randissupablog

[randissupablog]

Essence Object: Miniature Soccer Ball

One object that is significant to me is the miniature soccer ball that I recently received for completing my senior year of Bergen Tech Soccer. Written on it are the names of all my teammates and some messages from my friends, each containing a memory from the soccer season.

I have been playing soccer since I was three years old, and to have finished my last season of school soccer feels unreal to me, and I love this item as it is a memory of not only the season that I had this year, but also the past soccer seasons that have led me to playing this year, and improving so much throughout my high school sports career! It is also a reminder of the amazing people that I met along the way, and the friendships that I have found through the team as well as my other teams, like my travel soccer team, where I have made lifelong friends that I have been playing with for so much of my life.

This soccer ball is an overall representation of a sport that has been a huge part of my life, and something that I have put so much effort into throughout my life, which is why it is extremely meaningful to me.

[randissupablog]

Rhetorically Speaking: How Do You Write a College Essay?

Most people, like myself, struggle with beginning their college application essay. There is no clear-cut formula when it comes to writing it. Topics could range from being about a random, seemingly unimportant, event in your life to an item that means a lot to you. Despite the large variety of different kinds of essays, there is one common denominator between all “good” college essays: the consideration of rhetorical situations.

In James Warren’s The Rhetoric of College Application Essays: Removing Obstacles for Low Income and Minority Students, Warren conducts a study to test the effectiveness of different strategies students use when writing their college essays. One group of students wrote it like they would any other essay. Another group was educated on persuasive writing. The final group learned to analyze the rhetorical situation when crafting their personal essay. The study concluded that it is “particularly important” to “analyze the rhetorical situation of college essays'' (Warren).

You may wonder “What is a ‘rhetorical situation’?”  The answer is simple: it is all the context and circumstances of a piece of writing. It is the purpose, audience, and context of a text. It is the answer to making smart decisions in all writing endeavors, not only your college essay.

Now that you know what a “rhetorical situation” is, you have to understand the rhetorical context of a college admissions essay. To put it simply, you are to be persuading college admissions officers to let you into their school based on your personality, values, and potential to succeed as a student in their school.

Paul T. Corrigan and Cameron Hunt McNabb’s Advice for students so they don’t sound silly in emails (essay) stresses the importance of emailing professors and teachers formally, and discusses how “the lines between professional emails and more informal modes of writing have become blurred” (McNabb). The authors then go on to describe how students should be crafting the formal emails they write, and they explain how “effective writing requires shaping your words according to your audience, purpose and genre” (McNabb). When writing a school email, students need to consider that they are writing to their teachers, since the writing style is far different when emailing teachers versus texting friends.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to adapt your writing style to your audience, and writing your college essay is no exception to this rule. When writing with admissions officers as the audience in my mind, you need to be formal, but authentic. Don’t be shy and hide your personality, as that is the reason they are reading your essay, but also don’t be too casual (Note: the admissions officers are not your friends! No using emojis and certainly no offensive language!). Always keep in mind who you’re writing to, or your audience, one of the most important aspects of a rhetorical situation.

Paul Rudnick’s College-Application Essay is the perfect example of what not to do when writing your college essay. Its dramatic fashion makes for an unlikeable character - one that college admission officers will see as snobby, pretentious, and artificial. After reading his essay, there is no chance that “the gatekeepers of your[a] fine university’s selection process” (Rudnick) would want him to attend their school. This essay is exactly what students should not do in their college essays, and, for that reason, may be one of the most helpful tools when writing your essay.

Understanding why this is an awful essay is extremely important: it makes the author unlikeable to admissions officers. In this case, the student had no understanding of the rhetorical situation. He blatantly brags about “designing chairs without legs for people who’d rather sit on the floor” and “developing alternative fuels” (Rudnick) instead of using his 650 words to show the admissions committee what kind of person he is and why they would want him at their school.

The key to writing your college essay is understanding its purpose and who is reading it. If students take into consideration that admissions officers are reading their essays to learn what kind of person they are, they might take a different, more effective method for tackling their college essays. Never forget to consider the rhetorical situation when writing your personal essay (this applies to everything else you write as well). When writing, cater your essay specifically to the audience. Write about a topic that is unique, and makes admissions officers want you at their school due to your character. Now think: What is the best way to show college admissions officers who you are, how you’ll succeed, and how you would be a good addition to their school?