College Applicants Can Get Essay Advice

After doing their best to fill out application forms, students applying to some universities then face the often daunting task of writing an essay about themselves to get in.

To help with that process, Valley College will sponsor a free workshop on “Writing the University Application Essay” at noon Wednesday in Room 101 of the Behavioral Science Building, 5800 Fulton Ave.

The course is designed to help students applying to a private university or a campus in the University of California system write a personal statement or an application essay, said Shannon Stack, director of media services at the college.

Stack said that the UC system has put greater emphasis on the essays since the demise of affirmative action admissions this year and predicts that the essays could become even more important if the UC Board of Regents decides to drop SAT scores from consideration when evaluating applicants.

The session is open to interested students from all area schools, but especially to students expecting to transfer soon from a community college to a university.

The workshop--to be conducted by English instructor Patrick Hunter and Bruce Thomas from Valley’s counseling department--will focus on how to write and what to write in the essay to attract attention.

It also will tell students what university officials are looking for when they read the essays.

For more information, call (818) 781-1200, Ext. 286.