New Essay Requirements for ApplyTexas and University of Texas for Fall 2018

If you’re signing up to be an incoming freshmen to your University of Texas at Austin for Fall 2018, I believe this is certainly an item of good news for you.

The application essays you’ll want to write have changed from writing three longer essays (Topics A, B, and C) to 1 long essay (Topic A) and three supplements, which they call ‘short answers.’

To address Topic A, you have to write one personal statement variety of essay about your background for the prompt they call Topic A. There is no stated word length, but a good range is around 500 words.

For the three brief answers, you will write no more than 300 words each on Career Plans, Academics and Leadership.

You can read all about the changes and new prompts on the ApplyTexas web site.

This is actually the exact prompt for Topic A:

What was the environment in which you were raised? Describe your family, home, neighborhood or community, and explain just how it has shaped you as a person.

Read THIS POST for my advice and writing strategies on how best to write about your history (‘the environment in which you were raised’) and address this prompt.

Listed here are the 3 New Short Answer Prompts and Tips(This is all directly from the ApplyTexas web site)

Brief Answer 1: Career Plans

If you could have any career, what wouldn’t it be? Why? Describe any activities you’re involved in, life experiences you’ve had, or even classes you’ve taken that have helped you identify this professional path.

Ideas to consider: This is a chance to describe your academic and future professional interests. You might not yet be 100% particular about that which you wish to accomplish, but is there a specific field you think you would like to get results in, or perhaps a certain path you want to pursue after college? Just How have your interests and experiences influenced your choice of majors or your plans to explore in college?

Brief Answer 2: Academics

Would you believe your academic record (transcript information and test scores) provide an accurate representation of you being a student? Why or why not?

Ideas to consider: Feel free to deal with whatever you want the Office of Admissions to know about your educational record so that we can consider this information when we review your application. You can discuss your educational work, class rank, GPA, individual course grades, test scores, and/or the classes that you took or the classes that were open to you. It is possible to describe just how special circumstances and/or your school, community, and household environments impacted your high school performance.

Short Answer 3: Leadership

How can you show leadership that you experienced? Just How do the thing is yourself being fully a leader at UT Austin?prejudice thesis statement

Tips to consider: Leadership can be demonstrated by jobs you possess as an officer in a club or organization, but other kinds of leadership are essential too. Leaders can emerge in a variety of situations at any time, including outside the school experience. Please share a brief description of the type of leadership qualities you possess, from school and non-school related experiences, including demonstrations of leadership in your task, your community, or within your family responsibilities, and then share how you aspire to demonstrate leadership as an associate of our campus community.

My pal, Kevin Martin, just published this guide, Your Ticket to your Forty Acres: The Unofficial Guide for UT Undergraduate Admissions, on Amazon (Kindle) to help students quickly figure out what they have to do to game the admissions scene at the University of Texas, especially its Austin campus.

What I love about that book is that Kevin was a first-gen student who graduated top of his class, then went on to for their admissions department being a counselor.

So he’s experienced both sides associated with process.

Within the book, Kevin shares his personal experience and stories along with advice and guidelines on figuring out exactly what you’ll want to increase your likelihood of getting accepted.

The most useful news?

You can download this bookfor FREE through Saturday, June 17!

Just go to Amazon and obtain your copy and then do your homework.

This is from the review I left for his book on Amazon:

‘Unlike many guides for gaming the college admissions industry, Kevin has his priorities straight: It’s all about finding the right fit.

And this book offers everything you need to offer it your personal most useful shot, from his insights on the psychology of the process to deciphering the actual algorithms used for deciding who gets in.’

Kevin also was kind enough to let me reveal to you a few of his most useful advice on the University of Texas essays.

Kevin Martin

Here is an excerpt from his book on how to brainstorm and write on what’s known as Essay A:

18 Questions

to Help Guide

Your Apply Texas Essay A

The English Department professor who conducted our UT-Austin essay review training would say, ‘Think of a college essay prompt perhaps not as box to trap students but as an invitation to create.’

It is up to the student to define what they want to create. Many essay prompts are broad, and Apply Texas Essay A is no exception.

‘What was the surroundings in which you had been raised? Describe your household, home, neighborhood, or community, and explain just how it has shaped you being a person.’

Colleges and universities note a trend that primary and secondary school teachers have observed for decades.

A student’s home life heavily influences their ability to succeed or fail.

UT desires to master about important people that you experienced, organizations that impact you, or the atmosphere of one’s household or high school.

I hear students say, ‘I do not have anything interesting to discuss. My home life is boring, suburban, and predictable.’

Remember, you’re not writing your autobiography. You’re submitting at most 650 words making one or two observations.

If you’re having trouble getting started, consider wondering a few of these questions to narrow down the prompt:

• Were you raised in a family group that encouraged reading?
• What food did your parents put on the table?
• Would you eat dinner together each night?
• Do your parents support your interests and curiosities?
• Do they attend your activities games or choir concerts?
• Would you play outside?
• What do your parents do for work, and does this inform your future goals?
• Do you feel pressure to excel within the class?
• Where does that pressure come from?
• What exactly are your days like before and after school, on the weekends, as well as in the summers?
• Do you’ve got any siblings who have influenced you?
• What about grandparents?
• Is there one memory or experience that sticks out among the remainder?
• Exactly What does your loved ones do over the holidays?
• Perhaps you have taken a memorable vacation?
• Exactly What are your friends like?
• Are your parents divorced?
• How can you think living in Austin or attending UT will differ from your current environment?

I love working with students from all over the globe.

I’m always surprised, however, just how many of these students overlook their rich backgrounds when brainstorming topics for their college application essays.

