Day 1- College Essay Bootcamp (Ideation)

DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​

1. Rough Draft College Essay. DUE: Monday, 9/25, Start of Class. Google Classroom.
2. College Essay Conference + Reflection. DUE: Complete sometime between Thursday 9/21 and Tuesday, 9/25. Turn Reflection in on Google Classroom after the conference.
3. Revised College Essay + Display Board. DUE: Wednesday, 9/27, Start of Class. Turn in Hard Copy of Display Board.

 
DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​​

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Starter- This is Water, by David Foster Wallace (10 min video, 15 total)

1. Jot down key ideas/takeaways- at least 3

Pair Share

1. To what extent do you agree with these claims or pieces of advice? Do any ring true for you? Others you know? How so?
2. Starting college essays today, where you’ll be focusing SOLELY on yourself and your own beliefs/experiences, etc… What is one big idea you can take from his speech to help you with your essay? (post it on board)

Instructions (5 min)

1. Log on to Google Classroom
2. Find the College Essay Assignment under Classwork
3. Open it and read through silently 
4. Let’s look at the list of resources on my Resources page (2 minutes)
   • College Essay Guy is amazing!  You need to email to request access to the free guide, but it is worth it! Do it! We’ll check out the various resources he has listed in that guide real quick….

GOAL = Refined 2nd draft of at least one college essay.  
​Which phrase best describes your current situation in regards to college essay writing? (5 min)

1. I haven't started yet, and don't have a clue what the outcome might look like.
2. I have a prompt and have started writing, but I'm nowhere near done.
3. I have finished at least one essay, but it would benefit from some more refinement
4. I have mostly finished my college essays, but still have a few more and/or supplementary writing I can work on and refine.

Write your names on the paper in your corner- we will come back to this tomorrow to help us form some groups!

Narrative Structure- Straightforward, linear story.

1. Challenges + Effects or EXPERIENCES
   This part gets into specific detail regarding a specific challenge the student has faced, and the various effects of that challenge. Tough stuff you’ve been through. Big experiences. Their subsequent impacts. Various obstacles you’ve had to overcome.
2. What I Did About Them
   Actions you took to overcome those challenges and their effects, often to meet specific needs. These actions help to illustrate your values and growth.
3. What I Learned
   Lessons and insights you’ve gained through these experiences. Reflection on how your experiences have shaped you and why that matters. What you will bring to that college because of these experiences.

Montage Structure

1. A technique that involves creating a new whole from separate fragments (pictures, words, music, etc.). 
2. A few images tell the whole story. And you can use this technique for your essay. (Example - Bracelets)
3. Find a focusing lens: You can’t discuss every single aspect of your life; you can, however, show us a few important points through a single lens or metaphor. 

GOAL TODAY = Lots of brainstorming and ideation
Even if you already have an essay, I can tell you that so many students throw out the drafts they have midway through this semester to start again.  My goal here is to give ALL of you many ideas to return to and to start with, and to make sure that ideas that you have are unique and specific to YOU.
Create a brainstorming document!  If you prefer to do this by hand, grab some paper. Here we go.

Brainstorm 1: Core Values Exercise

1. Narrow down your values.
2. Connect your values to your experiences- for each value, come up with an experience or story.

Brainstorm 2: I Love + I Know
Spend one minute making a random list of things you love. If you have a partner nearby, set a timer and speak your list aloud while your partner writes down what you say. Examples: I love ... the ocean. I love ... the way clean laundry smells. I love ... physics. I love ... my grandmother's pupusas, etc. Then switch roles, and you write while your partner makes their list. Here's a video of me doing this one.

After you've done that, spend one minute making a list of things you know a lot about. (Examples: I know a lot about ... board games ... World War II history ... constructed languages, etc.) Again, if you have a partner, take turns talking and writing. Write 

Connect to values- star the ones that connect to your values when you’re done!

Brainstorm 3: Feelings and Needs
Walk through the handout.

​Reading Model Essays

1. Read at least one of these examples.  If you have more time, read more than one, and answer the questions below.
2. Describe this person in one sentence
3. What did you learn about the individual?
4. What type of essay was it? What did you like? Dislike?