Module Content

How it works: Pick a career and show, through a series of paragraphs, how you've developed the qualities necessary to excel in that career. Along the way, you'll demonstrate some great qualities that you'll bring with you to a college campus—even if your career path changes!

Examples from past students include:

• Art History

• Astronomy

• Business

• Engineering

• Computer Science

• Geriatric Medicine

• Behavioral Economics

• Materials Science

• Pathology

• Forensics

• Sociology

• Sportscasting

But, of course, you could write about any number of careers.

Before I show you how to write your essay, check out these two examples:

Endodontics

Note: This author didn't title his essay or bold any of his sentences, so there's no need for you to do either. In case you're curious, I've titled it to make referring to it easier and bolded a few sentences to make a point about structure in a future lesson.

As a kid I was always curious. I was unafraid to ask questions and didn't worry how dumb they would make me sound. In second grade I enrolled in a summer science program and built a solar-powered oven that baked real cookies. I remember obsessing over the smallest details: Should I paint the oven black to absorb more heat? What about its shape? A spherical shape would allow for more volume, but would it trap heat as well as conventional rectangular ovens? Even then I was obsessed with the details of design.

And it didn't stop in second grade.

A few years later I designed my first pair of shoes, working for hours to perfect each detail, including whether the laces should be mineral white or diamond white. Even then I sensed that minor differences in tonality could make a huge impact and that different colors could evoke different responses.

In high school I moved on to more advanced projects, teaching myself how to take apart, repair, and customize cell phones. Whether I was adjusting the flex cords that connect the IPS LCD to the iPhone motherboard, or replacing the vibrator motor, I loved discovering the many engineering feats Apple overcame in its efforts to combine form with function.

And once I obtained my driver's license, I began working on cars. Many nights you'll find me in the garage replacing standard chrome trim with an elegant piano black finish or changing the threads on the stitching of the seats to add a personal touch, as I believe a few small changes can transform a generic product into a personalized work of art.

My love of details applies to my schoolwork too.

I'm the math geek who marvels at the fundamental theorems of Calculus, or who sees beauty in A=(s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c))^(1/2). Again, it's in the details: one bracket off or one digit missing and the whole equation collapses. And details are more than details, they can mean the difference between negative and positive infinity, an impossible range of solutions.

I also love sharing this appreciation with others and have taken it upon myself to personally eradicate mathonumophobiconfundosis, my Calculus teacher's term for "extreme fear of Math." A small group of other students and I have devoted our after-school time to tutoring our peers in everything from Pre-Algebra to AP Calculus B/C and I believe my fluency in Hebrew and Farsi has helped me connect with some of my school's Israeli and Iranian students. There's nothing better than seeing a student solve a difficult problem without me saying anything.

You probably think I want to be a designer. Or perhaps an engineer?

Wrong. Well, kind of.

Actually, I want to study Endodontics, which is (I'll save you the Wikipedia look-up) a branch of dentistry that deals with the tooth pulp and the tissues surrounding the root of a tooth. As an Endodontist, I'll be working to repair damaged teeth by performing precision root canals and implementing dental crowns. Sound exciting? It is to me.

The fact is, it's not unlike the work I've been doing repairing cellphone circuits and modifying cars, though there is one small difference. In the future I'll still be working to repair machines, but this machine is one of the most sophisticated machines ever created: the human body. Here, my obsession with details will be as crucial as ever. A one millimeter difference can mean the difference between a successful root canal and a lawsuit.

The question is: will the toothbrushes I hand out be mineral white or diamond white?

Four Qualities This Essay Demonstrates:

I believe most great essays illustrate four qualities: core values, insight (i.e., an illuminating answer to the question, "so what?"), vulnerability, and craft. Here's how this essay shows each of these:

1. Values. Note how each paragraph reveals a different value: curiosity, meticulousness, dexterity, creativity, intellectual vitality, and a desire to help others.

2. Insight. Note how almost every paragraph answers the question "so what" in a compelling way. Two examples include, "Even then I sensed that minor differences in tonality could make a huge impact and that different colors could evoke different responses," and "I believe a few small changes can transform a generic product into a personalized work of art."

3. Vulnerability. I believe it's vulnerable to admit that you are a) a math geek and b) excited by the idea of "performing precision root canals and implementing dental crowns."

4. Craft. This essay was clearly well thought-out and planned from the surprise near the end when he reveals endodontics as his career to the final line that brings the essay back full circle.

Variation: The Braiding Method

Want to really take things to the next level? Some students choose to weave a second area of interest into their career essay. This takes a bit of extra work, but it can really help set your essay apart, especially if your career and interest seem unrelated. One past student, for example, wove together plants and business. Another connected her interest in politics to cheddaring (yeah: a process for making cheese).

Here's an example from a student who wove his interest in magic with—well, I'll let you see for yourself ...

Magic

I've been dabbling in the dark arts for five years.

My weapon of choice: a set of Bicycle Cards, blue if I want to draw attention to the faces, red if I want my audience to focus on the backs. Though my tricks start the same way (square up the deck with my left hand, ask my spectator to shuffle), each then takes on a life of its own: sleight-of-hand, mathematical and self-working, or a combination.

