module content

Here are some titles I considered for this module:

• Why Other People Write Bad First Drafts (And How to Not Be Like Them)

• How to Avoid Having to Throw Away Your First Draft

• Why Good Outlines Are Super Important and Why You're Probably Making a Mistake by not Building One Before Drafting

I'm joking...but only kinda'.

Because if you want to increase the likelihood that your idea leads to a good first draft, which leads (more quickly) to a great essay, you should probably build a good outline.

This module will help you understand how.

Before I jump into how to create a solid outline, though, let's first address why an outline is important.

Why You Should Create a Solid Outline Before You Start

Imagine you're building a house. Now imagine doing so without a blueprint. That might work ... but chances are good that house will collapse.

Why Students Tend Not to Create Solid Outlines (I Think)

Do any of these sound like you?

1. "I'm Pretty Sure I Can Just Write it"

   Hey, guess what. I didn't outline things I wrote in high school either; I was pretty sure I could just write my essay. But after working with several thousand students, I've found that outlining—even just a little bit—can lead to a better draft.

2. "Outlining Might Be a Good Idea, But I'm Worried It's Gonna' Take Too Long"

   Totally understandable. But a misperception. Another analogy: Outlining first vs. not outlining is kinda’ like hiking on a trail/with a map vs. bushwhacking through the wilderness. You may see some stuff while hacking through the forest that you wouldn't have seen otherwise. But you'll also spend way more time just trying to figure out where you're going. And you may end up on the wrong ridge and have to backtrack. Maybe several times.

3. "Honestly, I'm Just Not Sure What Goes in a Personal Statement Outline"

   I get that—I wasn't taught how to outline much at all in high school, let alone how to outline a personal statement. But it's easily fixable—just keep reading.

An Example Narrative Outline and the Essay It Led To

Outline (developed from the Feelings and Needs exercise)

Challenges:

• Domestic abuse

• Alcoholic stepdad

• Little brother Fernando's birth

• Learning I was undocumented

Effects:

• My brother and I shared the mental strain

• Father was arrested

• Money was tight

• Mom worked two jobs

• My brother and I took care of one another

• We kept to ourselves when dealing with financial and medical issues

• I avoided going on certain school trips

• At times I was discouraged from meeting new people

• My grades started to slip

What I Did About It:

• Took care of my youngest brother

• Became my own teacher

• Learned how to fix a bike, swim, socialize

• Found a job to help pay bills

• Improved my grades

• Shattered a school swimming record

• Taught myself how to play instruments

• Won the honor of being the first student in my school to pass the AP Physics 1 exam

• Took on several leadership roles in clubs

• Tutored and counseled friends and peers

What I learned:

• Inspired to help others a lot more

• Realized there's a lot more I want to do

• Want to continue supporting my family

• Need to feel free—not just for them, but for me too

Essay: What Had to Be Done

At six years old, I stood locked away in the restroom. I held tightly to a tube of toothpaste because I'd been sent to brush my teeth to distract me from the commotion. Regardless, I knew what was happening: my dad was being put under arrest for domestic abuse. He'd hurt my mom physically and mentally, and my brother Jose and I had shared the mental strain. It's what had to be done.

Living without a father meant money was tight, mom worked two jobs, and my brother and I took care of each other when she worked. For a brief period of time the quality of our lives slowly started to improve as our soon-to-be step-dad became an integral part of our family. He paid attention to the needs of my mom, my brother, and me. But our prosperity was short-lived as my step dad's chronic alcoholism became more and more recurrent. When I was eight, my younger brother Fernando's birth complicated things even further. As my step-dad slipped away, my mom continued working, and Fernando's care was left to Jose and me. I cooked, Jose cleaned, I dressed Fernando, Jose put him to bed. We did what we had to do.

As undocumented immigrants and with little to no family around us, we had to rely on each other. Fearing that any disclosure of our status would risk deportation, we kept to ourselves when dealing with any financial and medical issues. I avoided going on certain school trips, and at times I was discouraged to even meet new people. I felt isolated and at times disillusioned; my grades started to slip.

Over time, however, I grew determined to improve the quality of life for my family and myself.

Without a father figure to teach me the things a father could, I became my own teacher. I learned how to fix a bike, how to swim, and even how to talk to girls. I became resourceful, fixing shoes with strips of duct tape, and I even found a job to help pay bills. I became as independent as I could to lessen the time and money mom had to spend raising me.

I also worked to apply myself constructively in other ways. I worked hard and took my grades from Bs and Cs to consecutive straight A's. I shattered my school's 1ooM breaststroke record, and learned how to play the clarinet, saxophone, and the oboe. Plus, I not only became the first student in my school to pass the AP Physics 1 exam, I'm currently pioneering my school's first AP Physics 2 course ever.

These changes inspired me to help others. I became president of the California Scholarship Federation, providing students with information to prepare them for college, while creating opportunities for my peers to play a bigger part in our community. I began tutoring kids, teens, and adults on a variety of subjects ranging from basic English to home improvement and even Calculus. As the captain of the water polo and swim team I've led practices crafted to individually push my comrades to their limits, and I've counseled friends through circumstances similar to mine. I've done tons, and I can finally say I'm proud of that.

But I'm excited to say that there's so much I have yet to do. I haven't danced the tango, solved a Rubix Cube, explored how perpetual motion might fuel space exploration, or seen the World Trade Center. And I have yet to see the person that Fernando will become.

I'll do as much as I can from now on. Not because I have to. Because I choose to.