<p>My essay is pretty abstract; its a metaphor for childhood and adulthood, involving sleep, the light and darkness and I'm freaking out because I just don't know if its good enough.</p>
<p>Better not make it too good the admissions officer reading it wouldn't even understand it...haha...but i like the topic though.</p>
<p>Mine is about a mission trip to Mexico. Is that okay?</p>
<p>Is that why your username is freakish ? ;-) hehe. But don't worry- I think extended metaphor is fine as long as it's not too lofty and doesn't sound like you're just trying to wax eloquence (aka using thesaurus to fluff up banal ideas). I mean, who knows, after reading hundreds of essays on rewarding volunteering experiences (not saying there's anything wrong with that chumboy!), yours might come as a breath of fresh air. So don't worry, in my essay, I spent the first page detailing the way I view the world then talked about this momentous event that happened in my life followed by how I developed my life's goal in response to that event and finally, how i think Columbia is the perfect environment under which I can strive towards that goal. So, mine was pretty drawn out and abstract also. As long as it still sounds genuine and you can still convey to them a sense of who you are - ur set to go. best of luck!</p>
<p>will any of you guys read it and tell me what you think. I need opinions, and I dont want to post it. My email adress is <a href="mailto:zigg86@aol.com">zigg86@aol.com</a>. Just send me a email with essay in the topic, and ill send it right back to you.</p>
<p>So, Gl0ry, do you think it's a bad idea to write about my mission trip to mexico?</p>
<p>my essay's about how I travel all the time...ever since I was 9 years old, all over Europe and stuff</p>
<p>chumboy, I think writing about going to other countries is always a plus, especially with Columbia, liberal as they are</p>
<p>chumboy: there's absolutely nothing wrong with writing about your mission trip. Its obvious u felt that it had a significant enough impact to be the topic of your ED essay. The thing with it for me is, I don't usually like to limit myself to a single event, simply because heh, well,first of all, I never experienced a single momentous event that greatly impacted me and second of all, I'm kinda like freakish, in that I'm more governed by philosophies and big ideas - that's what defines me and that's the big picture I want to present to the adcom. I don't know about your case, but the problem I feel with writing about a volunteer experience or someone that had a significant impact in your life is (and this is very sad) but it's become such an overdone prompt that it's very hard to present your experience in a creative/fresh light. Many people who write about these things talk about how they come out as a better person and that's good and valuable on your personal level, but on paper and especially to adcoms who read gazillions of personal statements, i'm sorry to say but it gets boring and banal. Heh, the essay portion is such a game of tactics in that you want to also let them feel the momentous impact this experience had on you. and to accomplish that gets harder and harder when you limit yourself to a topic that everyone all know the proper way to respond to it that it becomes merely surface knowledge instead of something that truly touched you (we all know what sense of gratification comes out of a mission trip and because we already know, that element of ...umm renewal and refreshment is not present...and that takes away from the actual significance of the event in our mind.) Blah,...im just rambling now, sorry...but basically, its fine that ur writing about ur mission trip, hopefully you can present your experience in such a way that to a caffeine-driven reader perusing it at 3 in the morning, it will jolt them up and make them be like "whoa!" instead of having them set it aside like the other papers they've read that's already become a blur in their minds. </p>
<p>I talk too much. Sorry, just trying to help.</p>
<p>best of luck to you.</p>
<p>glory, what did u think of my essay. I'd like your analysis, lol.</p>
<p>hey lets talk on AIM. easier i think.</p>
<p>SN : mozartmelody212</p>
<p>Well, Gl0ry, would you mind looking at mine and seeing if my essay is banal under your criteria?</p>
<p>no problem, i'd be happy to.</p>
<p>here's the email : <a href="mailto:glory@texasfbla.org">glory@texasfbla.org</a></p>
<p>thanks, sending it now.</p>
<p>cool deal, i 'll get it back to u by tomorrow.</p>