Proof-Reading College Essays for Content and Style

•  The opening sentence (and the opening ¶ as a whole) should intrigue the audience. Gauge the power of the opening; What can you revise if it falls short of compelling. Avoid bland openings. Think how you can help the reader experience what you are going through.

• Underline all the sentences that you believe fall under the “personal reflection” section of your prompt. Does this seem to be at least 1/3 of the total essay? Does it actually show the reader how this experience has shaped you?

•What final impression of the writer does the end of the last ¶ make? At the end, if the writing just seems to fade away, what can you do to form a more solid conclusion?

•Re-Read your prompt. Are you actually answering what it is asking? Or are you spending too much time on only one aspect of the prompt? (Personal Quality vs. Impact on you).

 

•Voice: What final impression does the author make?

•Do you hear the author’s narrative voice in the essay?  What personality comes through?  Do you have a favorable impression of this person, especially with the reflection?  Make suggestions if you think this person will not come across as s/he intended.

 

•Creativity and word choice:

·Box the first word of each sentence: See any patterns?  If there are too many of the same word(s), suggest ways to work around this ineffective repetition. 

·Circle each verb: See any patterns?  Suggest strong, specific verbs to replace generic ones; make sure you are operating in the same tense throughout.

·Redundancy: Are there other ineffective repetitions used by the writer? Make suggestions above the words you feel may need replacing.