The essay is to be formatted in the MLA style. A half-grade will be deducted for any egregious deviation from it. Also, once satisfied with the content, and I emphasize the “satisfied,” please proofread for mechanical and grammatical correctness. Most mechanical errors involve typos, capitalization and spelling errors; most grammatical errors involve sentence boundaries—comma splice, run ons, and sentence fragments—and errors around verb form and tense. The essay is 1.5 to 2 pages, but if you go beyond that’s ok. You are to write about an incident from your life that was meaningful to you. It need not be profound. Use your imagination. But make sure the incident can be conveyed in two pages. Try and choose a plotline that is limited timewise, something that takes place in an hour, or minutes even, not content that spans days and weeks. Your writing will be evaluated around these metrics: How well am I, the reader, able to visualize the experience? Do you use lively verbs, proper names, appropriate adjectives, language that appeals to the senses? Is the meaning clear, impactful? Are the particulars of your unique life present?
