Seize the best of summer!
Seize the last few weeks of summer to create your college essay.
Before the whirlwind of senior year starts, you can use valuable "downtime" to write your essay.
Five ways that end of summer can give you a running start on your college application.
1. Dream about your topic.
- Keep a small spiral handy to jot down your ideas. Use your phone to take pix of interesting events, people, and landscapes. Later, these photos will help remind you of a topic or place that you might want to write about.
Find out what's happening in Scarsdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
2. Gather best ideas.
Launch your best ideas by reading other students’ essays.
Find out what's happening in Scarsdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Try Harry Bauld, On Writing the College Essay.
Or Ashley Baker, Six Weeks to Success. College Admissions Secrets.
3. Get Ready.. .
Don’t know how to start? Get help with a cluster graphic organizer. See www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/cloud for some ways to graphically capture your ideas. Seeing things visually will give you a sense of order. Once you have your graphic organizer, try writing three main body paragraphs.
4. . . . Set, and Go!
Set a date to complete. It’s important to have deliverable dates written down. Edit and revise your drafts. Polish your p's and q's. Ask a friend for help.
5. Polish your jewel.
Ask a parent, teacher, or college essay expert to review your essay. They may point out a valuable perspective that you'd never thought of.
Revise/ polish some more. Make it your best effort.
Crossing the finish line: Essay success! Hand in your draft in September to your counselor!
Theresa Michna, M.A., author of Fearless College Essay Workshops, has been an English and History Adjunct at Pace University and Manhattanville College. Almost 96% of her students have been accepted by their top three choices. www.TheresaMichna.com. 914-630-4357.
