STAGE 1: Personal Character Inventory

IN THIS STAGE YOU WILL:

Learn how the STAGE essay process works
Understand what makes a strong college essay
Read real college essay examples
Identify your personal qualities and the experiences that shaped them

THE TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO COMPLETE THE STAGE:

The STAGE Website: The STAGE website includes all readings, assignments, and instructions for each part of the writing process.
Personalized Google Drive folder: You have a personalized Google Drive folder with a “STAGE Essay Program Materials” subfolder. That subfolder will hold all of the documents for each STAGE. This is where you’ll complete all assignments. Open the correct STAGE document, and follow the instructions!
Asana Form: We love Google drive folders and docs, but there’s one problem. When you complete an assignment in a Google doc, we have no way of knowing! That’s why you’ll need to submit our Multi-Purpose Submission Form after completing each assignment. The form will automatically alert us that you’ve finished your work, and it’s ready for us to review.

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS?

If you have trouble accessing your Google Drive folder or submitting the Multi-Purpose Submission Form, email Donna at admin@dccollegecounseling.com.

WHAT IS STAGE?

STAGE stands for Steps to a Great Essay. Writing a college essay can sometimes be confusing or overwhelming, especially when you’re staring at a blank page thinking, “I have no idea what to write about.” STAGE breaks the process into five clear steps that take you from brainstorming to a polished final draft.

Each stage includes independent assignments and coaching meetings. You’re not doing this alone, and each stage builds on the last.

STAGE 1: Personal Character Inventory - Learn what makes a great essay and brainstorm ideas

STAGE 2: Blueprint - Choose a topic and create an outline

STAGE 3: Rough Draft - Write a rough draft and build a revision plan

Intermission Feedback Draft - Submit a new draft for written feedback

STAGE 4: Revised Draft - Revise based on feedback

STAGE 5: Polished Draft - Polish and submit your final essay

What makes for a great college admissions essay?

Unlike the academic essays you’re probably used to writing, the college admissions essay doesn’t come with a rubric or strict set of rules to follow. No five-paragraph requirement here! The college essay is PERSONAL, and the goal is simple: help admissions officers understand who you are. Many topics and writing styles can lead to a successful final draft. Please don’t worry about mastering all of this right now — we’ll practice each of these elements throughout the STAGE process.

While great essays can look very different, they all share a few key qualities. A great essay:

Creates uncommon connections
A great essay avoids generic and/or predictable storylines. For example, if you were to write about the sports injury that taught you to work hard and come back stronger, readers wouldn’t be too surprised. It’s a predictable plot that’s been told in movies, books, and thousands of college essays before you.
A more interesting and unique story might be one where you share how your sports injury transformed you into a leader. This story provides an uncommon connection (sitting on the sidelines → leadership) that readers probably won’t expect.
Offers perspective
Strong essays reveal your personal qualities and character THROUGH story. Readers learn a quality developed over time and why it matters to you.
Focuses on reflection rather than events
What happened matters less than how you processed it. The essay should clearly show how you changed or grew.
Showcases your personality and authentic voice
A great essay captures your voice. Avoid littering your sentences with ‘big’ SAT words or adopting a tone that makes you sound like a robot or dictionary. Admissions committees know applicants are high school students, and they want your essay to sound like a teenager wrote it.
Uses vivid, specific details
A great essay SHOWS rather than tells. For example, instead of writing “I was so nervous,” show your reader your anxiety with a more descriptive phrase: “The sweat started to drip down my face as my stomach churned.” These details make for a much more exciting essay that helps readers feel as though they are in the moment with you.

YOUR STORY, YOUR CHARACTER:

What story should I tell? You’re probably asking yourself this question now that you’ve learned what makes for a great essay. And for many students, this is where the anxiety sets in. You feel pressured to tell an extraordinary story that sets you apart from the rest. But as you start searching through your memories, the doubts take over: I’m so boring! Nothing interesting has ever happened to me. An admissions committee won’t think this story is exciting.

Let’s face it. The majority of teenagers haven’t competed in the Olympics or climbed Mt. Fuji, and that’s okay! What makes a story extraordinary is the way in which you give meaning to a particular experience, no matter how big or small. Often the most memorable college essays are those that focus on smaller moments.

So how do you create meaning? How do you find those smaller moments that become the subject of your essay? Start with your character! Think about your positive characteristics – like your initiative or creativity – and how these qualities have been in the ‘spotlight’ of your life. For example, most teenagers would probably describe themselves as determined. But what has transformed you into a determined individual? Did you learn to persevere when you were cut from the soccer team freshman year? Did you develop this attitude when you spent six months building your own computer? And what impact has this determination had on your life?

Most of us probably don’t realize which experiences have formed our character. After all, we don’t typically sit around thinking about these things! That’s why you’re completing a character worksheet in this stage. You might just discover that in the quietest, most seemingly ordinary moments, your character takes the spotlight.

During Your STAGE 1 MEETING, we will:

Review your STAGE 1: Personal Character Inventory
Identify patterns and connections
Choose your essay topic if there's time
Begin STAGE 2: Blueprint

HERE ARE YOUR ASSIGNMENTS:

STAGE 1 Part 1: Read the three sample essays below. Then open the Multi-Purpose Submission Form to answer a few quick questions about your favorite essay. Enter your Student Name and Student Email Address, then select:
> Submission Type: Essays and Written Work
> Submitted By: Student Alone
> Essay/Written Work Type: STAGE Program (Main Common App Essays)
> STAGE of the process: STAGE 1: Sample Essay Work and Character Inventory
> Then select the essay you chose under “Read all three essays. Pick one…” and answer the questions that follow.
STAGE 1 Part 2: Personal Character Inventory: In your personal Google Drive folder, navigate to the “STAGE Essay Program Materials” subfolder. Open the STAGE 1: Personal Character Inventory document and complete the questions.
Submit your work: Copy and paste the link to your completed STAGE 1: Personal Character Inventory Google Doc into the same Multi-Purpose Submission Form, then click SUBMIT at the bottom. Please submit no less than 48 hours before your meeting. (If your 48-hour deadline falls on a weekend, please submit by Friday to allow time for review)

Once you’ve finished STAGE 1, you can use the buttons below to book your first session (if you haven’t scheduled it already), and to submit your assignment. Please submit your assignment at least 48 hours before your scheduled session.

THE STAGE PROGRAM

RETURN TO STAGE HOMEPAGE