132 / Types of Writing
Once you have these lists and responses in front of you, you are well on your way
toward developing a specific focus for your essay.
STEP 2: Prewriting—Developing a Focus
After you have considered options such as those in Step 1—as well as any others
you may think of—talk with friends, teachers, counselors, or alumni about possible
responses. Sometimes their reactions to possible topics help you gain objectivity in
your planned response.
With their suggestions in mind, select the specific approach you will use. Write in a
single sentence what you want your essay response to accomplish. Consider these
examples:
Do not say:
My response will explain why I want to attend Blank University.
Write instead:
Blank University includes three world-renowned musicians among its faculty,
and they can help me pursue my goal as a master of wind instruments.
Do not say:
I read a book recently that has influenced my ideas about midlife career
changes.
Write instead:
The biography of John James Audubon helped me understand that midlife
career changes, while sometimes financially painful, often bring deep personal
satisfaction.The sentence you write will serve as a thesis sentence for your essay response.
STEP 3: Prewriting—Choosing Details
With your thesis sentence in front of you, list the specific details that help you
explain your idea. Remember that details help your essay stand out among the thou-
sands that the admissions people read.
STEP 4: Writing—Getting the Ideas on Paper
As you write the first draft, forget about spelling and mechanics. Get the ideas down
in support of the thesis sentence. Do not be afraid to include ideas that seem not to
fit. Maybe they belong somewhere else in the essay, or maybe they do not belong in
it at all; but you can always take them out or move them during the revision process.
For now, get them on paper so that you do not lose them.