Warm-Up for College-Entrance Writing
Heading from high school to an even higher education can be a daunting prospect. You'll go from being the oldest and most experienced student to the youngest and least experienced. You'll also need to find the right school to help you achieve your goals. Finding that school—and making sure that school finds you—is a process.
One key part of the process is the college application. You'll provide all kinds of information about yourself, including your high school transcripts, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, and intended field of study. On most applications, you'll be asked to write one or more essays focusing on some aspect of your life or education and how it relates to your goals. Providing an on-target response begins with understanding the college-entrance prompt.
What Is a College-Entrance Prompt?
Listen to "What Is a College Entrance Writing Prompt?"
Hide audio
A college-entrance prompt is a brief set of instructions telling you what to write about on a college application. To analyze a prompt, you can use the PAST questions:
- Purpose: Why am I writing? (to explain, to define, to narrate, to show?)
- Audience: Who will read this? (admissions officers, fellow freshmen, college community?)
- Subject: What am I writing about? (leadership, community service, education, vision?)
- Type: What form should my writing take? (personal essay, biographical essay, reflection?)
In this unit, you'll learn to use the PAST mnemonic to analyze any college-entrance prompt or any other writing assignment you receive. First, though, you should warm up your thinking by reflecting on your goals after high school.
Thinking About the Past and Future
Before you start applying to schools, you should think about your past and future. A reflection chart can help you track how you are changing over time.
|
5 Years Ago |
Today |
5 Years from Now |
|
|
My Age |
13 years old |
18 years old |
23 years old |
|
My Strengths |
Video games, friends |
Politics, theater, friends, video games |
Degree, public speaking, political connections |
|
My Weaknesses |
Being shy, lazy |
Lazy |
Inexperienced |
|
What I Want to Do |
Sleep in, eat pizza, play games |
Go into politics, play games |
Become a state assembly person |
|
My Education |
7th grader |
High school senior |
College graduate, pre-law |
|
My Experience |
Bike riding, games, choir |
Veteran's Terrace, Menswear Store |
Interning at the State Capitol, working on campus |
What sort of school would help me reach my goal?
I need a 4-year school that offers a strong pre-law bachelor's degree. I would like to go to a school in the state capital so that I could intern with a senator or assembly person. I could also go to a school in a big city and get involved in city politics.
Think about your past and future.
Fill out a chart like the one above. In each row, reflect on who you were five years ago, who you are now, and who you hope to be in five years. Afterward, write a sentence or two about the kind of educational experience you need to change you from who you are into who you want to be.
Teaching Tip
For many students, the hardest part of college-entrance essays is how personal they are, requiring students to tout accomplishments right when they feel underprepared and vulnerable. This activity gives them a "soft entry" into thinking about the progress they've made and the progress they hope to make. It also helps them imagine themselves in the future, the first step in establishing an initial goal. Of course, students in college often change directions, but as high schoolers apply to colleges, they should have some direction in mind.
Thinking About What Schools Want
Finding the right school is half the job; convincing the school that you are the right student is the other half. Start by thinking about what schools tend to want in students and what you have to offer:
- Schools want eager learners who participate in class and work hard to succeed. What can you offer the school as a learner?
I participate often in class. I like to keep class interesting, and the best way to do that is to be involved. I also like to get to know my teachers. College will be harder than high school, and I plan to spend even more time doing homework than I do right now.
- Schools want students who get involved outside of the classroom. What kinds of activities on campus and in the community would you like to participate in?
I plan to do work-study to help pay for college, so I will be working someplace on campus. Also, I am politically active, so I would like to get involved in student political organizations. I'm currently in student government and am a student representative on the City Council, so I'll do those kinds of things at college too.
- Schools want students who get along well with others, in class, in dorms, in the Student Union, and elsewhere. What can you offer to strengthen the social environment on campus?
Campus is only as good as the people there. If people are honest, fair, courteous, and truthful, they will get along well with each other. I have all of these qualities, so I will support other students and help make the campus a better place for living.
- Schools want students who have a vision for what they want out of life. What do you hope to become as a result of your time in college?
I hope eventually to become a member of Congress, either in the House of Representatives or the Senate. I want to get a pre-law degree and experience interning, and then hope to go on to law school and start to run for local and state offices as I work toward my goal. While I'm in college, I hope to take part in state politics and make connections.
Think about what schools want.
Answer each of these questions to reflect on what you can offer a school community.