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The Common Application A Standard Application for most U.S. Universities & Colleges The Common Application A Standard Application for most U.S. Universities & Colleges

The Common Application A Standard Application for most U.S. Universities & Colleges - PowerPoint Presentation

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The Common Application A Standard Application for most U.S. Universities & Colleges - PPT Presentation

Part I Addressing errors made in the college application process Addressing common mistakes made on college applications 1 Dont use generic reasons for choosing a college Students shouldnt say they want to go to a particular school because of classroom size or teacherstude ID: 743487

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Slide1

The Common Application

A Standard Application for most U.S. Universities & Colleges

Part I – Addressing errors made in the college application process.Slide2

Addressing common mistakes made

on college applications…

1. Don’t use generic reasons for choosing a college.

Students shouldn't say they want to go to a particular school because of classroom size or teacher-student ratios. That answer is too generic because there are plenty of colleges with small classroom sizes. Really investigate something unique you like about the school and express it in the admissions essay.2. Proofread. Students should proofread their applications and essays. They should ask another adult—teacher, parent, or guidance counselor—to proofread them as well.

Jackson, Abby. "The 7 Most Common Mistakes Kids Make on Their College Applications." 

Business Insider

.

Business Insider, Inc. 09 Aug. 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.Slide3

3. Fully explain your extracurricular activities.

The activity section of the Common Application is limited with only a certain amount of characters allowed.

Students should utilize the “additional information” section to finish anything that didn’t fit in the activity section.

Addressing common mistakes made on college applications…cont’dJackson, Abby. "The 7 Most Common Mistakes Kids Make on Their College Applications." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc. 09 Aug. 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.Slide4

4. Do not send in low test scores if the school doesn’t require them.

Not all schools require you to send standardized test scores

Some schools require you to send every test score (for example, if you took the SAT multiple times)

Consider your scores before you send them.Addressing common mistakes made on college applications…cont’dJackson, Abby. "The 7 Most Common Mistakes Kids Make on Their College Applications." Business Insider.

Business Insider, Inc. 09 Aug. 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.Slide5

Addressing common mistakes made on college applications…cont’d

5. Apply BEFORE the application due date.

Colleges track when students send applications, and it reflects negatively on students who send in their applications on the due date.

Why? It may indicate you are lazy or the school is not your first choice.6. Show interest in the college BEYOND the application.They notice when students “like” their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter and Instagram.Jackson, Abby. "The 7 Most Common Mistakes Kids Make on Their College Applications." Business Insider

.

Business Insider, Inc. 09 Aug. 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.Slide6

Addressing common mistakes made on college applications…cont’d

7. Request teacher recommendations early.

Quality counts.

Asked at the last moment, a teacher may simply decline.Jackson, Abby. "The 7 Most Common Mistakes Kids Make on Their College Applications." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc. 09 Aug. 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.Slide7

The Common Application

A Standard Application for most U.S. Universities & Colleges

Part II – Information about

The Common Application EssaySlide8

Advice about the common app…in general

There are several parts of the application, including 

letters of recommendation

 and writing additional essays that specific colleges may require.Colleges that utilize The Common Application and still have their own institutional application do not put students at a disadvantage. The University of Pennsylvania uses The Common Application, along with a Penn-specific supplement. The only disadvantage, is that students should not apply to schools that may not be the best match for their interests, simply because it is easy to add more schools to their list in The Common Application.Slide9

The Common Application Essay

The Common Application essay prompts are flexible.

But, what are they really asking?

The prompts should pull you into self-reflection.Your essay should feature your best assets and personality.You choose one of five prompts.Brook, Stacey. "2016-17 Common Application Essay Prompts: A Guide." College Essay Advisors: Personalizing the Personal Statement. College Essay Advisors, 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.Slide10

2017-2018 Prompt #1

This year’s first prompt is as solid a choose-your-own-adventure option as any you’ll find. No matter what memory, personality trait, hobby, or accomplishment a student chooses to highlight, it will likely be easily molded to fit this prompt.

Ask yourself:

Self, in your 17 years on this earth, what has helped shape the person you are today?It can be something as small as seeing an episode of a television show, or as large as the struggle of moving to a foreign country. Your subject and/or perspective should be self-motivated and specific to you and who you are and no one else. Did a Wednesday night family bowling tradition help shape the way you think about family, teamwork and the power of rituals? Does your crazy dyed-blue hair define you? Did going to a Picasso exhibit inspire you to start an art collection that has since expanded beyond the borders of your bedroom? How would you define yourself and what influences in your life led you down your current path?

