Kate Brazzale Assistant Dean Marquette University

Kate Brazzale Assistant Dean Marquette University

ESSAY: A college essay is a statement that is used by colleges and universities to evaluate your readiness for college and learn more about you as an individual. The Why Us question The You question (otherwise knows as a personal statement) The Creative question RESUME: Your résumé will highlight your most significant achievements and experiences during your high school career. Reading through your résumé, helps a school gain insight into what makes you, you! BRAG Do not use acronyms Only want to know what you have done during HS You can attach a resume

EXAMPLES Why do you want to attend University? How will your presence enrich our Community?

Actual Essays: : Marquette University is my number one choice for a Liberal Arts and Sciences school. I believe Marquette will fill all my needs for a small private school. Not only does Marquette offer a full range of Liberal Arts and Sciences programs, but they also offer a wonderful core curriculum. As a Catholic, I think that Marquette s Jesuit affiliation can help me to a great extent in my education and in my personal life... Ever since I was little kid I have wanted to attend the University of Notre Dame. I come from a long line of graduates that bleed blue and gold and I can not wait to join this long standing tradition. Notre Dame s Physical Therapy program is supposed to be amongst the best in the nation and if I am to pursue this career I want to be challenged by the best to become the best. I am hoping the admission committee at Marquette will strongly my application for consideration as this is my top choice school.

Something to keep in mind. Not all Why Us essays need to be factually based. They can be heartfelt, excited and just silly! I intend to become totally involved in the life of the university and to make the most of the privilege of attending.... I want the opportunity to grow and develop, to learn to see problems as challenges and obstacles as tests of my inner strength, and to experience the diversity and excitement of life. I want to cheer at 114 basketball games, eat 2,000 brats, and become a useful person.

Example Questions: Complete a one-page personal statement to tell us about yourself. What contributions would you add to our university? The YOU Question also known as the personal statement. Many colleges will ask you to tell us about yourself. These school just wants to know the student better. This is arguably the most universal of the three question types but also the hardest!

My mama always says, If the good Lord gives you lemons, cut em in half and put em in your bra where they ll do you some good. Rhetorically speaking, I think that s pretty sound advice. Well, the good Lord gave me my height. All four feet and ten inches of it. Being a seventeen year old who can pass for a preteen does have its downsides. Having to stand on a box to see over the pulpit during my Bat Mitzvah was a bit of a pain. Finding clothes that fit and are not adorned with lace, frills, and dancing bunny rabbits is often a formidable task. Keeping myself from snapping at gas station attendants who repeatedly call me little girl takes considerable willpower. Despite these drawbacks, though, I have discovered that being vertically challenged has many advantages.

I tighten my fists and narrow my eyes at the invisible enemy in front of me. The sweat drips from my face and soaks through my crisp white gi. I struggle to breathe as I have been taught - in through the nose and out through the mouth - and bounce to the music, anticipating the instructor s shout. Move! My body springs into action. Backfist, reverse punch, front ball kick, hook, uppercut, double palm heel to the ribs. On the last strike I kiai with the rest of the students. Our yells fill the room, louder than the traffic outside and louder than the din from the stereo. The sound pounds inside my head. Drawing back, I assume the on-guard position. I am ready. Karate has been a part of my life since 2013.

Example Questions: Indicate a person who has had significant influence on you. Why? Everyone knows there are two types of people out there. What are they and which are you? The creative question allows you to show yourself through your choice of some tangential item: a historical event, a famous person, a photograph, etc

What would you do for a Klondike bar? Not only is this well-known slogan a catchy tune, but it is a phrase that communicates a lot about myself. The Klondike Company meant for the audience of this jingle to believe that a Klondike bar is so incredibly desirable that anyone would do anything for the chance to be the owner of this delectable dessert. With efficient advertisement and a recognizable tune, Klondike has effectively made a motto that will entice viewers for years to come. However, to me, this slogan is more than just an advertisement for some sugar, but something I can relate to that actually motivates me in my everyday life. This saying communicates to me because I can substitute different ideas for Klondike bar. Instead, I d say to myself what would you do to be happy, what would you do.. To create the best opportunity for yourself, or what would you do.for a life of service? There are countless words phrases I could enter in that blank that would motivate me in my everyday life.

Anything that starts out with YOLO, the road less traveled, or your own schools slogan. Being a cliché is going to make you blend not stick out! Being wishy washy about your answer: I think overall that my life's motto would be Just do it, but the quote "You can do anything you set your mind to would work as well. Take a stance! This question is meant to provoke a strong response.

Lets brainstorm! Have you ever felt inspired? Have you ever lost your sense of time? How have you changed in the past 4 years? Have you ever felt exceptionally or unusually alive? When have you unexpectedly found something fun? When have you felt conflicted and how did you resolve that conflict? What makes you angry? Where do your own assumptions about good and bad, right and wrong, crash up against those of other people? Have you ever looked at a family member/friend and suddenly seen them differently? When have you felt intellectually connected to something in class? Remember, what seems ordinary to you may be revealing to an admissions committee! Where do you start? Take a look around your home/bedroom: What types of mementos are there? Photos? Books? Games? What is in your closet? What is your favorite clothing item? What is in your refrigerator? Favorite foods? Least favorite foods? What are your family traditions? Ask your parents/siblings what their memories are of you and what they perceive to be your best qualities.

You re free from the 5 paragraph format use that to your advantage! You don t have to have an introductory paragraph. In fact, try beheading your essay to get to the meat of what you want to say. You can write in the first-person. Most importantly -----you can be as creative as YOU feel comfortable being.

This should be a reflective process Ask yourself, what do I want the reader to remember about me after reading my essay? What are 3 takeaways the reader should gain about me after reading my essay? Read your essay out loud to someone. Have a friend read your essay and ask, Does it sound like me? If you removed your name from your essay and gave it to a friend/family member to read, would they be able to guess that you wrote it? Share your essay with your counselor and/or teacher. Gather feedback, revise, and repeat as necessary!