Essay Writing Workshop
Bob describing a model for how to write a fabulous college essay
Kristina listening intently to the college essay process
The International Leadership Program and our experience in India has brought us all a level of wisdom that we have never achieved before. From the many people we met in Dharamsala we learned the importance of spirituality, nationalism and family. These lessons will forever follow us throughout our lives. We also learned that these lessons, as long as we describe them in the correct manner, can give others insight into ourselves. We learned how to express these lessons during an essay writing workshop held in September.
We began by reviewing the stories we told during the story-telling workshop and turned those stories into acceptable college essays. We discussed what colleges look for in an applicant and what we should be showing about ourselves in these essays characteristics such as leadership, independence, and overall well-rounded students. We then discussed the fundamentals of a personal essay, for example the main event, the details and the moral. We were then ready to begin the essay writing process. We warmed up with two "free-writes" in order to get our creative juices flowing. By the end of the workshop we all came out with rough drafts of our personal essays and the confidence of knowing that we were ready for the college process.
-Manda