What funny story do you tell friends and family over and over again and why do you think it always comes up? How are these stories and qualities representative of who you are at your core?

This prompt will serve as a fabulous catch-all for subjects that don’t fit within the confines of the other four prompts. It is, in essence, a topic of grand choice, cushioned by a few helpful guidelines.

Brook, Stacey. "2016-17 Common Application Essay Prompts: A Guide." 

College Essay Advisors: Personalizing the Personal Statement

. College Essay Advisors, 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.Slide11

A question about failure is really a question about success.

You should aim to showcase both a sense of humility and resilience.

How do you deal with hardship? Are you the kind of person who can rebound--who turns every experience, good or bad, into one from which you can learn something?

Be careful not to choose failures that may seem trite (failure to get an A on an exam and/or secure tickets to Bonnaroo), or that illustrate a lapse in good judgment (that time you crashed your car or ate fifteen hot dogs in one sitting). If you can isolate an incident or trial in your life and how you learned from it, this can be a rewarding prompt to explore. Did your failure to follow directions lead you to a botched home science experiment (catapulted cantaloupe catastrophe) and an appreciation for a balance of creativity and planned procedure? Has your comical inability to master the game of tennis taught you that the value of your weekly games lies in the time provided to bond with friends? Did your failed attempt to become a child actor introduce you to screenwriting, your professional goal and biggest passion? Keep these stories as positive as possible. These essays are not really about losing, they are about overcoming obstacles, and refusing to submit to life’s greatest challenges.

Brook, Stacey. "2016-17 Common Application Essay Prompts: A Guide." 

College Essay Advisors: Personalizing the Personal Statement

. College Essay Advisors, 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.

2017-2018 Prompt #2Slide12

2017-2018 Prompt #3

Perhaps the most challenging prompt of the Common App’s selection, requiring you to speak passionately about beliefs and ideology.

Note: emphasis in thinking and outcome.

It may be difficult to mold a compact story in a positive, productive direction without being preachy or overly moralistic.This prompt can be incisive and deeply personal, as it was for a student who stood up to her parents’ old-fashioned outlook on feminism. But, it can also be quite controversial, and students need to carefully assess the risks of espousing beliefs that might be polarizing for the readers of their applications. If this prompt jumps out at you because you have a very specific story to tell or opinion to voice, run with it. When has your opinion been unpopular? How did you react? Why are you the kind of person who is willing to stand up for what you believe in? What is important to you on a fundamental level of morals and values? Slide13

2017-2018 Prompt #4

This one is quite similar to prompt #2 in that it is meant to tease out a student’s problem-solving skills and provide a glimpse into your frame of mind when dealing with challenges.

But, this question provides opportunities for creative expression, leaving both the scale and the time frame for setting up a problem/solution wide open.

You should also consider this prompt from an aspirational perspective: What kind of change would you like to make in the world? How do you think you can positively contribute to a cause that is important to you?  If you had the power to make a lasting impact in any area at all, what would it be? It is important that the problem you choose is linked to your life and world in a meaningful way. The whole purpose of this exercise is to reveal something valuable about yourself to admissions. Detail at least a few steps you would/could take to solve your chosen problem. This prompt opens the door for some incredibly imaginative approaches to the personal essay. Slide14

2017-2018 Prompt #5

An essay inspired by this prompt can tackle anything from a formal event to a very small occurrence. But, a

realization

is quite different.Keep the words “accomplishment” and “event” in mind. A formal event might be prom, Quinceañera, wedding, earning an award, or receiving a promotion. More informal examples might include something as simple as meeting a special person in your life, taking a car ride, or eating a particularly meaningful meal. Sometimes the smaller, less formal events can make for more surprising and memorable essays.If you focus on a realization, make sure it is important to who you’ve become. Perhaps you realized after years of playing a sport that you don’t enjoy it, you’d rather be doing something completely different. Or, you’ve believed in something all your life and have an epiphany about it that changes you. Slide15

2017-2018 Prompt #6

When have you found yourself in “the place where time stands still” or lost hours because you were so focused on a topic, idea, or concept?

Perhaps you’ve tried to use programming to create something new or augment software to make it work better.

