What to write about in a writing sample...

[eulchen]

...any ideas? this is for an internship with an californian NGO.

i have read (thanks, google!) that its completely irrelevant what im writing bout because not the content but the writing is important... but i really dont have a clue. wether on the content, nor on the length or format...

i have an essay, 3 pages long, from my first term in university about britains colonial legacy, the only thing available in english aside of lots of private stuff, but i dont know if such an essay would be okay to send. and should i send more than one text? make up some business letters? write down the arrangement plan of the soap display in my shop i am currently working on? analyse the difference between the existence of nothingness and the absence of everything?

help me, im confuzzled

 

[user79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eulchen ...any ideas? this is for an internship with an californian NGO. i have read (thanks, google!) that its completely irrelevant what im writing bout because not the content but the writing is important... but i really dont have a clue. wether on the content, nor on the length or format... i have an essay, 3 pages long, from my first term in university about britains colonial legacy, the only thing available in english aside of lots of private stuff, but i dont know if such an essay would be okay to send. and should i send more than one text? make up some business letters? write down the arrangement plan of the soap display in my shop i am currently working on? analyse the difference between the existence of nothingness and the absence of everything? help me, im confuzzled

What kind of NGO is it? I would make the content somehow relevant to what the NGO is dealing with. I would first find out a bit more what is expected, like length, type of writing (editorial, essay, something formal, etc.)

For example, if it's something like Doctors Without Borders, maybe write something about that topic and your personal view on it, without using "I think..." though. Like an opinion piece.

You should find out how long the writing piece should be, and research the NGO to see what kinds of topics they would be interested in reading, and then go on that.

I wouldn't send in an essay from uni, there's only a small chance that it would somehow be relevant to the organization.

 

[a little color]

You would like some ideas? OK here's my scoop. I'm a retired English teacher, so first of all, make certain it's grammatically correct. I noticed quite a few errors in your post. Use a spell check.
Then pick a topic you like. Something that comes easy for you to express your feelings. I wrote a book for my students one time, and I chose the wilderness, as it was easy to describe and to expand into a book form.
As a girl, you might chose style or wardrobe preferences. Maybe, since you describe yourself as a "lushaholic," you could go to a club and describe the people you see.
Don't use slang and keep it clean, and I'm sure you'll do fine.

 

[eulchen]

i have discussed this with some other persons over the weekend (trying to get insight by as many people as possible) and they agreed the essay would be okay to send, as it proves i am able to express my opinion in an advanced style of writing. it was proofread by my tutor back then, so i guess its grammatically correct.

i wrote another text this weekend, an abstract about a thesis of mine, which is tangent with the field of activity of the NGO, and a british friend of mine spellchecked it for me. (i wish my spellcheck with windows word would work... or on here, i actually have a spellcheck for firefox, but all it ever does, is mark every word with that red line. every. word.)

thanks for the input, though! :bigthumb

(lushaholic: i am a very enthusiastic staff member of my local lush store

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