Senior Essays...

Hi again Chill- well, we are done with the resume' ( see your other post) , and getting ready to tackle the essay. I hope your question gets a lot of res

ponses because mine is having trouble with the rough draft. He wants to write about having overcome an obstacle, but, fortunately, he hasn't had any big life or death issues so far. Then you wonder if the obstacles he has faced have enough meat or angst to them???
In Texas, we have a common application- which means the same essay topics are ther for you to choose from for any of the public colleges.
Besides the overcoming a setback question our others are: Statement of Purpose and Describe why you are a good match with us, and what personal info do you want to be considered in our decision.
This is a very interesting time!

Most of the seniors in my sons graduating class last year made appointments with english teachers to assist them in determining what to write about and then they followed up with the same teachers for editing and cleaning up the essays. We found the teachers to be very open in doing this. In some cases the seniors went to english teachers from prior years for assistance as they felt they were more comfortable with them. I am lucky in that I work with former teachers every day so I brought my sons into work and they red penned it over and over

Just a thought

_______________
"Baseball, it is said, is only a game. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole."

"JustMom"

In terms of essay topics, one of the best ways for your son to find a topic that moves him is to brainstorm with someone -just sitting down with you or someone he is close with and talking about his likes, his hopes, dreams, funny stories that happened to him, people who have made a difference in his life...then when you find a subject matter that interests him, you can sort of tailor it to the essay he is required to write or has chosen to tackle. Admissions officers know that not every kid has taken a boat trip from Viet Nam to the US (actual essay I've seen), or has lost his home to a fire, or has experienced a great loss that has affected him in some way. Sometimes the smallest, most insignificant instances that show a great love, or passion or caring, or change in emotion can make an excellent essay. Chill - I believe your son just underwent surgery - he may want to write about some small part of this experience that has changed his outlook ...the most important part of the essay is to make it personal...the admissions officer is trying to hear the student's 'voice' - not trying to be impressed at how much someone has suffered necessarily. They will be interested in hearing why a particular experience - or person, etc. was important to the student. I find that essays that work take the most mundane things and turn them into moving and interesting pictures of the student's world.

amom..
You've been a big help to me today. Thank you.

justmom...
My daughter is working with last years English teacher. Her advise was to make a list of 10 things you could write about, and then pick something else? Different approach.

NYMom...
Thankfully, my son is a college freshman and this is not his concern. My daughter has actually written a couple essays...she is not happy with either...and my feeling is that she is just not comfortable talking so much about herself.
Your post was an exact "repeat" of my conversation on Sunday with my sister. She has just started her 28th year teaching honors English and her advise was about the "voice" and "lessons" etc. that you speak of.
One of the pieces brought me to tears....but is that just because I know of everything behind her words...or was it truly that powerfuL?
I will be sending it over the e-mail for the red pen Kelly referred to.

______________________________
By the time you learn how to play the game...
You can't play it anymore ~ Frank Howard

This can be the most stressful part of the entire process. We sent ours to an editor who was a former application reader and it was the best thing for everyone. He wrote openly and honestly for her and we never looked at the essays until after the applications were submitted. You run the risk of inserting your own personality into your childs writing when you are editing for them even if you don't intend to. And, we never had to tell him to sit down and write because he had to make the appointments himself. I will definitely do the same with my daughter.

It is difficult to write just one essay and have it apply to each school. Son's essays last year:

How he learned perspective from his grandmother, who escaped Nazi Germany and who visited Hamburg with us 50+ years later.(Influential person in your life)

How he and his school support an autistic child to reach his potential. (State a time in which you acted with compassion)

Why he disagrees with the physician-assisted suicide law in Oregon. (What law would you change and why?)

How he led his football teammates to a better work ethic and season.

They were all fairly short, logical and successful, I think.

He ended up not applying to a couple of schools because he didn't like the essay question-- Which person in history has been the most influential and why? Too deep.

Even a kid who is not a great creative writer can do a good job on these essays by brainstorming, writing logically and with a point of view, I think. My son is proof of that.

The senior essay is a pain in the posterior. It seemed like every college wanted something a little different. Three short questions, one long essay, a learning experience, a turning point, it goes on and on. We saved all responses and used variations over and over.

Three subjects that worked well. One was about his experience coaching his younger brothers little league age fall ball team -- what he learned -- the parents were much more difficult to please than the kids. Second subject was a volunteer experience to an orphanage in Mexico; all about understanding how blessed he is; third was about playing for a coach that he "hated" and how it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to grow, both as a man and as a player. THe main point -- he developed character through difficult times and they made him stronger.

He picked his subjects and wrote the essays. Mom did a little editing but not much. I have to say -- I was really proud of what he learned and shared -- I had no idea that he had grown so much through these experiences. The colleges might not have been impressed, but I was. I also printed and saved all of them.....

Best of luck.

Say Hey!

Mays

From what I am hearing a lot of kids do pick a topic to write about which has caused them pain.
How they deal with it, how much resolve they show and how it makes them grow up in some way
is the side of themselves they are revealing to the college.

Remember, we've lived the whole "thing" with our children...the essay should attempt to relay
as much of the personal journey to the reader so they can grasp the magnitude of it all...

It is a relief when it's done...for everyone.

______________________________
By the time you learn how to play the game...
You can't play it anymore ~ Frank Howard