So I decided to answer the first Common App prompt about a talent or identity you have. I wrote about piano, and the impact it had on be; however, it slightly concerned that this may put me into a box or a cliche of a sterotypical Asian.(I am Indian) I tried to emphasize in my essay that no one forced me to pick up music, my parents were far too poor for that, and I have a true passion and love for piano. I also talked about how music helped me get through hard times and changed my outlook on life. Music is one of my main extracurricular activities as well.
I just wanted to know if I should choose another topic for my Common App Essay. If I do, my music essay won’t be in vain, I submitted it as an Apply Texas prompt.
I don’t think of Indians playing the piano as a major cliche (like Indians playing tennis.)
Indians playing tennis is a cliché?
It isn’t?
Right now my 200 word Yale Supplement on what I love to do is about me starting a political and social debate and discussion group, similar to a 18th century salon, and my interest in discussing politics. Would it be a smart idea to make this the topic of my Common App essay and focus on music in my short essay?
Essays should be written with purposes. That is, given the topic that you choose, you hope readers (admission officers) can infer from your writing that you have one or more of following desirable attributes: maturity, ability to think critically, making those people around you better persons, impacts, etc. Overall, I think it is less about the topic per se.
Choosing piano as the subject of the essay is like choosing Whitney Houston’s songs for a singing competition. It is harder to do well if one does not think it through and does not have a plan for execution since Whitney Houston sang them so well. But at the same time, since her singing style tends to be rather grand, if a competitor can sing her song with good dose of vulnerability, it can be quite memorable as well.
I understand that conventional wisdom would suggest that one should write about a variety of activities/subjects when he/she needs to write multiple essays. But I think it is more about using these multiple essays to demonstrate his/her various aspects/qualities.
I can share my S’s experience. His common application was about piano music and political censorship. His purpose was to demonstrate his view of humanities. His Yale essay was about the parting of his hair during piano performance. His purpose was to examine his personal growth and demonstrate his maturity and the way he thinks. For the “why Yale” short question, he talked about Yale School of Music. His answer to “I couldn’t live without” question was music, music, and music. Yes, piano is cliche for Asian Americans, but it worked for my S.
From Gibby’s link: “He loved the instrument so much that he sometimes played it for fun on the street, collecting tips.” And then, "There was no mention of the cello on his college application. Not one.”
What a shame. Supposedly, this kid did get some top admits. But that does not mean he should have cut out such an interesting angle. We don’t hear the rest of his story, the bullets of importance to the colleges, just this one sad stereotype that Asian Americans can’t be themselves, can’t be real kids. Boy how I wish people would think again.
OP, the wisdom is, “show, not just tell.” You tell us, “music helped me get through hard times and changed my outlook on life.” Do you “show” this, through the narrative,or just state it? Any examples of this changed outlook and the good it does, around you?
They’re looking for your thinking. Don’t fall into that assumption you can’t love music. Or tennis. Just understand enough about what your college targets truly value and look for, so you can present your best in the app and supps. That’s more than stats and some ECs. Done well, this essay could add important dimension.
How do “far too poor” people afford a piano?
They scrimped and saved for three years and got an electric piano
Did you teach yourself? I think that’s rather different from the stereotype.
Are you going to major in music?
The cliche is that many Asians play piano but then opt for a STEM related major. Admissions officers see this as a thinly veiled attempt at deceit.
If piano is a true passion and you want to devote the rest of your life to it then by all means write about it!
This is all about telling a consistent and cohesive story. What will you be doing in 20 years? This is what you need to answer by way the essay.
It isn’t deceit to play piano and have a separate academic interest. And the point of the essay isn’t to predict your future path. It’s to reveal a little more than the rest of the app/supps can.
If it is your passion and what makes you who you are then I would say do it. You don’t have to write a cliche piece- you have a story to tell. You can put your passion into your words and explain why this means so much to you. Make it creative, your story isn’t cliche- the topic is. You can do something about that. Everyone always says to talk about your passion because that is what makes you interesting so to write about something other than your passion will be the mistake- especially since your parents have worked so hard to support it. Its what makes you within your world function outside of academics and is your primary EC. I think that if you were to try and write about something else, that is where the essay would be lacking. JMO
Thank you all for your advice, I tried writing about other topics, but none had the flow of my music essay. It really represents me, and if Yale doesn’t like that, then I’m okay with that. I’d rather present my true self of the app than try to game the system. That Buzzfeed article was very depressing.
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I think that your reasons for playing the piano should resonate and make you relate-able. Your essay should somehow get to the essence of you. Why don’t you write it and let someone who knows you well read it. If they can’t tell you that they see you jumping off the page, I may try something else. This is why I always tell applicants to not wait to the last minute - something that all of you don’t seem to have a problem with.
Are you going to answer my question?
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To answer your question, I taught myself for several years during which time my family’s financial state improved dramatically. I was also fortunate to find a local studio that had unusually low rates that locked in, letting me continue to study with a teacher even when the rates shot up to typical levels.
My school essentially requires us to be done with applications by October 1st (because at Texas state schools like UT, you may not get housing if you apply late) so I’m kind of feeling the heat right now lol. Since I’m applying to higher tier schools I don’t have to apply by that deadline, but have rough drafts done of my essays.