Subverting Genre: The “Uncensored” College Essay

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Overview

The college essay on the Common App is the most high-stakes and personal pieces of writing that man people will every do. As anyone who has written it knows, the college essay is a writing genre with very specific conventions-–if not official rules—that writers are expected to follow if they want their essay to help them get into college. In this unit, we will explore those norms, the reasons they exist, and our opinions about the college essay genre.

We’ll then create conventions for an alternative writing genre: the “liberated college essay.” Imagine you are guaranteed admittance in City College, and the point of your college essay is to help school officials get to know who you are to best help you thrive and succeed as a student here. You would be “liberated” from having to present yourself in a way designed to impress other people, and instead write what you choose.

But every genre has its own conventions that give readers some idea of what to expect so they can more quickly understand the text. In this assignment, we’ll create those conventions as a class, and then you will write your own, choosing which norms to follow and which to break. 

Length

300-650 words

Due Dates

First Draft: Tuesday, April 16

Final Draft: Thursday, April 18 

Points

First draft:

On Time: 5 points. 1 point off for every day late. No credit after 4 days late. 

Final draft: 

On Time: 15 points, 1 point off for every day late. No credit after 15 days late.

Assessment Rubric

1. genre awareness

Does your essay demonstrate an awareness of the norms that we as a class invent for this made up genre?

2. organization and clarity

Are your readers “guided” through your essay by clearly organized paragraphs and topic sentences? 

3. Revision, Editing, and Formatting

Does your final draft show evidence of thoughtful revision and editing from the first draft?

4. General Requirements

Were all general requirements for length and due date met?