Use This Page to Create Your “Great Day in the Life” Introduction Scene
Directions: Complete all sections, A and B.
(A) Find Your Opening Scene
The more thoughtful and honest you are, the better your essay will be.
1. Within the major that you’re declaring, what is the biggest issue that bothers you the most about your field?
Example: “What I hate in business is: when groups don’t work together well.”
Your turn. Fill in the blanks:
What I hate in _____ is _____.
2. Where do you find a parallel to this problem from your personal life?
Example: “In football, I wish people took their roles more seriously, went to the weight room, and were more serious and dedicated. If that happened, we’d win more games.”
3. Combine those two ideas, and create a potential project solution.
Example: “I can create a consulting project to help teams work better together.”
4. If you executed this idea perfectly (using a magic wand), who would this project ideally benefit?
Example: “Corporate middle management, as that’s a role I’d like to be in soon after my college graduation.”
5. Now, scale this up for a “pie-in-the-sky” vision.
Example: “The techniques I teach to improve team performance and motivation can help middle managers in companies across the nation.”
6. Lastly, scale back to find your opening scene. It should be set in the early to middle stages of your launch.
Example: “I’m working through my first prototype group as a consultant (maybe for managers in the university’s athletic department, or a business fraternity I see myself joining). Or, I started or joined an existing student-run consultancy group, taking on a local small business to serve as its consultant.”
Tip: Get creative. Below is a list of a peak emotions that can help you imagine a unique intro scene. Remember, the essay is about your intellectual journey—and it will end long before you arrive at your dream destination. Be ambitious, but be realistic; setting too lofty of goals will come off as naive and pretentious. You likely won’t found a trillion-dollar company or cure cancer while you’re still an undergraduate student. Instead, depict yourself laying the groundwork for an this new company or working on exciting cancer research that could someday result in a cure!
See an example of the following list filled out here.
Now it’s your turn. Be creative. Envision yourself undertaking this project. Answer with something you’re dynamically doing in mid-action.
In my greatest moment of peak…
- enthusiasm, I’m: ______________
- determination, I’m: ______________
- optimism, I’m: ____________
- empathy, I’m: ____________
- gratefulness, I’m: ____________
- intrigue, I’m: ______________
- curiosity, I’m: ______________
- focus, I’m ______________
- inspiration (tip: think of lateral thinking), I just had the idea to: ______________
- excitement, I’m ______________
- innovation, I’m: ______________
- confusion, I’m: ______________
- creativity, I’m: ______________
- sensitivity, I’m: ______________
- hope, I’m: ______________
- anxiousness, I’m: ______________
- vulnerability, I’m: ______________
- hesitance, I’m: ______________
- risk, I’m: ______________
- tight-knit/closeness, I’m: ______________
- nostalgia, I’m: ______________
- fear (as in: do something everyday that scares you), I’m: ______________
- passion, I’m: ______________
- skepticism, I’m: ______________
7. Choose your favorite mid-action moments.
Your first scene will combine these elements! Voila! 🙂
(B) Now Research the College
1. Research the academia.
Visit the university’s main website as well as the department website related to your major. Research classes, professors (including any published research on their biography pages), unique academic programs, research opportunities, cohorts, fellowships, etc. that can teach you the hard and/or soft skills you need to succeed in your quest. Identify at least 3 items of interest, and write a sentence that describes what each one is and why it will aid you in your quest.
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2. Research student involvement opportunities.
Research student organizations, clubs, internships, community service hubs, hackathons, student competitions, etc. Identify at least 3 items of interest, and write a sentence that describes what each one is and why it will aid you in your quest.
Opportunities directly relevant to your major and project:
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Opportunities indirectly relevant to your major and project (i.e. lateral thinking):
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3. Research the culture, traditions, and misc. facts.
Research school traditions, cool buildings or facilities, current issues relating to the campus, newsworthy happenings that relate to the college, and campus statistics that relate to you (for instance: number of people with disparate major/minor combinations, # of women in computer science, # of students who start businesses, etc.). Identify at least 3 items of interest, and write a sentence that describes what each one is and why it validates that you are at the right college.
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4. Bonus: be next level.
It’s highly recommend that you do the following for your top 3 desired reach colleges if you’re serious about them. Gain exclusive insights by:
(a) calling the admissions office and asking to speak to a student worker to learn more about the school and your major, and/or
(b) email a student organization that you found interesting and seek a time to speak with a student leader.
If you feel intimidated, don’t worry! Student workers in the admissions office signed up for the job specifically to answer questions from prospective students like you; they’re generally very friendly! Leaders of student organizations are the most passionate members who love promoting their organizations and their college experiences. Strategically pick questions from https://collegezoom.com/student/ to ask discover insider details that cannot be found on the website. Then, record the details below so you can weave them into your essay. That’ll be the cherry on top!
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When your research is finished: Don’t write your essay, yet. You’ll use your research to do that in the next session. Proceed to session 3 if your longest green essay is 250 words or more. Skip to session 4 if your longest green essay is 200 words or fewer.