CHAPTER 1 Organization 6 3. Where: Where does your subject occur? Where is its source?
4. When: When does your topic occur? When did it begin/end? When must action
be taken to deal with it?
5. Why: Why is it our subject of interest? Why did it develop as it did? Why should
others be interested in your topic?
Admissions essays and some exit essays are intended to be personal, so you must focus
on yourself. Take time answering the personal, taking-stock questions below. This process
involves a different set of W’s, meant to elicit key information about yourself and about the
topic if it has been chosen.
1. Where have you been (chronological history)?
2. What have you accomplished or achieved?
3. What do you do with your time when not in school?
4. What are you good at? What are you passionate about?
5. Who are/were your major influences?
