As a college counselor, you’re tasked with guiding your students through the challenging process of introspection and essay writing. Choosing the right prompt and deciding what to write about can feel intimidating, especially after the challenges presented over the past few years. To help them navigate this process, we wanted to offer eight brainstorming activities that can spark creativity and help to clarify their thoughts.
Brainstorming Activities
1. Start with the Question: Read all essay prompts aloud slowly and carefully with your students. Consider eliminating the prompts where students’ gut reaction is “I have no idea how to answer that question.” Then, have your students jot down the main idea they thought of for each question they thought they could answer. After they complete this, put the questions away!
2. Storytelling: Propose your students tell you an important story from the past few years. As they tell the story, ask probing questions to dive deeper into important sections, and tease out details and emotions they might have wanted to ignore. The process of translating lived experiences into a narrative format can provide valuable groundwork for essay writing.
3. Flashbacks: Our past is a rich source of material for personal essays. Encourage students to sift through old photographs, journals, or social media posts. They may find forgotten memories or notice patterns over time, both of which could inspire compelling narratives about personal growth or transformation.
4. Reflective Questioning: Ask questions such as “When did you feel the proudest?” or “When are you the happiest?” These broad, open-ended questions can help students introspect and dig deeper into personal experiences. Their responses can provide the basis for an essay that presents a distinct and authentic narrative.
5. Interviewing: Ask your students to interview a family member or mentor. Offer interview questions that ask about shared experiences between the student and their close connections or memories about the student. This will help students gain an external viewpoint on their own characteristics, talents, or experiences. They may learn a story about themselves that illuminates where a characteristic they are proud of today actually originated!
6. Visual Thinking: For some students, it may be easier to create visual representations of who they are rather than using words. Drawing pictures, flowcharts, or doodles related to who they are and things they enjoy may help them express abstract thoughts and feelings in a concrete way. The images can serve as a launchpad helping them focus on the emotions and experiences captured in the drawings.
7. Mind Mapping: A mind map begins with a central idea (i.e. , a chosen prompt) and expands outward with interconnected branches of related thoughts and experiences. This visual tool helps students draw connections they may not have initially recognized and explore different angles of the prompt and their relation to it.
8. Deep Dive: Students all have something they love. Encourage them to identify that aspect of their life and jot down every possible detail about it. What are the emotions they feel when they engage in it? How has this activity changed them? The depth of this exploration can reveal and present a rich tapestry to draw from.
Conclusion
These activities are designed to help students uncover the authentic, personal experiences that lead to compelling essays. These exercises can also help you enjoy your role as facilitator on your students’ journeys of self-discovery. For some, this process can be arduous and challenging, but the benefit of introspection and reflection is clear. This process is not just about crafting an essay—it’s also an opportunity for students to reflect, grow, and better understand themselves.
