. Again, use SPECIFIC DETAIL and define that information.Continuing the ExampleI soon learned from the doctor that I would never be able to walk in a straight line again, I would only be able to make left turns. I immediately wondered if girls at college would be able to love a non-straightwalker? It soon dawned on me that the inability to walk in a straight line was actually a blessing! I realized that goals in life are never reached by walking in a straight line. In fact, you must be ready for all the right turns life will throw at you. That day, in my L-shaped hospital bed, I realized I was ready for anything!The Conclusion (3rd Paragraph)The Finale of your room is a culmination of both the experience you chose to write about in the first paragraph and the lessons you learned from it.

In the last paragraph you will write about how that experience has shaped you and will ensure your success at _______ University.FINThe realization that life does not happen in a straight line will ensure my success at SUNY New Paltz. I know that I must be ready for every event that life will throw at me. My ability to deal with the pressure of changing situations and the unsure nature of the future will assuredly help me make the best of my college years. As I walk through the Sojourner Truth Library I will be confident that I will be able to handle anything SUNY New Paltz has to throw at me!Questions????