Patti See
Reading Notes and Outline / Preparing to Summarize
Section I:
she's a commuter
she wants a "cause"
she doesn't know about the various college experiences
she's only focused on hers
no help from parents ... other than room, board, car, car insurance
her whole family (siblings) commuted
her parents have no idea about college, what it is, etc.
she's pretty narrow minded and focused only on herself
Section Summary: When Patti See goes to college, she's a commuter and wants to fit in, but she's only focused on her commuter experience and doesn't think about other possible experiences. Her whole family commuted, her parents do help with her room, board, and car, but they don't have any idea about what college is.
Section II:
her psych. class is huge -- she's just a number
1st semester = no friends
1st year = only her courses + 2 jobs
she's very focused on class lectures and discussions
she continues to think about subjects after class, on her way home in the car
she pities people who live on campus
"Intellectually I thrived. Socially, I didn't."
her only friends are 3 people from high school
Section Summary: Patti See's first class is huge, she has no friends her first semester, and she concentrates only on her classes and her two jobs during her first year. However, she's very focused on her classes, and her strategy is to imagine conversations with her professors as she's driving home from college. This really helps her, intellectually, and she realizes that people who live on campus cannot and probably do not do this.
Section III:
she felt like an outsider, a nobody, invisible
she has some regrets
she also became very self-reliant
her "passion for knowledge and desire to be somebody" kept her from dropping out
she wanted to be a writer and chose a "liberal-arts degree"
her love of reading and fear of the factory kept her going
her classes + her work + her homework = dull life (?) ... but she was never dull
she especially avoided other commuters who were also from her high school
Section Summary: Patti See does feel like an outsider, a nobody, invisible, which leads to some regrets, but it also leads to self-reliance. Her love of reading and knowledge, her desire to be somebody, and her fear of factory work keep her from dropping out. She wants to be a writer and chooses a "liberal-arts" degree, which is different from her siblings. Her life continues to focus on her classes and her jobs, and even though she avoids other commuters who are also from her high school, she doesn't consider herself dull.
Section IV:
she made only one friend in college, another commuter
this helps her to "almost [feel] like a real college student"
as commuters, they understand each other
Section Summary: Patti See did make one close friend in college, another commuter, so they understand each other. They are able to have some experiences that make them feel almost a "real" college students.
Section V:
she eventually went on to grad. school ... still commuting
she's still on the outside
she now has a husband and child
she still imagines conversations in the car
she's also now an instructor ... still commuting
Section Summary: Patti See did eventually go on to graduate school, and she eventually became an instructor herself, and she continued to commute, especially since she now had a husband and child. She still feels on the outside, but she also continues to have the imaginary conversations in her car
Drafting the Summary:
Copy and paste all the section summaries together. This helps insure that the summary matches the organization of the essay.
Go through and eliminate details and repetitions and redundancies.
Go through and work on coherence (flow).
Begin the summary with a reference to the author's full name and the full title.
Also begin with an "overall statement" which states the essay's central idea. The rest of the summary will present the essay's main ideas.
In the essay, "Outside In," Patti See argues that ... [come up with the central idea].
When Patti See goes to college, she's a commuter and wants to fit in, but she's only focused on her commuter experience and doesn't think about other possible experiences. Her whole family commuted, her parents do help with her room, board, and car, but they don't have any idea about what college is.
Patti See's first class is huge, she has no friends her first semester, and she concentrates only on her classes and her two jobs during her first year. However, she's very focused on her classes, and her strategy is to imagine conversations with her professors as she's driving home from college. This really helps her, intellectually, and she realizes that people who live on campus cannot and probably do not do this.
Patti See does feel like an outsider, a nobody, invisible, which leads to some regrets, but it also leads to self-reliance. Her love of reading and knowledge, her desire to be somebody, and her fear of factory work keep her from dropping out. She wants to be a writer and chooses a "liberal-arts" degree, which is different from her siblings. Her life continues to focus on her classes and her jobs, and even though she avoids other commuters who are also from her high school, she doesn't consider herself dull.
Patti See did make one close friend in college, another commuter, so they understand each other. They are able to have some experiences that make them feel almost a "real" college students.
Patti See did eventually go on to graduate school, and she eventually became an instructor herself, and she continued to commute, especially since she now had a husband and child. She still feels on the outside, but she also continues to have the imaginary conversations in her car