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The purpose
of this section is not to delineate one
structural approach that will work for
everyone's individual essays, but rather
to discuss principles of organization
that should guide you in constructing
your argument. In previous sections, we
have cautioned that the criteria we set
forth could not be used as steps to be
followed, because there was so much
overlap and interdependence. Here your
task grows even more challenging,
because some of the principles can be
mutually exclusive, and you may have to
decide between them to determine which
approach best suits your material.
Hierarchy of Evidence
Because your
reader will be reading quickly and
looking for the main points, it is often
a good idea to start with your strongest
evidence. You may even highlight your
most interesting experience in the
introduction.
One successful applicant applicant
related his international experience in
Florence, Italy, when he first came
face-to-face with Michelangelo's statue
of "David." The applicant immediately
lets the reader know that his
international experiences have had a
great influence upon his life: "My
childhood in Munich, Germany, and my
travels throughout the continent have
shaped me in countless ways." Employing
precise and vivid language to describe
the statue, as well as his experience,
the writer creates a moving piece from
the start. The rest of the essay then
works to support the primary claim made
in the opening paragraph.
Showing Progress
This
approach might invite a chronological
order, though chronology should not be
reason in itself to organize material in
a particular manner (see the below
section on Narratives). The guiding
principle here is to structure your
evidence in a way that demonstrates your
growth, from a general initial curiosity
to a current definite passion, or from
an early aptitude to a refined set of
skills. It differs from the Hierarchy of
Evidence approach because your strongest
point might come at the end, but its
strength lies precisely in the sense of
culmination that it creates.
One
successful applicant was asked to attach
a photograph of something important to
her and explain its significance. She
chose a picture of a coffee mug from
Delany's and used this as a device to
evince her maturation and personal
growth. Instead of stating up front who
she is today and then backtracking to an
exposition of how past events have
shaped her, she uses a chronological
approach tempered by an introduction
that foreshadows the theme to be
explored: "‘There's got to be more to
life than weekend coffee at Delany's,' I
remember saying out loud." The growth
she describes is not merely a matter of
accumulating one experience after
another, but rather a process of
enrichment. She relates her childhood
propensities ("As far back as I can
recall, I have tasted life with gusto
and an insatiable curiosity.") before
focusing on her current personality
traits ("Nowadays, I channel my
childhood exuberance into doing what I
love most: venturing out into the
world."). The maturation is most
poignant because she employs specific
examples to support her claims.
The writer
moves effectively from experience to
experience; the result does not feel
like a list or a haphazard construction,
but rather a logically flowing piece.
Moreover, the applicant's final points
have more force because we have
witnessed a process of growth: "It's
probably too late for me to become a
concert pianist or ballerina, and I may
never become the family's first lawyer
or doctor. Whatever I choose to pursue,
I know that I will attack it with the
same passion I had sharing those
adventures with my brother."
Dramatic
Appeal
Not all
essays will have potential in this area,
but if you have undergone dramatic
experiences, then you should set up your
essay to reflect that. The most
effective way to accomplish this is to
use the introduction to sketch some kind
of problem or question, and then use
each subsequent paragraph to engage with
that problem until a resolution is
gradually reached.
One
successful applicant set up a
harrowing--yet undefined--problem in the
first paragraph. The reader later learns
that the problem is that the applicant's
father is battling cancer. The issue of
cancer and its effects on families and
children is a topic that should be
executed with care and is one that
weighs heavily on the reader's mind
throughout the course of the essay.
The
middle of the exposition is composed of
the relation of how the writer was
affected by his father's illness ("My
bad grades, in turn, lowered my
confidence even further, for my dad had
always stressed academics quite
heavily--but after seeing my grades, I
felt like I had failed my father."). The
success of the essay lies in this very
fact that instead of simply relating his
father's painful battle with the
disease, the writer personalizes the
events for himself--how they affected
him and how he has grown from them:
"When I realized that by following his
example I could surmount any obstacles,
I made up my mind. I would face the
world "brave and hard," and I would cast
off the anxiety, which constrained my
personality from growing." Although this
statement seems as if it would serve as
a successful conclusion, the writer goes
on to develop his theme further,
providing precise examples on how he
used this adversity to motivate himself
to improve. The conclusion contains the
most succinct thematic statement that
serves to unify the entire piece: "His
struggle with colon cancer became a
model for my own struggle to improve
myself."
