Dual Credit Senior English Summer Essay Assignment --College Essay Prompts 2015-2016
This is a list of the five essay options on the Common App (https://www.commonapp.org). Choose THREE of these essays to write
this summer. They should be typed, 12 pt font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins, with an MLA document ID (your name, professor
name, class name, date) in the upper left hand corner and they should each have an original title. Failure to comply with any of the
standards will result in a deduction of points.
Maximum 650 words. Read it again: That says maximum, not minimum. Make every word count!
This assignment is due on the first day of class—NO EXCEPTIONS, NO EXCUSES. Please don’t make a bad first impression.
Relevance: We will work on these essays throughout the fall semester to help you with your college applications!!
Option #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.
Option #2: The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced
failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Option #3: Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision
again?
Option #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.
Option #5: Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within
your culture, community, or family.
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Tips and Hints: The 7 Worst College Essay Clichés (and how to avoid them!)
Now that senior year is underway, only one thing stands between you and your totally awesome collegiate years: college
applications. Sure, they may seem scary, but at the end of the day, the college essay is the best way to show your top schools what
you’re all about, so the key is to be unique.
1. Starting your essay with a famous quote
It might seem like a great idea to share wise words of wisdom—after all, they’re from smart people, right?—but college admissions
officers want to hear from you, not from famous people.
“Kids are used to trying to doing that [for] a paper for an English class,” says Michelle Podbelsek, co-owner of College Counseling
Associates. “In that case, they’re trying to start with something universal and then get into the topic. But for a college essay, it’s sort
of the opposite. You want to get really personal at the beginning.” The first voice that the admissions officer reads should be yours!
If you really do feel a strong connection to a quote and want to incorporate it into your essay, Michelle suggests pulling only a single
phrase. “Don’t just give us this dead quote and then start talking about it afterwards, though,” she advises. Link it to a personal
experience, like a strong reaction to first hearing the quote or a loved one who used to repeat it to you.
2. Writing about volunteer work... and not being the least bit original about it
We get it—your service trip to South America was the best thing that’s ever happened to you. You made the best friends, had the
best time, met the most amazing people and learned so, so much (insert more gushing superlatives here). We believe you! And it’s
super impressive that you enjoy helping others. The problem is, so do a ton of other awesome applicants, and they’re writing the
exact same essay as you are. How the heck is a college admissions officer supposed to tell you all apart? They’re only human, after
all!
3. Over-exaggerating commitments
If you haven’t done a lot of community service, you aren’t the star athlete and your biggest role in the school play was that of the
silent elm tree, you shouldn’t try to exaggerate or pretend you’ve played a bigger part than you have. Insincerity will earn you a oneway ticket to the rejection pile! “It’s [the same] for any writer,” says Podbelsek. “Don’t try to write about something that you don’t
know intimately, because it’s not going to come off very natural or just really expressive of you.”
Don’t be afraid to talk about something true, even if there wasn’t a trophy involved. “Most people write all about their
accomplishments or something great,” says Shira, a senior at Franklin & Marshall. “Instead, I wrote about coming in last all the time
[on] my high school cross country team and the lessons it taught me. It was a cross between being a bit humorous and showing
some growth. One college distinctly remembered me based off of my essay about coming in last and said that they loved it because
it was so unique.”
4. Turning in a gimmicky application supplement
We’ve all heard the urban legends. One girl turned in a flip-flop with travel destinations written on the sole! One guy sung his way
off the University of Michigan waitlist by posting an ode to the Wolverines on YouTube! There are crazy ways that high schoolers
have worked their way into a college, but in the eternal words of He’s Just Not That Into You, bear in mind: these are the exception,
not the rule.
“Anything bizarre like a shoe or a cake or something... that is just highly discouraged,” says Podbelsek. “They’re not going to take
you seriously. They’re going to think you’re some over-the-top person who’s going to start stalking them.”
5. Writing the “dead dog” essay
Everyone deals with tragedy in his or her own unique way. Whether it was a beloved pet, an old friend or a grandparent who passed
away, it’s natural that a death would have a profound impact on you—especially, Podbelsek notes, if it was your first experience
with death. Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean it should make up the cornerstone of your essay.
The key, she says, is to make sure you’re not writing about a typical reaction that most other people would have in that same
situation. After all, as much as we hate to admit it, the truth is that the admissions officer will read hundreds of stories like it.
6. Writing a super general essay
Word to the wise: if you want to apply to a school, you should probably know a little something about it. You’d be shocked how
many students miss this basic concept when submitting their supplemental essays, and we can only imagine how many admissions
officers have been tempted to write “SMH” in red pen across their entire applications.
Before you write your essays—even if they’re for your safety schools—learn as much as you can about the school. How many
students go there? What majors or classes do they offer? Are there any clubs that you’d love to join? If you aren’t a fan of anything
they have to offer, you shouldn’t be applying there.
7. Submitting an essay with errors
What’s the easiest way to tick off a college admissions officer? Not proofreading your paper! “Even if [you’re] a brilliant writer, you
always should have somebody else read it,” advises Podbelsek.
BCTC Dual Credit Senior English Course Syllabus
FALL semester English 101
Instructor: Mrs. Wendy Turner, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School English Teacher, BCTC Adjunct English Professor; Email:
[email protected]; Phone: 859-381-3546 x1203; Web Site: www.mrsturnerpld.net.
□ Rebecca Simms, Director of Opportunity College, Leestown Campus, 859-246-6761
□ Jim Fenton, BCTC Coordinator of English, Cooper Campus, AT 101, 859-246-6364
English 101 Course Description: Focuses on academic writing. It provides instruction in drafting and revising essays that express
ideas in Standard English, including reading critically, thinking logically, responding to texts, addressing specific audiences,
researching and documenting sources. It includes review of grammar, mechanics, and usage. In English 101 you will develop critical
reading and academic writing skills through the process of refining early drafts into improved final form. This course uses lectures,
discussions, reading and writing assignments, and peer reviews.
