Hi, quick question regarding the “Pick one woman in history or fiction to converse with for an hour and explain your choice. What would you talk about?” supplemental essay prompt. Would it be bad if I chose a Barnard Alum? When I first heard and began to admire this person, I was very young and had no idea that she went to Barnard. It was only later when I started researching and falling in love with the school that I accidentally discovered that this person went there. She is quite successful in the field I wish to enter and visits the college occasionally for talks. Is it considered a bad move in some way or too common to choose an alumae from Barnard to write about?
I think it is fine. You don’t want to pick a Barnard alum and force an essay but if the person you truly want to write about happens to be an alum that is fine. Highlight the reasons (outside of Barnard) that you personally admire this person. You might mention in the essay that you were surprised to find the person’s connection to Barnard out when you did further research.