I want to say something to the effect of “where I come from, we call that ‘being an *******’”, but I don’t know if that will go over well on an admissions officer. I want what I’m saying to give as strong of a connotation as the current sentance gives, though, so any input would be great.
<p>I can't think of a more certain way to torpedo your chances than to use profanity, and especially obscenity, in your essays.</p>
<p>Does "hell" count as profanity? </p>
<p>Used to the effect of..."Like hell I'm going there."</p>
<p>i know a guy who sent in a copy of his rap record, filled with f words, s words b words etc etc, and got into some ivy league</p>
<p>^ i dont know if we are talking about the same person, but someone else used some language in an essay for columbia when he described an accident.</p>
<p>urr no, this guy's a signed rap artist. with albums released.</p>
<p>If you really want to use it, you could just put in the first and last letters and use astericks for the rest. Like, d<strong>n, s</strong>t. So that way, you can still get your message across, but you kinda apologize for the profanity. You show that you know that it's wrong. </p>
<p>Personally, I'd exclude it. There are other words that can carry your meaning and not offend some ancient AO who has gone WAY too long without a coffee break.</p>
<p>wondering the same thing...can I use "hell" ?</p>
<p>oh sorry i didnt read carefully.. to the op use them if it is absolutely necassary.</p>
<p>A good rule of thumb is to avoid profanity whenever possible. You can't predict what sort of person will read your essay; some people will be fine with the occasional swear, whereas others will be adamently against it. Why risk it?</p>
<p>The use of profanity is often viewed as an intentional defacement of the conversation. It's not even permitted here on CC; why would it be a good idea to put it in your essays?</p>
<p>If you wish to convey to the adcoms that you are a bad mannered and foolish person of limited vocabulary and thought, go ahead and use the profanity.</p>
<p>Yes, that was my S (for son, not.....)-I'm so proud (lol). In his main essay for Columbia ED, he was indeed describing his thoughts during a serious car accident. Not only did he mention that he was coming home from visiting Brown, he also (against my advice) said the following-an excerpt rep (I'll use the astericks, but he actually spelled out the full word: ......"White SUV out of nowhere. S<strong><em>. I need to get out of the way now. I need to slow down. F</em></strong>. What's going on? I'm going to die, I know it. OH MY GOD. I'm alive, right?...."</p>
<p>He was accepted to Columbia ED. I think this was OK in context, because it rang true. I'm pretty sure most of us would be thinking the exact same words while the car we were driving went off the road and into a ditch, flipping over twice, rather than "gosh", and oh darn". In the rest of the essay he went on to describe how he dealt with the experience and how it affected his philosophy of life. </p>
<p>When we later met the adcom who read his app (a male-not sure if a female would have seen it differently) he remebered the essay and described it as "powerful". Anyway, it did work out for my S, but I would still say proceed with extreme caution on this. He said he asked himsel this question: "Are these words really necessary to tell this story". He felt that they were, so he went with his gut..</p>
<p>It is UNNECESSARY. Please don't jeopardize your chances of getting accepted to the college of your dreams by writing a stupid four letter word in your college essay. <sarcasm> Or better yet, why don't you do it and up MY chances? mmm... the possibilities... </sarcasm></p>
<p>I think JoeSchmoe and Columbian Mom are giving misleading advices. </p>
<p>Their specific examples involve someone who was sure he was going to meet his maker, and another, a rap artist. Outside of this context you are really revealing yourself to be a crude person of limited vacabulary (borrowed that phrase) and bad prose. I mean if you have to infuse your essay with F* words and H<em>lls and </em>**s, how elegant can the rest of your essay be ?</p>
<p>profanity and colloquial language is risky but i guess it isn't extremely dangerous if you put it in a quote. like " you ******* idiot"</p>
<p>but id stay away if it was possible....i dont think the admissions councelor is going to want someone who swears in their college. I've seen people try to be "cute" or "funny" using profanity, but it rarely works....just a suggestions on a few cases i know of. Might be different for others</p>