There were several reasons for this.

Many international students seem to think that colleges wouldn’t be thinking about their country of birth, and the associated customs, food, traditions, etc.

These same students also believe they have to appear ‘Americanized’ in order to be appealing to their target schools within the U.S.

These are typically wrong and wrong.

I also have worked with students born in the United States who are reluctant to feature their ethnic heritage since it wasn’t white and waspy.

Others are so immersed everyday inside their cultural backgrounds they don’t even recognize how special these are typically or that they have them.

Sometimes your ‘culture’ is so close to you that it’s hard to see.

For example, I had to convince some students by the Texas border in the Rio Grande Valley, which is nearly entirely hispanic, they had incredible cultural topics to feature inside their essays, from Mexican myths and sayings to speciality breakfast tacos sold at their local convenience stores, called the Q-taco.

They were too close to these cultural treasures to realize that others outside their community would find them of interest.

The secret is to find your unique cultural bubble. Sometimes you have several!

Even students from ‘white’ backgrounds who feel they do not have distinctive ‘ethnic’ cultural heritage frequently overlook their own rich cultural surroundings. (Examples: surf culture; ‘redneck’ culture; ‘preppie’ culture; armed forces culture; hippie culture; city culture)

Culture is everywhere.

It’s sort of like a mini-world with its own set of traditions, food, clothing, beliefs, etc. One good place to explore yours is to think about the background of one’s parents and grandparents.

In personal statements, you are searching for examples that you experienced of what has shaped or defined you, as well as your values.

Frequently, these cultural backgrounds have played a powerful role, and also are distinctive and fascinating so take advantage of that in your essays!

Not to mention that many schools are seeking ‘diversity’ for their student human body make-up: How will they understand what you have to contribute if you don’t help them understand your upbringing?

Different is good!

Students who have any type of ethnic and cultural background are the lucky ones: They have something unique and often colorful to write about right out the door with one of these essay topics!

Advice for International Students

I have four pieces of advice for international students.

You’re fortunate since your cultural history is really a given: It’s often first defined by the nation you live in which is naturally ‘different’ compared to U.S.

Embrace and celebrate that in your essay!

Often, you may already know, there are various cultures within your country. The more particular you will be about authoring your culture, the greater relevant and meaningful your points are.

My Four Guidelines:

1. Just Take enough time to understand the kind and style of essays which are best at most universites and colleges within the U.S. If you are writing an individual statement essay (such as The Common Application main essay), you wish to write a personal essay that has real-life experiences to showcase your personality and character.

RELATED: Find Out How to create a Personal Essay

I’m not an expert within the needed essays at universites and colleges outside the U.S., however the prompts and sample essays I have read from places in Great Britain, Scotland, Germany along with other countries have frequently sought more formal, educational essays. If these would be the type of essays you are utilized to writing, take time to learn about writing a narrative-style personal essay. There is a huge difference.

2. When looking for a subject for your personal essay, consider the customs, traditions, (physical and emotional) environment, food, dress and other areas of your family background and lifestyle which were unique to your country, or particular region or community.

These can make fantastic topics, especially if you can share related experiences and reveal how they assisted you define your core qualities or values.

Not only are these culturally related experiences fresh and interesting (especially to the Americans reading your essays), they are also full of personal stories, color and details that may enliven your essays.

3. I believe that when admissions folks at college and universities observe that you are an international student, they’ll be on the lookout for evidence that you’ve got what must be done to live far abroad.

In my experience, that means they desire to see you are independent, determined, resilient and have grit. If you can showcase these qualities in your college application essays, I think you could give yourself an side.

RELATED: How to Show Your Grit

4. Even though it may not seem fair, but I also think when colleges see that you are from a country outside the U.S., especially one where English is not the main language, admissions folks will look more critically at the mechanics of one’s writing.

Always have somebody with a strong command of english review your essays, and make certain you nail the spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Also, question them that will help you make sure to use more everyday language, and ‘write as if you talk,’ so you aren’t too formal and stiff in your style, and don’t utilize idioms incorrectly (a tip-off that English is a second language).

Guidance For Everyone Else

Find your culture, no matter where you come from.

Frequently, you are so surrounded by it it can be hard to see.

When you recognize your cultural history, it’s important to avoid making cliche observations about this in your essay.

For example, if you’re from such giant countries as China or India, you can expect to need to carve away a smaller piece of one’s culture within your country.

HOT TIP: Pick one specific tradition or experience related to your cultural background to feature in your essay, instead of trying to write about too much. (The Q-taco; henna; Pho your grandma taught you to make; roping cows; braiding hair; ghost stories; picking berries; your strange name…)

That may help you steer clear of the overdone and cliche.

Always look for ways to obtain the unexpected in your culture.

Exactly What would readers be surprised to master about your culture? Look for things that bust their assumptions.

Examples:

I’m from India, but I’m perhaps not Hindu. Instead, I’m …

I’m from a native american tribe, but I don’t own any indigenous costumes or dance. Instead, I …

I’m from Texas but I hate bbq. Alternatively, I …

My father is from Guatemala and my mom from Mexico, but I don’t speak Spanish. Alternatively, I …

I’m from California, but I’ve never gone to the beach. Alternatively, I …

You get the drift.

You may already know, many cultures come with stereotypes and generalizations, and even racism and prejudice.

Exploring these patterns and issues can result in great essays topics, especially if you have experienced to deal with them.

Read my post on why Problems Make Great Essays.

Let the reader see and feel what it has felt like to mature in your unique culture, and then share what you have discovered from it, both the great while the bad.

I’m confident you’ll be with a personal, compelling and meaningful essay, regardless of exactly what planet you’re from!