Navigator Week 8: Publishing Your Personal Statement

1. Navigator Week 8: Publishing Your Personal Statement

2. Welcome to Week 8! • Important Dates and Deadlines: • Date #1 • Date #2 • Last Week, We: • Defined personal statement and evaluate examples • Reviewed the writing process • Identified a guiding idea • Wrote a first draft of our personal statement • Uploaded a draft to CSNav (milestone) This Week We Will: • Add heartbeat to our personal statements • Add structure to our personal statements • Peer review our personal statements • Formally request letters of recommendation • Upload a final ps to CSNav (milestone)

3. Think It Through: What makes a story interesting to read?

4. “It feels good out here!” I couldn’t help but say it twice to my friends Chris, Mike, and Jay. We had been in the house since early evening playing John Madden football on Sega entertainment game system. We decided to make ham sandwiches and go sit out on the front porch. We went outside at around 10 o’clock with our food and some Pepsi to enjoy the nice, cool night. The time passed so quickly that what seemed an hour turned into three. Around 1:15 am we noticed a decline in the warm temperature so we decided to head inside for the night....” • -From “I Am” by Dale Scott

5. “For as long as I can remember, fireworks have been an important part of my life. On nights of celebration, such as the Fourth of July and Cinco de Mayo, I would cross the long street from my neatly kept apartment building to the lush green park next door. The warm air carried the familiar smalls of late night barbecues and sounds of upbeat Spanish music. I loved to watch the clear dark sky burst into colorful flowers of light, dancing fearlessly as the music from the crowds below cheered them on. Even though the nights would end too soon, the fireworks would stay with me.” • -From “Firecracker” by Marcia Rodriguez

6. STEP 1: Differentiate between showing and telling “I’m a hard worker.” “Telling” your readers something can be boring, disengaging, and sound like bragging. “The midday sun shined down on my back as sweat soaked into my cap. I raised the hammer and thought to myself, “One more nail, one more shingle, and this family will have a roof.” “Showing” your readers what you mean is more interesting, more engaging, and helps your reader relate to you.

7. STEP 1: Differentiate between showing and telling 1990’s hair band, Extreme, said it best: “More than words to show you feel / that your love for me is real…” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrIiLvg58SY

8. STEP 1: Differentiate between showing and telling • the writing process • Brainstorm to find a guiding idea • Write a first draft to express personal strengths • Revise to add heartbeat • Write a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) draft • Edit to fix mistakes • Publish a final, polish draft Heartbeat are all those words, phrases, and sentences that make your writing unique. It includes showing passages, metaphors, similes, and other figurative language.

9. STEP 2: Outline your personal statement What to do: Personal Statement Parts: Introduction • Grab the reader’s attention • Set the tone Body • Show your story • Use as many paragraphs as you need • Tie it all together • Leave the reader thinking Conclusion

10. STEP 3: Discuss examples of effective and ineffective ways to share your story. Introduction Don’t know how to start? Think about your favorite movie or book. How does it begin? What happens in the first scene, or the first chapter? • GOOD IDEAS • Start with the ending, then flashback to tell the whole story • Start with a voice-over from the narrator • Start with the most exciting moment, and explain it in detail. Then • flashback. • Start with a series of images or pictures, then transition to the real story • Start with movement: walking in, walking out, running, jumping… • BAD IDEAS • Introduce yourself • Be childish or immature • Use a cliché • Be too obvious • Tell, not show

11. STEP 3: Discuss examples of effective and ineffective ways to share your story. Don’t know how to start? Think about your favorite movie or book. How does it end? What happens in the last scene, or the last chapter? Conclusion • GOOD IDEAS • Leave it open for a sequel. • Return to where you started. • Ask a provocative question (just make sure it isn’t so far removed from your guiding idea that it doesn’t make sense with the rest of the personal statement). • Suggest outcomes, results, or consequences. • Refer to the opening paragraph (the hook) by using parallel images and thoughts or key words. BAD IDEAS • Be childish or immature • Use a cliché • Be too obvious • Tell, not show

12. STEP 4: Write a second draft of your personal statement, focusing on flow and structure. STEP 5: Work with your peers to revise and edit your personal statement. • the writing process • Brainstorm to find a guiding idea • Write a first draft to express personal strengths • Revise to add heartbeat • Write a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) draft • Edit to fix mistakes • Publish a final, polish draft

13. STEP 5: Work with your peers to revise and edit your personal statement. • the writing process • Brainstorm to find a guiding idea • Write a first draft to express personal strengths • Revise to add heartbeat • Write a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) draft • Edit to fix mistakes • Publish a final, polish draft Editing checklist Format ❏ 2–2½ pages (approximately) ❏ 12-point font size ❏ 1.5 or double-spaced lines ❏ Times New Roman font style ❏ Pages numbered ❏ Your name (first and last) on each page in header or footer Mechanics ❏ Spell check ❏ Capitalization check ❏ Grammar check ❏ Punctuation check

14. STEP 6: Request Letters of Recommendation from two to three references

15. Week 8 Summary This Week We: • Add heartbeat to our personal statements • Add structure to our personal statements • Peer review our personal statements • Formally request letters of recommendation • Upload a final ps to CSNav (milestone) Unit 2 Check-In: • By the end of Unit 2, you should have completed: • A resume • A personal statement • Requested 3 letters of recommendation • Are you: Ahead of the game On track A Little Behind Off track • What can you do to improve?

16. CSNav How-to: Personal Statement Milestone

17. Microsoft Word First, type your personal statement in Microsoft Word, or another editor. Save your personal statement, and remember where you saved it.

18. Quick Links: Personal Statement Logon to CSNav to upload a draft of your personal statement.

19. Your Portfolio > Your Profile >How You See Yourself The Quick Link takes you here. Click on “Upload a final personal statement.

20. Upload a draft personal statement Click “Browse” to open a pop-up window Find your document and click “Open” Be sure to click “Upload and save” to get your checkmark!

21. Your Profile > How You See Yourself > My Personal Statement After you click “Upload and Save,” you will see the name of your document here. You will now receive a checkmark for the milestone.

22. Your Planning Milestones To see your checkmark, go back to “Home” by clicking on the icon on the top of the page. Then, click “Your Planning Milestones” to see your checkmarks.