the university application essay
The application essay required by a college or university when u apply to enter is very much like an essay examination. U will be evaluated on many skills such as ur ability to think, plan, organize, and write ur ideas logically and clearly in Eng. there are two major differences between an application essay and an essay examination. one difference is that the application essay has no time limit . U can use all the time u have available until the date u must send it to the university. It is lika a take home test in which u can use all resources to write ur answer at home. Another difference is that the subject is personal. The topic is u and ur possible future relationship with that university. Since every uni or college application is a little different, this chapter is designed to give u some basic information.

1 The application essay question
the application essay question is only one part of the entire appliation. Depending on the question, ur answer may be long essay from one to give pages. a letter, or individual paragraps.
the audience will most likely be adult employees of the uni or college. the audience can be one person, a group of writing experts. or an application committee or board.
there are several purposes for an application essay question
to evaluate ur ability to write in eng

• to determine ur charater, individuality and creativity
• to see if ur goals are compatible with the uni`s goals
• to judge ur writing maturity
• the content of essay questions asked by leading uni is often similar because they reflect the general purposes above. Here are some questions they mights ask on the application
• why did u choose to apply to this uni or college
• whar are ur future goals and how do they meet goals of the uni
• what makes u an interesting or unique person
• what difficulties in life have u faced that improved ur character
• what activities have u been involved in outside of schoolwork that have broadened u as a person
• what can u contribute to make this uni a better place

All essay questions should be written only by u. Some uni are very strict and do not want u to get any help at all with the writing process. in this case, the essy is a test in which u write just one fraft on the application itself. Other uni want u to give them ur final fraft after u have gone through the writing process. Even though u may write many drafts and consult with others for diraction, revision, and editing , the final result must represent ur own writing abilities.

2 Proving ur writing ability
Here is a list of problems that are often seen on application essays and a list of what these mistakes often mean to the people who read them.
problem
student doesn:t follow the intructions, ---> student may not understand enough Eng to be admitted
student joins sentences together in an unorganized way . Student doesn:t understand engl organizational patterns.
answer is either too long or too short.-----> too short : the student is lazy or uninterested
too long : the student is trying too hard to impress people or hasn:t learned to wirte concisely.

student gets off the subj .----> student cant write in expository engl organizational patterns,

student `s handwriting is illegible and the paper is messy---->. Student can`t type, doesn`t know what a paper should look like. or doesn`t care
student writes without planning.----> Student is not serious about the application.
student writes in a conversational style including slang words---->. Student doesn`t know the formal vocabulary and style used in academic writing.


3 Analysing ur character, individuality, and creativity
depending on the application essay question, u probably will be asked to write about those areas in ur life that show ur unique positive characteristics in comparison tothe other students who will most likely apply to the same university.
For many students. it is hard to identily their positive attributes and talents, and it is difficult for them to write about themselves. The example below shows how one student successfully found positive characterstics in her life. Can u identify all the positive parts of her life that she chose to write about

in japan i worked at a hospital and studied nursing. I went on the train early in the morning and returned late at night everyday. Sometimes I was exhausted. Sometimes I wanted to quite. But I did`t . Eventhough I am an older student, I think I can work hard and not quit when I come to the US. ( Yukomatsuoka)


4 Comparing ur Goals to the uni goals
often an application essay question will ask u to tell about ur professional goals and to explain why u think that uni is the right place for u to study. This i s really a comparison- and - contrast question. Before u can begin writing, u must identify ur own goal. Then u must find information about the uni in order to identigy the overall uni goals and the more specific goals of the department of ur major. U may find this information by studying the catalog, talking to a graduate or a current students, and talking with an advisor for the univ. After u have gathered this inforamtion, u can perpare to write by doing a comparison and contrast with a Venn diagram or an idea chart
the more similar goals u have, the more compatible u ae with that uni

5 Showing Maturity in ur writing
To prove ur maturity in ur application essay, u must show some characteristics of a mature writer. How will the application committee know that ur writing is mature ?
some characteristics that the essay judges will be looking for are ur ability to think for urself anf ur ability to follow instructions.


a/ Thinking for urself
this means that u can express ur own ideas and opinions, It means that u have thought about a subect and hvae come to some conclusions of ur own. At the beginning of this unit u read an article about an ESL student name Mai who was haviing probles taking an essay exam. Here is an imprtan part of that article:
Perhaps, like Mai, .. using both sources and ur own knowledge and experience, u come to ur own conclusions..She discovered that doing her own thinking broght her success and personal satisfaction in her academic work . ( association of American Publishers)

Writing ur own thoughts as an independent person is an impotant part of the application essay.

b/ Following instructions
A mature person usually can follow instructions, so be sure u are exact in doing all the application essay question requires. If the essay question asks u to write a paragraph, don:t write an essay. Jf the question asks u to write an essay, don`t write a paragraph. Also, be sure to stay on the topic of the question.
Some of the instructions may be very complex. Just like an essay examination, it is not unusual to find that the question has more than one part. Here is a two part question that is similar to the questions used by a leading uni. Examine this student`s answer. Did the stduent follow the instructions ?

example question
write a paragraph about one area in which u are outstanding and explain why this would make u an asset to this institution.

example answer
the most important personal attribute I can contribute to ur uni is the fact that I understand another culture and speak spanish quite well. As a child I lived and went to school in Guatemala, Chile, and Costa Rica for eights years. I became sensitive to the problems of international students and I learned about tother ways to view life. I hope my experiences will help the students I associate with.
( R.E.N. Spencer. United States)

( Carolyn M.Spencer. Beverly Arbon - foundations of writing . developing research and academic writing skills )