personal essay

our Mission
In 750 words (about three pages), explain the significance of a moment or series of events that made you change or grow.  (Examples: worst experience, best experience, tough decision, a subject about which you have insider knowledge, such as a workplace or culture or hobby, a medical or mental health crisis, your role as child/spouse/parent) NOTE: This can be a humor piece, as we saw with David Sedaris.

ABDCE Structure
Action: Your first sentences will depict you in the midst of a crisis or moment of high tension. Drop the reader into the middle of a scene in which you are struggling, experiencing a problem, or saying something controversial. Use dialogue (conversations) and sensory detail.

Example: Blood covered the floor of the bathroom. I tried to stand up, but couldn’t reach the countertop. Alone in the house, I thought of calling my husband, but my phone was charging in the living room. Tears came. They rolled down my cheeks. I pushed against the toilet and was able to stand. I didn’t feel any better. There would be no baby.

Background: Your next few sentences will explain who Action involves, when and where it takes place, and what is going on.

Example: When the pain started, I thought it was a normal cramp or maybe indigestion. I went about my morning duties, showering and eating Cheerios. I daydreamed over a cup of coffee about naming the baby after my dad. Then . . .

Development: Use several paragraphs to exhibit moments from your life that lead to the climax. Select dramatic scenes, conversations, and decision points from your life. Each paragraph should present an example or an incident. These might have taken place before the Action. REMINDER: Between actions, layer in reflection and introspection. Talk to the reader about what the events meant to you. Include your emotional and psychological reaction to the events.

Example: Even before getting married, we talked about having a family. My husband was one of three brothers, and he remembered the fun they’d had. He talked about the time they all climbed on the roof and jumped onto their trampoline. On family trips, they would tell each other ghost stories and watch for license plates from all fifty states. I wanted kids too. I knew he longed for real family. I did too. When I was little, I imagined myself . . .

Climax: Build the essay toward this moment when you reveal your new perspective, your insight, your new wisdom, or your deeper understanding. Explain what self-knowledge you have gained after going through these experiences.

Example: I realized that we two were a real family. Even without children, we had a home, we had love. Even if I never became a mother, I could nurture other people in my life.

End: Conclude with an IMAGE of you enacting the change/growth/new insight that you gained.

Example: A month later, I was still keeping the positive pregnancy test. I had cried, I had shouted, but I hadn’t thrown it away. I pulled it out and thought of all the love in my life. I thought about the novel I was writing. My husband’s photo smiled at me from a picture frame on the desk. I dropped the white plastic stick into the trash.

Grade Criteria
ABDCE structure (0-5)
Opening that uses action and grabs interest (0-10)
Background sentences that tell us who and where about the action (0-10)
Vivid scenes that use action and sensory detail to SHOW the reader pertinent events, incidents, examples (0-20)
Reveal a change of perspective, heart, or understanding as the climax (0-10)
End that is an image, showing you enacting the new perspective (0-10)
Mechanics (0-10)
MLA format, including an interesting title! (0-5)
Professional tone, but informal where appropriate, vivid voice, personality (0-10)
High quality shown by coherence, conciseness, depth (0-10)

SAMPLE ESSAY: Personal Essay - student sample essay that received an A.docx