College Application Essays Flashcards
Grade 12 · English · Flashcards
Key concepts, strategies, and pitfalls for crafting memorable college application essays.
Flashcards
- Personal Statement
- The main essay on the Common App (up to 650 words) giving applicants freedom to share their story, values, and voice with admissions committees.
- Show, Don't Tell
- Replace direct assertions ('I am curious') with specific scenes and actions that demonstrate the quality rather than naming it.
- In Media Res Opening
- Starting the essay mid-scene, in the middle of the action, to immediately hook the reader before providing context.
- Narrative Arc
- The structural journey of a personal essay: specific opening scene → complication or reflection → insight or growth → resonant conclusion.
- Authentic Voice
- Writing that sounds genuinely like you—your actual thinking patterns, humor, phrasing—not a formal 'essay' performance.
- Résumé Essay Trap
- The common mistake of using the personal statement to list accomplishments already visible on the activities list, wasting the chance to reveal inner character.
- Why This College Essay
- A supplemental essay requiring specific, researched knowledge of the school and a clear articulation of how it connects to your particular academic and personal goals.
- The So What Factor
- The reflection layer of any essay: what does this story reveal about how you think, what you value, or how you've grown?
- Common App Prompts
- Seven optional prompts including: background/identity, overcoming challenge, questioning a belief, problem you've solved, personal growth, passion, and free topic.
- Pivot / Turning Point
- The moment in the essay where something shifts—a new understanding, changed perspective, or unexpected connection—giving the narrative its emotional and intellectual meaning.
- Specificity Principle
- Specific details (the smell of the engine oil, the exact year of the manual, your grandmother's name) make essays feel real and memorable; vague essays feel interchangeable.
- Supplement vs. Personal Statement Strategy
- Personal statements show broad character and intellectual identity; supplements zoom in on specific activities, school fit, or short reflections—they should not repeat each other.
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