private school admission essay examples

private school admission essay examples

Private School Admission: Writing an Effective Essay

1. Introduction

Before writing the first line of your essay, you will have to think about who your audience is and what you want to say to them. Are you writing this paper in order to persuade, entertain, enlighten, compare or contrast, inform, or something else? What do you want the admissions committee to know about you that they wouldn’t be able to get from your transcript, your test scores, or the rest of your application? What is most important for them to consider? This will directly affect what you are writing about.

These steps are: – Considering the audience – Creating a topic – Listing things to include – Preparing an outline

The first thing you need is a plan. As tempting as it might be to just launch into the process of writing, there are important steps to take before actually setting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, as it were.

You should take the time to read and re-read the essay prompt, so you can answer it fully. Don’t be too wordy; an essay prompt is usually very direct and specific. If it’s asking for an anecdote from your life about a time you did something cool, it’s better to call to mind a specific event and write about that than to try to write a generalized story.

If you want to write a high school application essay that is worth reading, forget everything that wouldn’t make a good cheerleader.

Private elementary schools are popular alternatives to public schools – so popular that many public schools are converting to private schools in order to draw new students.

2. Highlighting Academic Achievements

Different schools value differing grades of importance on standardized test scores, class rank, and GPA. Use what you know about the school your child is applying to and find out if there are any specific statistical indicators that play a crucial part in their decision-making process. Use these to compare your child’s performance. Silicon Valley area private schools value very highly ITBS and CAAP testing which is given during the elementary and middle school years. Mention what range of scores your child achieved and if there are any outstanding percentile ranks. Standardized testing can take place numerous times and generally your child can improve on a weaker score. If this information is not accurately portrayed by the specific test in question then it may be difficult for the admission reader to understand and thus this should be noted.

In order to assist your child with writing an effective essay, the following are tips for highlighting your child’s academic achievements:

Your child’s essay also needs to convey a clear understanding of what the private middle school or high school to which he/she is applying offers that others may not. Whether that is the strength of the math program or the availability of state-of-the-art technology, an effective essay will clearly convey what is being sought and how a particular school is the solution. Why does your child think that the school would be a good fit for him/her? Providing specific examples from the school and also from your child’s experiences are essential. Remember that over the course of the admissions process, the staff at the school to which you are applying will read hundreds if not thousands of essays. With this dizzying volume, it is important to keep in mind that the goal is to be memorable. Use humor and personal anecdotes to captivate the reader.

If your child is applying to a private middle school or high school, he or she will likely have to write an admissions essay. It is important to remember that this is not an essay for a Pulitzer Prize nomination. As with all things related to your child’s education, the ultimate decision as to whether or not your child is a good fit can only be made by the school. So, ultimately, the essay should reflect your child’s own voice – his or her thoughts, ideas, and attitude.

3. Demonstrating Extracurricular Involvement

Extracurricular involvement is one of those evaluated areas. As early as seventh grade, students are encouraged to involve themselves in activities they love, and to keep with them as they go through high school. It is actually better for a student to be deeply involved in one or two activities than to be marginally involved in five or six. This shows passion and commitment to something, which is what admissions directors are looking for. The depth of involvement is a measure of how involved/committed a student was to a particular activity. Measures of depth include taking a leadership role in the activity, holding offices or positions, developing special skills or knowledge, completing some sort of project, or receiving some recognition or awards related to the activity. This is important for admissions directors especially with the recent studies showing that most high school students today are stressed and overworked. Many are still doing too many activities, without any real involvement in any of them. Measures of breadth include activity in a variety of groups, and involvement in multiple activities within a single group. This type of student is still undecided, and may not be ready to take advantage of the opportunities available to them in high school. This is not the student who will likely extend themselves in what they do. So basically a kid who just can’t say no is not demonstrating ideal extracurricular involvement.

Admissions directors are looking for students who are beginning to lead in high school. They seek students who will take advantage of the opportunities that are available to them, and who will extend themselves in what they do. Students who have been involved in an array of activities and who show a depth or a passion for a particular activity are most appealing to admissions directors.

4. Expressing Personal Growth and Character Development

In this chapter, we will discuss character and personal development. Many people are interested in the admission essay because they doubt their abilities to write well, and they are uncertain about what to focus on in constructing a good essay. In this chapter, we will cover the basics of the admission essay – what schools are looking for, and some simple methods of putting this into an essay. Finally, we will go over some common essay topics to give you some things to think about for the more difficult task of writing a longer personal essay. This chapter is primarily for those with little or no understanding of character and personal development. At the end of the day, however, it is not a science that can be taught to you in a few hours. It takes years of development to become who you are and you will need to remain open to change and constantly reassessing who you are and who you want to be.

5. Conclusion: Crafting a Compelling Narrative

On the surface, the self-portrait might not serve as the best marketing tool due to the fact that moody teenager may not attend Watson’s. Delving in deeper to the ideas it suggests, there are a few very good qualities about both the individual and the school: contrasts and community. It’s messy and graffiti-like nature contrasts greatly with the bright and clean-shaven look of Watson’s college as a whole. Within the sketchy outer layer of the picture is the idea of community. Packed among the clutter are loads of famous cinema quotes and some below par drawings of movie characters, he is frequenting a cinema he used to visit with friends from college on a very regular basis. The essence of community and companionship is something that made an impression on this individual and will no doubt make an impact on him as a student in the school for a second time. Capturing a slight feeling of nostalgia with a strong intent on returning to the past to take it a new direction displayed by the movie character sketches. This piece has achieved its goal of persuading through emotional connection and there are no doubts that this individual would feel right at home in such a place.