What could possibly be worse than to go into your freshman year unprepared for college papers? Upon your senior year in high school, it’s your last chance to prepare for college. Simple knowledge of the basics of English (grammar, formatting, and such) won’t be enough to get a passing grade in English, or in any of your classes. English class only teaches you how to write basic papers, but it won’t meet the expectations of college professors. In my senior year, my English teacher implemented a successful college preparation plan consisting of scholarship essay building, MLA formatting review, APA format review and creative writing. I believe every high school English teacher should use these same ideas to help seniors prepare for college.
During senior year, scholarships and college application essays are the first step towards college. The scholarship essay is part of your financial responsibility as a college-bound student. There are many scholarships offered by private companies, organizations, and the government. These scholarships vary in topic, and it can be overwhelming. English teachers should help each student build scholarship essays because it will help them prepare for college and strengthens their writing skills. Okay, you may be thinking “ugh more essays,” but actually it is a good thing. How is that good? Scholarships vary with different topics; it’s good practice for you in your writing. Most scholarships look for a simple and formal essay that presents yourself or your opinion. When applying for colleges, many will ask for an introductory essay. Colleges want to get to know you and your goals. It also helps them determine your financial support from the college. Colleges can offer additional categories of scholarships like athletics, special talents and departmental. Improving your writing through applying for outside scholarships can help prepare for your introductory essay which is a vital part of the college application.
When writing papers, MLA format is commonly used. According to Purdue OWL, MLA format is a “style most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities.” MLA makes your paper look more organized by providing the structure of your paper and cited work done on the paper. Proper MLA formatting includes your name, professor’s name, class, and due date in the upper left corner. Additionally, MLA format includes a title and page numbers with your last name. Proper citation in research papers, a basic guideline for essay building, and professional presentation improve your debut into the modern world.
When I took a freshman introductory course at Sacramento City College, we reviewed what MLA format was and surprisingly many of the other students didn’t know what MLA format was. We also learned what APA format is. Purdue OWL states that APA is a “style most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences.” I had never heard what APA format was; compared to MLA format, APA uses footnotes and reference pages that provide more detail on the source. APA format caters toward professional reports presented in the social sciences fields. APA format is an important asset to college preparation especially when APA format is now on the rise.
My English teacher taught the class about all types of essays, but I'd never thought that a creative writing assignment could drastically change my opinion of writing. In reality, no one can keep reading boring formal essays and papers, so creative writing is encouraged in a student’s academics. College is the same, although the prompt may be stated through simple questions, but the many types of essays (persuasive, composition, narrative, reflection) make it possible for the process of writing to be more interesting. For example, if a teacher asks you, “Write about how Hamlet is a dreamer?” How would you answer it creatively? If you think about the prompt, what is a dreamer? Did Hamlet dream at night or did he want reality to go his way? My method for approaching the question in a creative way begins by asking questions then answering with quotes from the text, along with my own opinions. Pay close attention to the details the teacher says about the paper. Does it have to be a two point persuasive or does it have to be a narrative? The purpose of creative writing is to open a student’s imagination and creativity. It also changes a student’s perspective on writing because not all writing is black and white.
High school English classes should emphasize preparing seniors for college using my English teacher’s college preparation plan. There are many things we can add to senior year curriculum to prepare them for college. My high school focused many of their core classes on college preparation. English class helped review basic writing applications and scholarship essay building. Our senior projects were directed for students to explore something they want a future career in. Our science classes entered in competitions with scholarship rewards; offering other possible options toward success like going to serve the military, or job fairs are beneficial to students. My school also helps students with life skills like study skills, money management, and job searching. The principal and faculty were willing to refer students for jobs, internships and scholarships. My high school also offered programs for seniors to take a few college classes in local community colleges. If other high schools put the effort to help students in their high school year (especially senior year); students will be better prepared for college. Scholarship essays, MLA format, APA format and creative writing should make better college papers, but you only get out what you put in.