After watching Matt Franco perform on America's Got Talent five years ago, I was hooked on the thrill of the unexplainable in card magic. I wondered why people liked magic so much, and rather than sit and ponder, I decided to follow my curiosity into the world of magic itself. When first learning the double lift, I watched tutorials for endless hours on end, constantly rewinding to determine exact thumb positions and wrist motions, fascinated by the nuanced distinctions between success and failure.

Eventually I grew dissatisfied with the full magic routines I saw. They weren't my style: not enough audience interaction, not enough intense sleight-of-hand distractions. I decided to develop my own tricks. My first original was a big one---transport a randomly chosen card from the deck into a sealed basketball. I stayed up late every night for three weeks, planning out every wrist turn and card palm. The thrill of sacrificing my sleep and health for something that was my own and finally seeing the finished product made me fall in love with inventing.

And my love for inventing and exploring didn't stop there. I once spent three days studying the science behind Rock Paper Scissors, for example, searching for logic behind why humans play as they do, and discovered why ⅔ of males choose rock on their first turn and why people on a losing cycle almost always choose rock, then paper, then scissors. In my junior year internship, I saw that my mentor was always late to meetings because of his chronic knee pain. After hearing his story and struggles with the healthcare system, I was inspired to come up with a solution to my mentor's knee problems. I worked with a team to create the SmartSleeve, a wearable device that aids post-surgery healing by monitoring a knee's activity and sending doctors weekly reports. As a kid who's always loved science, I use my scientific inventions to satisfy my urge to explore the unknown.

Not content to pursue invention simply for the sake of it, I also invent to make people happy. Cooking three course meals is my way of spending uninterrupted time with my parents. When we have cause for celebration, I grill veggie burgers topped with my signature sriracha-sour cream sauce. When we want to relax, I whip up fluffy scrambled eggs on sourdough bread with veggie turkey. Food, like magic, is my offering to my community.

Even when I started, magic has never been just a hobby. Each new trick, each discovery, has been an essential way I bring vivacity to my life. But of all of my tricks, my favorite is this essay. I said before I use blue cards to focus the audience on faces, red to focus them on backs. The words in this essay have been my red cards, and performing magic is the part I've made you focus on.

You've just been fooled by a classic misdirect, for although magic has been my life for so long, what I dream of doing professionally is becoming a neurosurgeon. And magic has actually played a big role in this: it has led me to questioning why people make the choices they do, taught me to approach life with attention to detail, dexterity, and care, and has inspired me to invent with passion.

I am addicted to the adventure and journey of making my own creations, something I will continue to do vigorously in the ever-evolving field of neuroscience.

Four Great Qualities This Essay Demonstrates:

1. Values. The author shows a wide range of values in his essay: curiosity, determination, originality, exploration, helping others, community, humor/cleverness, attention to detail, adventure, and science.

2. Insight. A big moment of insight comes in this essay when the author reveals that all of the qualities he's been describing as related to magic ... also relate to a future career in neurosurgery. He also offers some nice, smaller insights along the way, including "Food, like magic, is my offering to my community."

3. Vulnerability. This essay is personal in that he describes things he cares a lot about (e.g., "Cooking three course meals is my way of spending uninterrupted time with my parents."). He also notes that he cares so much about magic that he has been willing to sacrifice sleep and health, which is somewhat vulnerable to admit.

4. Craft. The structure of the whole essay is well-crafted, as it clearly took some time and thought to identify qualities that related both to magic and neurosurgery. It also required craft to describe the magic-related details in a way that wouldn't give away his ending.

Important Note: You do not have to surprise the reader with the career at the end of the essay. You could signal the career earlier in the essay. If you do this, though, I recommend working to develop an insight or two at the end that are somewhat surprising, because if the ending is simply "and that's why I want to pursue X career," it could end up being somewhat underwhelming for the reader. I'll share more on how to bring more insight into your essay in an upcoming lesson.

A Mini-Exercise to Get You Started on Your "Career" Essay

1. Brainstorm at least 4-7 qualities that will serve you in your future career.

Example from the "Endodontics" essay above:

"As an Endodontist, I'll need to be

... curious."

... meticulous."

... dexterous (i.e. being good with his hands)."

... creative."

... willing to help others."

Why should you choose 4-7? Because you're likely working with a 500- to 650-word limit, you'll likely choose only 3-5 examples to describe in detail (assuming one main example and value per paragraph), so I'd recommend generating more examples than you'll need to discover which ones work best. Then keep the best and cut the rest.

2. Brainstorm a detail or example for each quality.

The author of the "Endodontics" essay above chose these:

• Curiosity → asking questions as a kid

• Meticulousness → designing shoes

• Dexterity (i.e. good with his hands) → taking things apart

• Creativity → working on cars

• Desire to help others → math tutoring

I say keep it that simple for now.

And, in case you're wondering if you should brainstorm the values first or the examples, know that either can work.

Time to start.