Guide to “Teaching a Class” College Admissions Essays / Sarah O’Neill Supreme Daily Editing Affair

 

If you could teach a class on any subject, what would it be and why?

This is your chance to show off your interest and expertise in a specific subject!

Example Prompts

If you could create a college course that all UVA students would take, what
would it be about and why? — UVA College of Arts & Sciences

Each year at University Convocation, the incoming class engages in reflective dialogue around a common text. What book would you recommend for your class to read and explore together — and why? — Boston College

During the spring semester, Notre Dame faculty gave 3-Minute Lightning Talks on exciting topics within their fields of expertise. While you don’t have a Ph.D. yet, we bet you’re developing an expertise in something. If you were giving a Lightning Talk, what topic (academic or not) would you choose? — University of Notre Dame

What They’re Actually Asking

● What interests you?
● What are your values?
● What are you an expert in?
● Which topics do you believe everyone should learn about, and why?

Example Essay

While there are many female side characters in The Iliad, they are easy to
overlook — especially the side character Briseis, who is only mentioned a few times in the epic. In the novel The Silence of the Girls, author Pat Barker brings Briseis’s often disregarded story to the forefront, describing her tragic downfall from queen to slave. As a way to encourage students to consider different perspectives, I would recommend my
classmates read The Silence of the Girls.

In contrast to Homer’s poem, Barker presents the women from The Iliad as well-rounded and two-dimensional characters, often swapping the epic’s original roles of hero and villain. Women’s perspectives are often overshadowed by men’s in The Iliad, but the alternative account of The Silence of the Girls could lead students to question how women’s perspectives might be sidelined in other works from the Western literary canon. This new interpretation of a familiar story could encourage students to look at stories in their own lives, and around the world, from a new point of view.

The Silence of the Girls would offer a wealth of opportunities for discussion and debate for students, who can examine the relationship between the two works, and the perceived nature of truth. Are the series of events and character descriptions in the two works too different to coexist, or can these seemingly contradictory portrayals exist together — and if so, is this possible not just in fiction, but in the lived experiences of people?

Because students all have different backgrounds and academic affair, they will all have different perspectives to bring to the table during a daily discussion.

Those interested in literature can discuss whether this new perspective adds or detracts from the original story while students with an interest in classical studies can discuss how faithful the retelling of The
Iliad is to the original. Students who lean towards the sciences will find this story fascinating, exploring the fallibility of memory and if both narrator’s versions can be true, or if it is more likely that one is unreliable. The changes that occur from the original the story due to the female point of view, and it being a feminist retelling could be discussed by students with interests in social issues. In spotlighting different perspectives from a
familiar story, my proposed book would also serve to spotlight different perspectives in the classroom.

What Should I Write About?

Depending on the prompt, you may want to think about the answers to these questions:
● What do you think is important for other people to know about, but isn’t common knowledge among people your age? OR: What do you care about, that almost nobody else knows about?
● What could you give a 30-minute talk about, with no research or preparation, right now?
● What are your most unique interests?
Here, I’m going to recommend against something generic or intro-level (“I think everyone should take a math class,” or “I would give a talk about history.”) Be specific!

“I would give a talk about history” says very little about your interests. However, “I would give a talk about famous female pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy” says a lot more — especially if you go on to explain how and why that topic is relevant to your interests.

Please note that college classes are very different from high school classes. Keep an open mind when it comes to picking a topic for your class, speech or book: you don’t have to talk about a high school academic subject. College classes can be anything.

Some examples of real college classes:

- The Psychology and Philosophy of Happiness (Brown University)
- Animation: Disney and Beyond (Yale University)
- Social Media, Emerging Technologies, and Digital Business (Boston
College)
- Seapower and Maritime Affairs (UCLA)

If you’re having trouble picking a topic for your dream class, it could be a good idea to look through college course catalogs for inspiration (see the Guide to “Why School” Essays for tips on navigating those!) You may also want to look to TED Talks for inspiration on unique speech topics.

Brainstorming

1. List at least 5 topics for your class/speech, or 5 books you might want to teach.

- the science and ethics of AI art
- how to spot logical fallacies
- why we need more murals in big cities
- the importance of living in the moment
- the history of jazz in America

2. Pick your favorite topic. Why do you find this topic cool, important or
interesting? Do you have any personal experiences that make this topic
relevant to your life?

how to spot logical fallacies

I’m a member of my school’s debate club, so I think logical fallacies are
particularly interesting. I can often turn the tide of a debate if I spot my opponent making a fallacious argument. I also think it’s amazing how, no matter how logical or educated someone is, it can be easy to fall for a logical fallacy if the person isn’t careful.

3. Why should everyone know about this topic?

I think everyone should know how to identify logical fallacies because of the prevalence of misinformation in the internet age. People should understand how to identify and combat common fallacies, and avoid making them themselves.

Example Outline

Part 1: Introduce the topic of your speech, class, or book. What would you educate others about?

If I were to give a talk to a million people, I would discuss the dangers of
perfectionism through the story of my horse, Adonis.

Part 2: Tell us about why this subject is important or interesting to you.

Once, in preparation for a competition, a voice like a hairy monster lingered above me. “There are limitations. You should do better, or you’re gonna fail.” Shaking my head in dismissal, I squeezed both legs and prompted Adonis to try again. The invisible monster haunted me and kept muttering “you should aim for perfect.” Clicking my tongue, I started practicing again, losing count of the number of salutes. Adonis had changed his rhythm and pace. Salty droplets made his dusky skin
perspire, as if he were caught in an unanticipated storm, trying to regain his breath. Salute. I finished practice — my worst ever. The next morning, I got a call from my coach: “Adonis is severely ill.” I sat speechless in disbelief, alarmed about Adonis’ condition. My false insistence on the ideology of perfectionism had endangered him and made me lose our chance to compete. As I hung up the phone, thinking of Adonis, I let go
of the idea that there is only 0 or 100.

Part 3: Tell us about why it’s important that other people learn about this subject. Before, I perceived that there was one straight way toward success: either I’m perfect, or I’m a failure. But in fact, blindly pursuing “absolute perfect” results limits everything. There isn’t a straight line to the destination but a spiral that goes up and up with places for deviations, breaks, and recoveries on the journey.

Thank you for reading!

Sarah O’Neill Supreme Daily Editing Affair Chester County

contact sarahoneill3232@gmail.com