Here are some other titles I considered for this module:

• Why Other People Write Bad First Drafts (And How to Not Be Like Them)

• How to Avoid Having to Throw Away Your First Draft

• Why Good Outlines Are Super Important and Why You're Probably Making a Mistake by not Building One Before Drafting

I'm joking...but only kinda'.

Because if you want to increase the likelihood that your idea leads to a good first draft, which leads (more quickly) to a great essay, you should probably build a good outline.

This module will help you understand how.

Before I jump into how to create a solid outline, though, let's first address why an outline is important.

Why You Should Create a Solid Outline Before You Start

Imagine you're building a house. Now imagine doing so without a blueprint. That might work ... but chances are good that house will collapse.

Why Students Tend Not to Create Solid Outlines (I Think)

Do any of these sound like you?

1. "I'm Pretty Sure I Can Just Write it"

   Hey, guess what. I didn't outline things I wrote in high school either; I was pretty sure I could just write my essay. But after working with several thousand students, I've found that outlining—even just a little bit—can lead to a better draft.

2. "Outlining Might Be a Good Idea, But I'm Worried It's Gonna' Take Too Long"

   Totally understandable. But a misperception. Another analogy: Outlining first vs. not outlining is kinda like hiking on a trail/with a map vs. bushwhacking through the wilderness. You may see some stuff while hacking through the forest that you wouldn't have seen otherwise. But you'll also spend way more time just trying to figure out where you're going. And you may end up on the wrong ridge and have to backtrack. Maybe several times.

3. "Honestly, I'm Just Not Sure What Goes in a Personal Statement Outline"

   I get that—I wasn't taught how to outline much at all in high school, let alone how to outline a personal statement. But it's easily fixable—just keep reading.

An Example Montage Outline and the Essay It Led To

Outline: Laptop Stickers

• Intro

• We < 3 Design → art, design, experimentation

  • Ex: spent weekend designing websites, graphics for my companies

  • Developed my own style

• Common Threads → authenticity, open-mindedness

  • Ex: street artists, musicians in Austin

  • Creating not just consuming culture

• Poop emoji → family, goofy side

  • Brother, interactions, thinking rationally

• Lol ur not Harry Styles → equality, activism, confidence

  • Various activism as motivation/reminder to act vs just internalize

  • My growth with acting/speaking up

• Catapult → entrepreneurship, social justice, awareness, meaningful work

  • Threaded Twine, women's rights, breaking cycles

  • Discovered my career

• Thank God it's Monday → enjoyable work

  • Importance of experience/framing

  • Want work to always be this way

• The Team → collaboration

  • Model G20 Econ Summit, group collaboration

• Kode with Klossy → community, social justice

  • Promoting women in underrepresented fields

Laptop Stickers

My laptop is like a passport. It is plastered with stickers all over the outside, inside, and bottom. Each sticker is a stamp, representing a place I've been, a passion I've pursued, or community I've belonged to. These stickers make for an untraditional first impression at a meeting or presentation, but it's one I'm proud of. Let me take you on a quick tour:

"We < 3 Design," bottom left corner. Art has been a constant for me for as long as I can remember. Today my primary engagement with art is through design. I've spent entire weekends designing websites and social media graphics for my companies. Design means more to me than just branding and marketing; it gives me the opportunity to experiment with texture, perspective, and contrast, helping me refine my professional style.

"Common Threads," bottom right corner. A rectangular black and red sticker displaying the theme of the 2017 TEDxYouth@Austin event. For years I've been interested in the street artists and musicians in downtown Austin who are so unapologetically themselves. As a result, I've become more open-minded and appreciative of unconventional lifestyles. TED gives me the opportunity to help other youth understand new perspectives, by exposing them to the diversity of Austin where culture is created, not just consumed.

Poop emoji, middle right. My 13-year-old brother often sends his messages with the poop emoji 'echo effect,' so whenever I open a new message from him, hundreds of poops elegantly cascade across my screen. He brings out my goofy side, but also helps me think rationally when I am overwhelmed. We don't have the typical "I hate you, don't talk to me" siblinghood (although occasionally it would be nice to get away from him); we're each other's best friends. Or at least he's mine.

"Lol ur not Harry Styles," upper left corner. Bought in seventh grade and transferred from my old laptop, this sticker is torn but persevering with layers of tape. Despite conveying my fangirl-y infatuation with Harry Styles' boyband, One Direction, for me Styles embodies an artist-activist who uses his privilege for the betterment of society. As a $42K donor to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, a hair donor to the Little Princess Trust, and promoter of LGBTQ+ equality, he has motivated me to be a more public activist instead of internalizing my beliefs.

"Catapult," middle right. This is the logo of a startup incubator where I launched my first company, Threading Twine. I learned that business can provide others access to fundamental human needs, such as economic empowerment of minorities and education. In my career, I hope to be a corporate advocate for the empowerment of women, creating large-scale impact and deconstructing institutional boundaries that obstruct women from working in high-level positions. Working as a women's rights activist will allow me to engage in creating lasting movements for equality, rather than contributing to a cycle that elevates the stances of wealthy individuals.

"Thank God it's Monday," sneakily nestled in the upper right corner. Although I attempt to love all my stickers equally (haha), this is one of my favorites. I always want my association with work to be positive.

And there are many others, including the horizontal, yellow stripes of the Human Rights Campaign; "The Team," a sticker from the Model G20 Economics Summit where I collaborated with youth from around the globe; and stickers from "Kode with Klossy," a community of girls working to promote women's involvement in underrepresented fields.

When my computer dies (hopefully not for another few years), it will be like my passport expiring. It'll be difficult leaving these moments and memories behind, but I probably won't want these stickers in my 20s anyways (except Harry Styles, that's never leaving). My next set of stickers will reveal my next set of aspirations. They hold the key to future paths I will navigate, knowledge I will gain, and connections I will make.