Alumni Council on Admissions Newsletter September 2009

At this time, you are probably thinking a lot about the essays you’ll need to write for college applications. To help provide you with some last-minute advice, we wanted to share with you these thoughts:

Combining the Common Application and Penn supplement, you will submit a minimum of three writing samples. Treat each essay as equally important, whether it calls for a long or short response.  Make sure you give each essay response an equal amount of thought, effort and editing.

Certain Penn programs require an additional essay, and all Penn applicants have the option of submitting yet another, optional essay. (Yes, that one really is optional!  If you think you’ll have fun writing it, then by all means, write it and send it in!)

Use your own real writing “voice.”  Your style might be very creative or your style might be plain and straightforward.  Follow your true writing instincts, and be true to yourself.  It may be best if you produce all of your writing samples within a short period of time, perhaps within just a few weeks, to ensure they are all in the same voice.

Read and analyze the essay question.  Take a mental note of your initial reaction, and then seek ways to make it a thorough, well-constructed essay.  The reader should be able to understand your response to the question, but while reading, they will also come to a better understanding of how you think, how you communicate, perhaps how you interpret questions and solve problems.

Consider the essay in the Penn supplement.  Many people call this the “Why Penn” question.  We think of it as more of a “Why YOU” question.  There are a few cues in the question itself.  It asks about academic communities and social communities at Penn that most interest you, and how you will contribute to them.  Hopefully, you have been researching and comparing your various college choices, and you have begun to find some things at Penn which really appeal to you.  Be specific to Penn.  Think about what you could say about Penn that is not necessarily true for other top institutions. To improve upon this essay, you might need to conduct further research, and the Penn website should be a terrific resource.  Allow this essay to reveal a lot about you.  Each person has something different to contribute, so each applicant will focus on a different combination of academic and extracurricular interests. In discussing how your passions and interests could play out at Penn, hopefully you will give the Admissions staff a sense of how you will make an impact at Penn!

OK, you’ve carefully crafted a few writing samples, spruced them up with strong writing technique and strengthened your responses with some good examples.  Now, it’s time to get a few objective opinions:

Spell-check does not count as a proofreader! 

• Get two critics to proofread your work, and we think you could consider a parent for the job. 
  
  
• Your first proofreader should love to use a red pen, noting any errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
  
  
• Your second proofreader should be someone who knows you well, and they should make sure the writing sounds like you, and truly represents you.
  
  
• We think two proofreaders is enough for the task! If you seek further input, you may begin to find other “voices” making their way into your work, and perhaps those voices even begin to drown out your own voice.
  
  
• Graciously accept criticism and assistance, but in the end, make sure your essays are your own work, in your own voice.

 

Good luck!

Alumni Council on Admissions (ACA)