Student Rights and Responsibilities: All rules and regulations set forth in the current edition of the KCTCS Code of Student Conduct
will be followed in this course: http://www.kctcs.edu/Students.aspx. Because of accreditation standards at BCTC, some practices
that will be required by students enrolled in these courses may be different than practices that normally occur in the high school
setting.
Fees: The course fee is $20 per student to help cover materials and supplies in class, not including the textbook. Because FCPS pays
each student’s mandatory registration fee, we ask that students provide their own textbook** each semester. You can purchase
these books at most local bookstores or online.
**REQUIRED TEXTBOOK (please buy this prior to the first day of school): Nadell, Judith. The Longman Writer: Brief Edition, 9th
edition. Paperback. ISBN number: 978-0-321-91433-0.
Assignments and Grading
□ This course will use the BCTC Grading Scale: 100-90 = A; 89-80=B; 79-70=C; 69-60=D; Below 60=E.
□ The percentages for the course are: Major Projects and Essays (Summative)-70%, Daily work/Homework (Formative)-20%,
Grammar/Vocab-10%.
*Please note that exemptions earned at the high school level cannot be applied to this course.
□ Students in the course who have a course grade of “D” or below at the end of the first semester can be placed in “academic
probation.” These students will receive a letter from BCTC stating their status. Please Note: Academic probation can turn into
academic suspension if, at the end of the year, a student has a cumulative grade of 2.0 or lower. In other words, if a student earns a
“D” in the first semester, that student must earn a “B” or higher in the second semester in order to avoid academic suspension.
Class Participation
□ Please note that attendance and participation is crucial to your success in this class. A lack of attendance reduces the probability
of attaining the optimum grade one could achieve for participating. Absence (excused or not) is NOT an excuse for lack of
preparation for the next class. All assignments are still due on time. If you must miss class (for emergency or illness), see the updated
class web site at www.mrsturnerpld.net OR contact a classmate to get the assignment.
Late Work Policy
□ The late work policy of BCTC is that late assignments are not be accepted for credit; therefore, I reserve the right to refuse late
work in the daily work/homework category. If you anticipate a problem, make arrangements with me before the work is due.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MAKE UP WORK POLICY IN THIS COURSE IS NOT DUNBAR’S POLICY!
□ Major projects and essays submitted after the original due date will be considered late and cannot be submitted for credit. In the
event that an unexpected absence occurs, email the paper as an attachment or upload it to turnitin.com early in order to avoid late
penalties due to an absence. Your papers can ALWAYS be submitted electronically and should never be late due to a physical
absence.
Plagiarism
□ Plagiarism is the act of presenting ideas, words, or organization of a source, published or not, as if they were one's own. All quoted
material must be in quotation marks, and all paraphrases, quotations, significant ideas, and organization must be acknowledged by
some form of documentation acceptable to the instructor for the course. Plagiarism also includes the practice of employing or
allowing another person to alter or revise the work that a student submits as the student's own. Students may discuss assignments
among themselves or with an instructor or tutor, but when the actual material is completed, it must be done by the student and the
student alone. The use of the term “material” refers to work in any form including written, oral, and electronic. When in doubt, ASK!
□ For instances of academic dishonesty related to earning grades you will earn a failing grade for the specific assignment.
Withdrawal
□ Once students have been enrolled in Dual Credit English (deadline for fall is 9/1), the course is considered closed. If a student,
once enrolled, chooses to withdraw from the course, they must do so one week before the final exam or the withdrawal will not be
honored. Students should be made aware that their grade in this class reflects the beginning of their college transcript.
□ Should a student withdraw, a “W” will be placed on his or her transcript, which will be transferred to whichever college they
attend after high school.
Dual Credit English Instructional Objectives English 101 Objectives:
 Students will annotate essays and comply with essay instructions.
 Students will review Standard English grammar and usage.
 Students will work both individually and in groups to revise and edit major assignments.
 Students will use a variety of databases to locate resources that will support their essays.
 Students will submit essays that indicate a clear understanding of their identified audiences.
 Students will submit essays that indicate the knowledge of arrangement and organizational patterns.
 Students will demonstrate the ability to appropriately quote, paraphrase and/or summarize material supportive of and
relevant to an essay’s thesis.
 Students will demonstrate the ability to document sources according to the MLA style.
 Students will discuss and write about articles and essays which address current and relevant events, heritage and culture,
the relationship of the person to the environment, and the awareness of self as a member of a multi-cultural global
community.
English 101 Tentative Schedule:
Textbook: The Longman Writer
Weeks 1-5
Grammar Review, Reading, & Writing Process
Complete diagnostic Grammar test
Review Standard English. Appendix B of The Longman Writer
The Writing Process
Read and Apply Part I--Chapters 1-9
Grammar and vocabulary instruction
Weeks 6-11
Modes of Organization 1-4
Read Part III, "Description," “Narration,” "Illustration," “Division-Classification”
Assigned Readings
Writer’s Workshop
Grammar and vocabulary instruction
Practice MLA and APA style
Complete essay #1
Grammar and vocabulary instruction
Weeks 12-17
Modes of Organization 5-8
Read Part III, “Process-Analysis,” “Compare/Contrast,” “Cause/Effect” and “Definition.”
Assigned Readings
Complete essays #2 and 3
Grammar and vocabulary instruction
Weeks 18-19
Grammar and vocabulary exams
Modes of Arrangement exam
Publication of essay of your choice