Perfect phrases for college application essays

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Part 1. Building a Foundation for Writing Your Essay

Chapter 1. Writing the College Application Essay Is a Daunting Task: What to Do About It

Make It a Goal to Trust Your Experience

Chapter 2. A Look at the Application Essay Questions

Help Getting from "Having to Write the Essay" to "Having Written It"

Part 2. Perfect Phrases for Developing and Writing College Application Essays

Chapter 3. Perfect Phrases for Inventorying Experiences That Highlight Your Attributes and Attitudes

Perfect Phrases for Focusing on Significant Personal Achievement

Perfect Phrases for Focusing on Your Interests and How They Shape You

Perfect Phrases for Focusing on Character Traits

Perfect Phrases for Focusing on Your Desires and Goals for the Future

Perfect Phrases for Figuring Out Why You Want to Go to a Particular School

Perfect Phrases for Finding Out What You Will Bring to the School You Enter and to Your Classmates

Perfect Phrases for Addressing Diversity of Experience

Perfect Phrases for Showing the Way You Take Initiative

Perfect Phrases for Showing Your Leadership Qualities

What's Next?

Chapter 4. Perfect Phrases for Significant Experience or Ethical Dilemma Essays

Perfect Phrases for Finding Your Material as You Begin

"This Is a Story About..."

Perfect Phrase: "When I..." for Ethical Dilemma

Perfect Phrases for Gathering More Specific Images from Your Experience

Perfect Phrases for Further Researching Your Experience and Its Meaning

Perfect Phrases for Articulating Where Your Story Is Going in Terms of Insight

Chapter 5. Personal, Local, National, or International Concerns

Perfect Phrases for Mining Your Interest in and Connection to Social and Political Issues

Perfect Phrases for Stating What Your Interest in a Social Issue Means to You

Perfect Phrases for Finding a Larger Picture than Your Initial Entry Point

Perfect Phrases for Citing How You Will Carry Your Interest Forward

Perfect Phrases for Creating a Thesis Statement That Can Guide Writing about Concerns

Chapter 6. Writing about a Person or Creative Work That Has Influenced You

Perfect Phrases for Interviewing Yourself about Those Who Have Influenced You

Perfect Phrases for Involving the Senses to Make the Person Real for the Reader

Perfect Phrases for Helping You Introduce the Essay as You Write about an Important Influence in Your Life

Perfect Phrases for Evoking Particulars about What a Person Did That Was Impressive

Perfect Phrases for Articulating How You Expect to Apply What You Have Learned from This Influence

Perfect Phrases for Creating the Thesis Statement for the Influence Question

Chapter 7. Writing for the Diversity Questions

Perfect Phrases for Getting at the Heart of the Diversity Essay

Perfect Phrases for Putting Culture Clashes on the Page

Perfect Phrases for Describing What You Are Fond Of in Your Culture

Perfect Phrases for Describing Discrimination

Perfect Phrases for Describing How Feeling Like an Outsider Develops Character

Perfect Phrases for Talking about the Value of Cross-Cultural Experience

Perfect Phrases for Talking about How Cross-Cultural Experiences Help One Set Goals

Perfect Phrases for Gathering the Details of Your Diversity Experience

Perfect Phrases for Writing the Diversity Essay Thesis Statement

Chapter 8. Writing on the Topic of Your Choice

Perfect Phrases for Writing about Special Needs or Reasons for Lower-than-Expected School Performance

Perfect Phrases for Writing about an Unconventional High School or Post-High School Educational Experience that Lowered Your Grades

Using the Topic of Your Choice for Writing the "Why This Particular School" Essay

Perfect Phrases for Using the Topic of Your Choice for Writing the "Why This Particular School" Essay

Writing the Thesis Statement for the Topic of Your Choice Option

Chapter 9. A Quick Look at The Common Application Short Answer Question

Perfect Phrases to Help You Assess Your Activities

Perfect Phrases for Opening the 150-Word Essay

Perfect Phrases for Continuing the 150-Word Essay

Chapter 10. Answering Non-Common Application Essay Questions and Supplemental Short Answer Questions

Perfect Phrases for Writing about a Recent Experience to Illustrate That You Are a School's Kind of Candidate

More Types of Supplemental Questions

Perfect Phrases for Focusing on What the Rest of Your Application Does Not Show the Admissions Committee

Perfect Phrases for Revealing Something Quirky about Yourself

Perfect Phrases for Describing Intellectual Interests, Ideas, or Experiences and Why You Find Them Exciting

Perfect Phrases for Writing about Stretching and Thinking in New Ways

Perfect Phrases for Showing Who You Are in a Vivid Manner

Perfect Phrases for Thinking about Things Going Differently

Perfect Phrases for Understanding Short Story Basics

Perfect Phrases for Discussing Risk

Perfect Phrases for Thinking about Unsatisfied Intellectual Passions and How to Use Them for the Greater Good

Perfect Phrases for Evaluating the Design Option

Perfect Phrases for Articulating a Major Project Idea

Perfect Phrases for Describing How You Have Grown and How This Particular College Will Help You Continue to Grow

Perfect Phrases for Describing How You Have Begun Learning Who You Are and How This Specific College Will Help You Continue to Do That

Perfect Phrases for Organizing and Writing about Several Accomplishments and Experiences in One Essay That Show Your Superior Skills and Personality

Perfect Phrases for Showing Your Potential to Contribute

Perfect Phrases for Answering the Obstacles Question

Part 3. Tricks of the Trade for Polished Essays

Chapter 11. On Writing Strong Beginnings, Middles, and Endings

On Openings

Perfect Phrases for Visualizing Moments and Situations

Opening Essays with Direct Speech or a Quote

Perfect Phrases for Helping You Remember Dialogue or Quotes That Could Open an Essay

Opening Essays with Assertions or Facts

Perfect Phrases for Writing Assertions That Open an Essay

On Middles

Perfect Phrases for Making Transitions

Perfect Phrases for Carrying Essays Forward

Additional Perfect Phrases for Carrying Your Essay Forward

On Endings

Questions for Evaluating Your Ending

Chapter 12. Additional Editing and Formatting Tips

Editing and Polishing Your Essay

Common Grammar Errors to Watch For

Perfect Words for Shortening Phrases

Formatting and Uploading Your Essay

Perfect Phrases for Congratulating Yourself and Celebrating