Personal Statement Rough Draft

Grading: Formative. 100 Points. Weight 4.

Due: April 14th, 2020

Assignment: Choose one of the following Common Application Personal Statement prompts and write an essay rough draft. The Personal Statement essay must be 500 - 1000 words, MLA format. These will be peer-reviewed, so consider what you may or may not like to share with you peers reviewing your papers.

Prompts:

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 obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

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, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Personal Statement Peer Reviews

Grading: Summative. 30 Points. Weight 1.

Due: April 27th

Assignment: You will be provided 3 essays to peer review. You will comment directly on the essay. Consider both strengths and weaknesses of the personal statement writing and content. Examine consistent use of tense, active voice vs. passive voice, spelling/grammar, clarity of the writing, and if the essay thoroughly answers to prompt/question.

You are reading a personal narrative, experience, or view of someone. Separate your personal opinions, respect their experiences, and take this very seriously. Your job is to help them strengthen their essay.

Resume

Grading: Summative. Rough Draft - 20 Points, Weight 1. Final Draft - 50 Points, Weight 5.

Due: Rough Draft - April 30th. Final Draft - May 12th.

Assignment: Build a resume targeted for a college admissions application. Include all the sections we discussed: Name, Contact info, Objective/Introduction, Education, Skills, Work Experience, Other Experience, Awards, and References. The resume should be no more than 2 pages, with excellent spelling/grammar, and should be organized in a clear, easy to read format.