Narrative s
At face value, the chronological
approach seems great for all parties
involved. The writer has the easy job of
reconstructing his personal history
precisely as it happened; the reader can
follow the resulting piece with little
effort. It's very possible that a
chronological essay will turn out to be
ideal for your material if your life
unfolded in an order that complements
your themes, but you should not feel
bound to tell your story in the order in
which it happened. Here are some
specific pitfalls of which you should be
aware:
1. You may be including too much:
If you start with "I was born on..." and
proceed to recite your life's history,
you've probably included a great deal of
unnecessary information.
2. Your essay might be boring and
monotonous: The most enjoyable
essays have a sense of drama, which
usually requires a more creative
structure. Perhaps the introductory
paragraph sets up some problem, and the
subsequent paragraphs detail attempts to
solve that problem. On the other hand, a
chronological structure seems inherently
list-like.
3. You show less thought and effort:
It's obvious to the reader when an essay
has been crafted with care and insight.
Chronological essays might seem too
effortless if there's no authorial
imprint.
4. You separate naturally related
points: A thematically structured
essay puts related points together and
allows them to build upon each other.
Unless your life developed along
thematic lines, a chronological essay
would sacrifice the synergy that
juxtaposing these points would create.
That said,
a
narrative can be the heart of
your essay, if you handle it
effectively. Below are some tips on how
to structure a narrative essay.
1. The Origin: The most common
approach is to start from the beginning.
Everyone has a story to tell about his
or her early interests in medicine, law,
etc. This tactic can be an effective way
to grab the reader's attention and offer
insight into your fundamental attraction
to the field. You should be aware,
however, of two concerns: a) it has been
done many times before, and if your
basic idea is about "realizing the power
of medicine" or "learning to face
challenges," then you will not stand
out; b) most childhood stories revolve
around passive observation and therefore
offer limited insight into your
character and abilities. Despite these
concerns, there is still much potential
in this approach if you have a
compelling, original story to tell-and
subsequent experiences that present you
in a more active role.
2. The Flash Forward: Sometimes
your essay's main focus will be showing
the progression or growth of your
interests and abilities. That does not
mean, however, that your essay must
start from the beginning. Often it can
be effective to open with a more recent
episode to accomplish three purposes: a)
establish a clear context for the rest
of the material; b) demonstrate a strong
interest in a certain field from the
beginning of the essay; c) bring to the
forefront a significant experience with
depth you could not have achieved in an
earlier stage. It is the last point that
distinguishes this approach from the
previous one. Using a Flash Forward
opening enables you to highlight your
strongest points, but then move backward
to recount your growth process.
3. The Bookend:
Like the first two, this approach
involves using a story in the
introduction, but it leaves that story
unfinished until the conclusion. For
example, you might stop within the story
to reflect on how you found yourself in
that position. The body of the essay
would then be a flashback to the
experiences that led you to the place of
the introduction, and the conclusion
would return to complete the story.
Another possibility would be a story
that involved two distinct phases; the
body of such an essay might discuss what
you learned between the phases, and the
conclusion would show how you applied
what you learned to the second phase.
Again, the precise approach depends on
your content, but the Bookend method can
be a very effective way to create a
flowing, coherent piece.
4. Within the Body: Regardless
of whether you choose to open with a
narrative, you may find opportunities
and reasons to insert a story within the
body of the essay. This is the approach
for which you have to worry most about
integration. Unlike introductory
anecdotes, you should not jump right
into these stories without preface. You
will need at least one sentence to make
the transition from the previous
paragraph and briefly hint at what
themes your story will illustrate.
Actually beginning your story will
usually require some introductory
phrase, such as a more creative version
of the following:
"One memorable incident involved..."
After the story, you should conclude
with some significant insight to justify
the story's inclusion. This line should
not be a mere repetition of the
transition from the beginning of the
paragraph, because you now should have
more concrete details from which to draw
more in-depth thematic conclusions.
Click here for a sample of a Narrative
Essay. |
