I have the SAT coming up in June, and (desiring a 2400) wanted to consult people on what makes a good SAT Essay.
Here's a sample essay I wrote that the Princeton Review graded for me:
Prompt: Everyone makes hundreds of simple, spontaneous decisions daily. When the issues are not morally complex and the stakes are small, our normal instincts are sufficient. The problem comes when we don’t distinguish between minor and potentially major issues that demand a much more careful approach. But even with significant consideration, it can be very difficult to choose between two options that seem equally valuable. Adapted from Michael Josephson, Making Ethical Decisions
Assignment: What two options are the most difficult to choose between? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, and observations.
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Everyone hopes for events to happen in their favor, and most even work very hard for these circumstances to come about. What happens, though, when at the end one has two choices to make? Obviously one doesn't want to choose the wrong one and regret doing that years down the line. There are many such crossroads like this that people reach in their lives, but I believe the most difficult pair of choices to choose between is that of which parent to side with when one's parents are battling through a divorce.
I remember when I was young I watched an episode of G.I. Joe that has stuck with me all through my life. The hero (I don't remember his name) had to choose between cutting a blue wire and cutting an orange wire when faced with the task of disarming a dangerous remote bomb. He cut the blue wire when his friend (over video telephone) was urging him to cut the orange wire, and this ended up triggering the bomb. After this, I ran through countless scenarios in my mind where the orange wire was cut instead of the blue one. When I think of this now, I realize that either one would have likely triggered the bomb. A divorce is much like that. One's parents are the wires, and no matter which one is chosen, there are sure to be unwanted consequences as a result. Neither choice is palatable, but one has to be picked; there is no other way.
From my own personal experience, I remember a heart-rending affair. My parents did not quietly just separate and divide up their assets. They fought each other in court, each hiring big-name lawyers while I was left looking like a deer in the headlights. I didn't want to support either; I didn't even want a divorce. I wanted both of my parents to stay together, with me. Unfortunately this was not to be. I cried several times bemoaning my fate, and though I ended up not having to choose in the end (the court found fault with one of my parents), ever since I have felt like I was at fault.
They say there are always two paths: what is right and what is easy. But are there really? In my case, and even in the show G.I. Joe, there were two difficult options, neither desirable, and both nearly the same in outcome. The choice one has to make in this situation is usually not dependent on either morality or instinct. It comes down to virtually the flip of a coin; either happening is basically equivalent to the other, and one must live with whichever choice is made, whether the choice is from free will or forced upon oneself.
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So I ended up getting a 12 (out of 12) which makes me happy, but I think there's probably some weaknesses I haven't been able to spot that could end up giving me a 10 or 11 when I actually take it. In fact, if I was grading this, I would probably give it a 10, as my conclusion doesn't really follow from the thesis statement in the intro. I'm guessing my BS about my parents divorcing (lies are allowed) and the random G.I. Joe example bumped up the score.
My strategy (derived from review books and slightly altered) is basically to have an emphatic introduction and conclusion with two body paragraphs that are strongly developed. If you have any suggestions, do tell.
Edit: Keep in mind that I will have only 25 minutes.
Here's a sample essay I wrote that the Princeton Review graded for me:
Prompt: Everyone makes hundreds of simple, spontaneous decisions daily. When the issues are not morally complex and the stakes are small, our normal instincts are sufficient. The problem comes when we don’t distinguish between minor and potentially major issues that demand a much more careful approach. But even with significant consideration, it can be very difficult to choose between two options that seem equally valuable. Adapted from Michael Josephson, Making Ethical Decisions
Assignment: What two options are the most difficult to choose between? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, and observations.
-----------------------------------------
Everyone hopes for events to happen in their favor, and most even work very hard for these circumstances to come about. What happens, though, when at the end one has two choices to make? Obviously one doesn't want to choose the wrong one and regret doing that years down the line. There are many such crossroads like this that people reach in their lives, but I believe the most difficult pair of choices to choose between is that of which parent to side with when one's parents are battling through a divorce.
I remember when I was young I watched an episode of G.I. Joe that has stuck with me all through my life. The hero (I don't remember his name) had to choose between cutting a blue wire and cutting an orange wire when faced with the task of disarming a dangerous remote bomb. He cut the blue wire when his friend (over video telephone) was urging him to cut the orange wire, and this ended up triggering the bomb. After this, I ran through countless scenarios in my mind where the orange wire was cut instead of the blue one. When I think of this now, I realize that either one would have likely triggered the bomb. A divorce is much like that. One's parents are the wires, and no matter which one is chosen, there are sure to be unwanted consequences as a result. Neither choice is palatable, but one has to be picked; there is no other way.
From my own personal experience, I remember a heart-rending affair. My parents did not quietly just separate and divide up their assets. They fought each other in court, each hiring big-name lawyers while I was left looking like a deer in the headlights. I didn't want to support either; I didn't even want a divorce. I wanted both of my parents to stay together, with me. Unfortunately this was not to be. I cried several times bemoaning my fate, and though I ended up not having to choose in the end (the court found fault with one of my parents), ever since I have felt like I was at fault.
They say there are always two paths: what is right and what is easy. But are there really? In my case, and even in the show G.I. Joe, there were two difficult options, neither desirable, and both nearly the same in outcome. The choice one has to make in this situation is usually not dependent on either morality or instinct. It comes down to virtually the flip of a coin; either happening is basically equivalent to the other, and one must live with whichever choice is made, whether the choice is from free will or forced upon oneself.
-----------------------------------------
So I ended up getting a 12 (out of 12) which makes me happy, but I think there's probably some weaknesses I haven't been able to spot that could end up giving me a 10 or 11 when I actually take it. In fact, if I was grading this, I would probably give it a 10, as my conclusion doesn't really follow from the thesis statement in the intro. I'm guessing my BS about my parents divorcing (lies are allowed) and the random G.I. Joe example bumped up the score.
My strategy (derived from review books and slightly altered) is basically to have an emphatic introduction and conclusion with two body paragraphs that are strongly developed. If you have any suggestions, do tell.
Edit: Keep in mind that I will have only 25 minutes.
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