Narrative Essay
Writing Assignment #1: Narrative Essay/College Essay
Narrative essays use story telling elements to make their points. They look like short stories rather than traditional academic essays. Narrative essays are typically non-fiction as they often depict real life events. Authors of narrative essays often use them to explore and find the meanings of important events in their own lives. Some readers connect more readily to narratives which have a vivid emotional and psychological dimension sometimes buried in traditional expository essays.
Possible Essay Topics:
Temple University (choose 1)
A. Imagine you have graduated from Temple University. You are preparing to attend your 10-year reunion, and the alumni office has asked you to write a one-page essay about your personal and professional accomplishments since graduation. What would yours say?
B. Please tell us more about yourself. Relate one or more experiences or circumstances that have contributed to your personal or academic development. If you have been out of school for a year or longer, please discuss your activities during that period of time.
Messiah College
Messiah College is a Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences whose mission is to educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation in church and society. How have you prepared for and how do you expect to work toward fulfilling this mission as a student at Messiah College?
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Is there something you would like to tell us about yourself?
Penn State University
Please share with us your involvement in one or more of the following areas: extra- or co-curricular activities, performing arts, community services, diversity, volunteerism, athletics, work, leadership positions you have held, awards received or any other life experience that has had a significant impact on you.
Other Common Admission Topics:
1. Personality strengths: choose one and use a story to illustrate the strength.
2. Discuss a significant experience, achievement or risk that you have taken and it’s impact on you.
3. The hardest lesson I had to learn in life was.... Be sure to explain the events that occurred so the reader gets a vivid picture of what the lesson was and why it was so hard.
4. I believe that the person I am now is not who I will be in the future.
5. Choose a vivid time from your childhood. Narrate the events related to the childhood memory that you've chosen so that your readers will understand why the event was important and memorable.
6. Think of a time when you achieved a personal goal. Tell your readers about the story of how you met your goal. Be sure that your readers understand why the goal is important to you.
7. Describe a personal ritual that you, your friends, or your family has. Narrate the events that take place when you complete your ritual so that your readers understand the steps that the ritual includes and why you complete them.
8. Choose a time when you did something that took a lot of nerve, a time when you didn't follow the crowd or a time when you stood up for your beliefs. Your narrative should show your readers why you decided to make a stand or try something that took nerve, give specifics on the events, and share how you felt after the event.
9. Think of a time when you disagreed with a decision that had been made and did something about it. Be sure that your paper gives enough details that your readers understand why you disagreed with the decision and why you felt that your response was appropriate.
Schools where essays are optional BUT PREFERRED: Shippensburg, West Chester, Kutztown, Lock Haven, and Cal U.
**If there is a college that you KNOW you want to apply to, please look at the application on the admissions page and use that prompt. If you do not have a college in mind yet, you may choose one of the above options for this assignment.**
Organizing your essay:
I: Introduction paragraph: What message is your story going to convey?
II: Body: The story. Make sure you tell the story in chronological order. If there are multiple stories to support your message, tell them in chronological order. Start your story with an attention getter.
III: Conclusion: Connect the story to your message.
Parts needed for points:
1. Pre-Writing: Complete the pre-write graphic organizer. (10 points- homework)
2. Rough Draft: Typed or handwritten, double spaced. (25 points- quiz)
3. Final Copy (see criteria below) (100 points- assessment)
Total Points Available: 135
Final Copy Criteria:
1. Typed
2. Double Spaced
3. Name, Date, Period: Top left corner
4. Title (underlined or italics)
5. Must be between 400-500 words.
6. Must be submitted on on ________ by midnight.
Grading Criteria:
Graded based on your:
Focus, Content, Organization, Style, and Conventions
Narrative Essay/College Essay
Pre-Write Graphic Organizer
Topic Choice:
Message or Point that will be made:
10 details that must be included in the story:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Possible attention getter (famous quote or phrase, question):
Connection between message and point being made and the story being told: (How does your narrative answer or explain the essay prompt?)
“Elements of writing that will make your essay get noticed” Check List:
Introduction paragraph:
1. Do you have an attention getter?
2. Does your thesis/main point come right after the attention getter?
3. Did you set a tone/voice?
4. Did you set the scene for the upcoming story?
Body Paragraphs:
1. Did you provide details to the story so the reader can get a good sense of where you are coming from?
2. Do you have enough details for someone, who doesn’t know anything about you, to make a connection between your story and main point?
3. Do you use similes and metaphors to create vivid pictures for the reader?
4. Do you use any words or phrasing more than once? Avoid this!
5. Does your story have a climax?
Last Body Paragraph:
1. Did you connect your story to the thesis/point you made in your introduction?
2. Does your story have a resolution?
Conclusion Paragraph:
1. Did you wrap your essay up (short and sweet, no more than 2 sentences)?
2. Did you relate the experience with the attention getter in the introduction paragraph?
Name: _________________________________________________________ Period: _______ Grade: ____/100
Personal Narrative / College Essay Rubric
| |16-20 |11-15 |6-10 |0-5 |
| |Advanced |Proficient |Emerging |Needs Improvement |
|FOCUS |Establishes sharp, distinct|Establishes |Provides an inconsistent |Minimal or no evidence of |
| |focus and sustains |topic/idea/thesis with a |topic/idea/thesis. |topic/idea/thesis. Displays|
| |topic/idea/thesis with a |clear perspective. |Displays a limited |confused understanding of |
| |clear perspective for an |Evidence of audience, task |understanding of task, |task, purpose and audience. |
| |intended audience. |and purpose is present. |purpose and audience. | |
| |Evidence of audience, task | | | |
| |and purpose is present | | | |
|CONTENT |Provides elaborate and |Provides appropriate |Provides examples and |Provides inaccurate and/or |
| |well-defined examples and |examples and details. |details that may loosely |minimal and/or no |
| |details. Support is |Support is relevant to |connect with |connections to |
| |significant and relevant to|topic/idea/thesis. May |topic/idea/thesis. Support |topic/idea/thesis. |
| |topic/idea/thesis. May |include graphics and |is missing connections. | |
| |include graphics and |multi-media useful to aid |Inclusion of graphics and | |
| |multi-media when useful to |in comprehension. |multi-media limits | |
| |aid in comprehension. | |comprehension. | |
|ORGANIZATION |Uses complex text patterns |Uses text patterns |Uses inappropriate or |Uses no recognizable text |
| |appropriate to genre, task |appropriate to genre, task |confusing text patterns for|pattern for genre, task and |
| |and purpose. |and purpose. |genre, task and purpose. |purpose. |
|STYLE |Chooses language that |Chooses language that |Chooses language that |Chooses language that may be|
| |expresses ideas precisely. |expresses ideas adequately.|expresses ideas |confusing, repetitive, wordy|
| |Uses academic vocabulary |Uses academic vocabulary. |consistently. May or may |or inappropriate to the |
| |effectively and |Incorporates some sentence |not use academic |topic/idea/thesis. |
| |deliberately. Incorporates |variety. |vocabulary. May or may not | |
| |sentences of varying length| |vary sentence structure. | |
| |with attention to sentence | | | |
| |construction. | | | |
|MECHANICS |Shows mastery of |Shows appropriate |Shows inconsistent use of |Shows minimal or no |
| |capitalization, |capitalization, |capitalization, |understanding of mechanics. |
| |punctuation, spelling and |punctuation, spelling, verb|punctuation, spelling, verb| |
| |verb tense. |tense and clear sentence |tense and clear sentence | |
| | |construction. |construction. | |
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