1. College Essay Personal Narrative
Self-Assessment Steps

2. Put some notes on these directives in the margins/within your essay.
Read your essay
Put a box around your first paragraph
Does it grab the reader’s attention?
Is it clear in its purpose WITHOUT stating the purpose directly?
How well does the writing create images through descriptive language appealing to senses/emotions?
Put some notes on these directives in the margins/within your essay.

3. Put some notes on these directives in the margins/within your essay.
Read your essay
Put a box around your concluding paragraph
Is the narrative wrapped up adequately by the end of the essay?
Does the end of your essay solidify the perspective you want the reader to get about you?
Put some notes on these directives in the margins/within your essay.

4. Put some notes on these directives in the margins/within your essay.
Read your essay
Circle the words/passages that are descriptive and use imagery or appeal to senses/emotions.
Check your sentence beginnings - do you start with same beginning often or vary?
Put some notes on these directives in the margins/within your essay.

5. Put some notes on these directives in the margins/within your essay.
Read your essay
Is there a story as a focus of your essay (it should be, that way it will tend to me more interesting to the reader)?
Is your essay a list of accomplishments (it shouldn’t be)?
What is the overall message the reader will get from what you wrote? Is that what you want?
Put some notes on these directives in the margins/within your essay.

6. Audience Engagement A strong college essay…
makes the reader want to keep reading – never gets bored and learns quite a bit about the writer.
has extremely interesting descriptions, establishes a well-developed purpose/conflict/situation/ observation.
is one where every part of essay reveals something interesting about the writer.
Assess your essay in regard to these points. Put some thoughts down within the essay.

7. Narrative Elements
The purpose of your essay should be shown through strong narrative techniques that may include:
Engaging dialogue
Artistic pacing - intro/middle/end are evident but not boring
Vivid descriptions - sensory language, pictures painted in reader’s mind, specific details/experience conveyed
Complex Reflection - Experiences, descriptions prove thought provoking and provide unique information
Assess your essay in regard to these points. Put some thoughts down within the essay.

8. Structure
The progression of essay from intro to conclusion flows well - no one part of essay seems too long or short.
The events described are NOT just listed, but developed and story-like in nature
There are no questions that need to be answered by the end of your essay
Assess your essay in regard to these points. Put some thoughts down within the essay.

9. Voice/Diction
Effective essays use strong verbs and appropriately descriptive word choice - yet still sounds natural and not like the author is trying too hard to impress.
Experiences described in essay are vivid due to rich imagery, yet events are realistic.
Word choice reflects positively on author.
Assess your essay in regard to these points. Put some thoughts down within the essay.

10. Unity
The reader has a much deeper understanding of the author from this essay.
All parts of the essay work together to thoughtfully answer the prompt which reveals the author’s true nature.
Assess your essay in regard to these points. Put some thoughts down within the essay.