Express
Yo ES u S TH r E s SCHO e OL lf
TO IMPR
ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE
ARDILLO BY MICHELLE BLANCHARD
Eighth-grade year for many brings tears of joy and sadness.

Students must leave the safe cocoon of middle school and spread their wings as
high school freshmen. For parents interested in pursuing secondary education in
a Catholic school or private school for their children, this process can be formida-
ble. And, to make matters worse, this same process will repeat itself in four short
years when it is time to apply to colleges and universities. Many of these tips and
strategies will be helpful for both.

Where to begin? Gather as much informa-
tion as possible. Research the school online,
talk to friends who are alums or have older
children who attended the school, go to an
open house, attend a sporting or perform-
ing arts event, schedule a day for your 8th
grader to shadow at each school and drive
to and from the school during rush hour
traffi c. Inquire about tuition, book fees,
meal options, bus and/or carpool options,
dress code, curriculum, in-house tutor-
ing and especially advanced placement and
honors courses. If you have a child with
documented learning diff erences, inves-
tigate what programs and resources are
available for your student.

After choosing schools of interest, the
next step — applying for admission — is
equally daunting. Here are some tips to
ease into the competitive world of Catholic
or private high school admissions.

22 Washington FAMILY
OCTOBER 2019
THE APPLICATION
Every school’s application is diff erent. In
today’s digital age, most schools require that
you set up an online account to access the
school’s application. As soon as the appli-
cations are available, set up your account
and print out a hard copy of the application.

Set up a two-pocket fi le folder for each high
school of interest. On the front of the folder,
in black marker, write the important dates
for that particular school, such as:
‰ date of open house
‰ date of scheduled shadow visit
‰ deadline for the actual application
‰ deadline for applying for fi nancial aid
‰ deadline for applying for an academic
scholarship, a performing arts schol-
arship (some schools off er performing
arts scholarships in speech and debate,
theatre, music and dance), or a fi ne
arts scholarship
‰ deadline for teacher recommendations
or letters of recommendations from alums
of the school
THE ADMISSIONS ESSAY
Applications for most Catholic or private
high schools require an admissions essay.

The purpose of the admissions essay is
twofold: It gives the admissions commit-
tee a sample of your writing, and it lets the
admissions committee get to know you in
a diff erent way.

Some high schools have a specifi c writ-
ing prompt for the essay topic. Some high
schools have an open-ended statement or
question to respond to.

ANSWER THE PROMPT
First, is there a writing prompt on the
application? If so, read it carefully. Decode
and analyze the prompt: What is it asking?
It is important to answer the prompt fully
to submit the best possible essay.

Here are some sample topics that have
been on applications for Catholic and/or
private schools over the years:
‰ If you were able to get into a time machine
and travel anywhere in time or place, where
would you go and why? This is a very spe-
cifi c prompt. It is asking the 8th grader
to specifi cally identify a time and place
they would like to visit in person. The
essay must be fi lled with visual images



and sensory details. The student must use
words to paint a picture in the minds of
the admissions committee.

Tell me about the one person that has been
the most influential in your life so far. This
essay is an opportunity to speak about a
teacher, a coach, a neighbor, the moder-
ator of an after-school club, the parent
of a friend or a relative. The entire essay
must be an introduction to that person.

The introduction should give a physical
description of this person and identify
some personality traits, as well as how you
know this person, when you met them,
and how they are a part of your life. The
body paragraph should give specific sup-
porting details as to how this person has
influenced you, how you’ve grown as
an individual as a result of knowing this
person, and what examples of kindness,
compassion, courage, faith, knowledge,
etc., this person has shared with you. The
conclusion should reflect back on this per-
son’s place in your life. Imagine your life if
you had never known this person and end
your essay talking about that.

Describe yourself using a metaphor. A
metaphor is a literary device of figura-
tive language. It is somewhat analogous to
a simile, but a metaphor goes a step fur-
ther. A metaphor replaces one thing with
another. For example, after a long sum-
mer, your backyard is covered with a thick
layer of green grass.

But, after an early
winter blizzard, your
backyard is a car-
pet of white velvet.

In describing your-
self using a metaphor,
pick an object: ani-
mal, plant or mineral.

Find the strong attri-
butes of that object.

Then, match those
attributes to your
strengths. Talk about how
they are the same and how
you are that object. A stu-
dent who dances to the
beat of a different drum
might describe himself
like a salmon, swimming
against the current, never
following the popular crowd, staying true
to himself and what his own goals are. Or,
how he perseveres even when things are
difficult. This would be a perfect example
of using a metaphor to describe this type
of student.

We know what our school can give you.

What can you give to our school? This
prompt is asking a simple question: Why
do we need you? What will you bring to
the school that other students can’t bring?
Do you have a special talent, are you very
serious about service to others, or are you
skilled at something that this school does
not currently offer as a sport or after-
school club/activity? They are looking
for something a bit more than “I’m really
good at soccer.” What makes you special?
FOCUS THE ESSAY
If there is no specific writing prompt
and, instead, the application just asks
you to “tell us about yourself,” this is an
opportunity to choose a topic that has
some meaning to you. Remember that
your application already lists all of your
activities, honors, accomplishments
and grades. You do not need to talk
about this. Instead, think about the last
three years of school and life, and think
about one event or activity or episode in
your life that you can write about in a
three-paragraph essay.

This type of essay, where you have some
freedom in what you write about, really
requires you to focus on one specific thing.

Make an outline. Write a thesis statement
(topic sentence) that states clearly what
you are writing about. Don’t announce it;
don’t say “this essay
is about.” Then, select
three main points
that support that the-
sis statement and
have a few supporting
details or examples
for each main point.

This will easily add up
to a body paragraph
of five to eight sen-
tences. Be sure your
body paragraph has a
strong topic sentence and
a strong transition sen-
tence (now you have seven
to 10 sentences in your
body paragraph).

Here’s a possible the-
sis: “Being stage manager
of my school’s spring musi-
cal made me a better student.” Support
this example with the following points: It
taught me to manage my time, it taught me
how to communicate and cooperate with
my peers and teachers, and it taught me
how to work well under pressure. Perhaps
Where to begin?
Gather as much
information as possible.

COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
HELPFUL HINTS
ABOUT ADMISSION
ESSAYS Admission essays should be
typed unless the application
states otherwise. Use the
front only of white printer
paper and black ink, double-
spaced with indented first
lines of paragraphs. Use
Times New Roman 12 pt. font
or something very plain and
easy to read. At the top left,
type a heading (full name and
date). Your title for your essay
should be centered under
your heading.

Admission essays should
be three paragraphs unless
the application specifically
states otherwise. If it says,
“in one paragraph …” then
write a one-paragraph essay.

Otherwise, you should have
an introduction, a body
paragraph and a conclusion.

Intro and conclusion can be
four to six sentences, but the
body paragraph should be
longer, seven to 10 sentences.

Proofread very carefully. Run
the spellcheck app in your
word processing program.

Read the essay out loud so
you can “hear” what your
eyes will miss when reading
your own writing.

Write in first person (I, we,
me, us, our) unless it specifies
otherwise. Do not announce
your essay in your writing: “In
this essay I will” or “I hope
you have enjoyed this essay”.

Do not “speak” directly to the
“reader” of the essay.

Be sure you have
answered the writing
prompt completely!
Let your English teacher or
an adult read over it and give
you some comments. Edit
and revise, proofread and
print again. Remember: Do
your own work! ■
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