Have you taken an engine apart (or some other complex piece of equipment) and spent hours putting it back together or making it work more efficiently.Did you discover a love of cooking? Are you now on a mission to be on the Great American Baking Show?Who are your mentors when it comes to your passions?Slide16

The Introduction…

The most important part of your essay.

Draw the reader in with your intro.

DO NOT explain what you are going to write about. Yawn!Here is a very bad introduction:My journey toward college has been shaped by a variety of experiences, including academic studies, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities.The reader is asleep or muttering, “Get to the point!”Slide17

J

ump Right In!

Do not restate the question.

Here’s a startI can’t tell you into which peer group I’d fit best because I’m a social chameleon and am comfortable in most; I will instead describe my own social situation and the various cliques I drift in and out of as a new student in my senior year.Oh, darn! The first part was so good and then the writer deteriorated into telling the reader what he was going to write about.Slide18

Jump Right In…even into an anecdote

You can jump right into an anecdote

Here’s an intro that cuts to the action

“Breez in and breez out. Clear yor mind by zinking of somezing

plasant

.” For five minutes, all of us found ourselves sitting cross-legged on the floor with a soft, sleepy look on our faces as we subconsciously nodded to the soothing rhythmic voice of our French teacher. Our heads were wafting in the delicious swirls of dreamland, barely dwelling in the bittersweet world of reality. Time whizzed swiftly by and, suddenly, we were forced to the grueling task of untangling our aching frames, stiffened from prolonged sitting positions.”

Engages the reader

Uses dialogue to win the reader’s attention

Shows setting without explicitly stating it

Still has some mysterySlide19

Show Your Originality

Emphasize a unique aspect of your life

When I was four years old, I decided to challenge conventional notions of the human limit by flying through a glass window. The impetus was Superman, whose exploits on television had induced my experiment. Nine stitches and 13 years later, while I no longer attempt to be stronger than steel or faster than a speeding bullet, I still find myself testing my limits, both mental and physical.

I am an addict. I tell people I could stop anytime, but deep inside, I know I am lying. I need to listen to music, to write music, to play music every day. I can’t go a whole day without, at the very least, humming or whistling the tunes that crowd my head. I sing myself hoarse each morning in the shower, and playing the trumpet leaves a red mouthpiece-shaped badge of courage on my lips all day. I suspect that if someone were to look at my blood under a microscope, they would see, between the platelets and t-cells, little black musical notes coursing through my body.”Both writers grabbed our attentionBoth revealed something unique about themselves they will explain in further detailSlide20

Use a concrete image

This may help the reader grasp your point more immediately

While eating Cheerios, my eyes wandered from the giant yellow cardboard box, to the white plastered ceiling, with shades of dawn in muted colors, and back to my bowl of cereal.

Not a particular episodeDescribes a place for thoughtful refugeThe reader can see itSlide21

The Element of Mystery

Mystery and surprise are very effective

Remember, admissions officers read as many as 50 essays in a day

Get them guessingI had a mental image of them standing there, wearing ragged clothes, hot and depressed, looking upon us as intruders in their world. They would sneer at our audacity. We would invade their territory only to take pictures and observe them like tourists.A concrete picture, but vital info is withheld until the second paragraph:We climbed out of the van and faced eleven men assembled in the shade. My mental image was confirmed. My class, consisting of 12 primarily white, middle-class students, felt out of place. Our Politics of Food curriculum at Governor’s School, a summer environmental program, included an interview with migrant workers. We were at a farm worker labor camp in southern New Jersey, but judging from the rural landscape, it may as well have been Iowa. I felt like a trespasser.Slide22

State a Problem

By stating a problem, you create instant curiosity

The reader wants to see how you will address the issue.

I often wonder whether the United States has an obligation to get involved in the internal conflicts of other countries. When does the power to intervene become an obligation to act? I gained some insight into this dilemma when a small part of the Bosnian war spilled into my home last year.This is global, but your problem could be local or personalIn the body of the essay, you will add what you are doing or will do to address the problem.Use the element of drama in your introduction to grab the reader.

"Introduction Types." 

EssayEdge.com: College Application Essay Help, Sample College Admission Essays, University Entrance Essay Editing

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N.p

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n.d.

Web. 15 Aug. 2016.Slide23

The Assignment

Over the next few days,

start thinking

about what essay prompt speaks to you. Have your decision made by next week.Next week, we will discuss the ideas you have as a whole class.You will be writing your own common app essay next week to prepare yourself for the Common Application for colleges.But, for now, we are pondering the prompts and possible ways to address them.