College Application Essay Assignment s1

College/Scholarship Application Essay Assignment Guidelines and Prompts Draft due Tuesday, September 1 Final with tii receipt due Wednesday, September 2

Formatting and Due Dates

 Must be MLA format, 2-3 pages long (depending on prompt specification)  Turn in a hard copy of the paper AND your turnitin.com receipt. No receipt – no credit.  You must turn this in ON TIME. That means you submit the essay to turnitin.com BEFORE class starts AND you bring a hard copy with the tii receipt. If you are absent, get it here anyway. You can always email an attachment in Microsoft Word.

Your essay should include:

 The prompt you chose and the word count or page requirements- either attach it to the front of your essay OR type it at the beginning of your paper. If you don’t include the prompt, I can’t grade the paper accurately.  An anecdote illustrating your point  A clear thesis statement using three green words  An explanation where you tie your anecdote to the prompt. In other words, how does this story show something about your character? If the prompt isn’t personal, then how does this story illustrate your point?

Grading See rubric

Prompts are available on the other side of this page.

If you already have a college in mind and have a copy of a prompt that school uses, you may use that prompt. If you did not locate your own prompt, then choose from the following options. These are the essay prompts from the 2015-16 Common Application.

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.