<p>I know this is really early, considering i'm applying this fall [c/o 2010], but i cant get my mind off it.</p>
<p>I don't know what to write about in my essays. Nothing big has really happened in my life where my reader can say "wow". I'm not exactly the amazing class president, athlete straight a's, charity even coordinator high school student. </p>
<p>I was thinking maybe i could talk about how my dad has inspired me. He came to this country from the slums of india with less than $20 and not much education and very limited, if any, english, and today owns businesses. But i'm worried that it may be a little overrated and that my reader wont see enough of me.</p>
<p>I'd really appreciate any ideas anyone could give. I know i didn't give much for you to work with, but if you have any questions that can help you help me, i'd love to answer them. lol.</p>
<p>It’s how you write. Yes, you need to focus it on yourself rather than your dad. Heavily.</p>
<p>Write about yourself, any aspect. Although this topic is quite cliche, you can still write it well. It’s best if you come up with some rough drafts for feedback though.</p>
<p>the best advice I can give you is – don’t write a canned-sounding essay. Anyone can write an essay about how someone was an inspiration, taught value of hard work, made him/her realize so much, blah blah blah…but it is up to YOU to make your essay unique and honest. Don’t say “he was an inspiration,” give a concrete example WHY he was, preferably with some imagery or detail and how he affects you, what feelings he evoked in you, what your reaction was, etc. Make it interesting – your point is to get across that he was an inspiration for you, but without using those words. Be as descriptive as you can. Believe me, the last thing the adcoms want to see is a generic essay that could be written by anybody and wouldn’t matter if the word “father” is switched with “brother,” etc. </p>
<p>I agree with limetime for the most part but would suggest … don’t do the essay at all. </p>
<p>Admissions officers often talk about this kind of essay as they see it way too often and for the wrong reasons. Bottom line is that an essay that shows how X was an amazing influence on your life will get them to want X to come to their college not YOU. This is the classic example of an essay NOT to do.</p>
<p>No, actually, as long as one keeps the focus on oneself, I believe that “inspiration” essays can and will work.
Again, as I emphasized – the focus should go on how it affected you, how you reacted to it, how you changed, etc. instead of the greatness of the other person. Your goal is to show YOU and how you react to situations. :)</p>
<p>You know how there are countless “significant event” essays that are good? Well this is just like that one. All essay prompts are basically asking you how you REACT to certain events/people and show yourself through that. So as long as you keep your sight on yourself, I believe you can write a very very moving essay.</p>
<p>If I can dissuade only one person from the ‘inspirational’ trap, it will have been worth posting this. </p>
<p>The trap is that it is very difficult to show how someone was a key inspiration in your life without making that person **inspirational. **</p>
<p>The essay is your chance on the college application to share one thing to admissions about yourself. Write thoughtfully and from the heart. Trust that if it is of great interest to you your passion for the subject will connect with your reader. Someone that writes about things that interest them will write far better and have a far easier time writing the essay than those that try to tell someone what they think they may want to hear (and then still be wrong). </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No, that is hugely different. Terrific books and films have their cornerstone around significant events that changed lives. Name three popular movies whose cornerstone was around how someone was inspired by another? The reason is because how one person can be inspired by another does not sell tickets. And when your admissions guy/gal will be first reader on 700 essays and second reader to another 700 essays, it is about selling yourself. It is about standing out from the other applicants. It is about being interesting and making them believe that you are interesting. And telling them about one special teacher, one special relative, President Obama, Tiger Woods, or a Nobel Prize Laureate in your intended field of study is just going to join a large stack of like essays.</p>