<p>idk what to say for the last one (meeting w/a political figure for an hour), what did y’all say?</p>
<p>My daughter (admitted last year) wrote that she would want to meet with Senator Rick Santorum to try to convince him that he was wrong on gay marriage. I'm sharing this because Santorum has now been voted out of office, so you wouldn't want to copy that idea. But the point is that it doesn't have to be a huge issue, like ending world hunger -- just pick a topic that concerns you in one way or another. You can get ideas by browsing through newspaper editorial pages on line.</p>
<p>Hello! I'm a current first year, and I wrote about the need for comprehensive sex education programs in schools. I didn't write about which specific politician I would talk to though. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I'm applying this year ED. I wrote about the increcing cost of college and the impact on America's work force</p>
<p>Stephanie, I was just looking through these boards now but I wrote on the same topic that you did (i'm applying RD). I wrote about why I think schools need sex ed, and I included a personal story about a friend of mine. Do you think they will consider this an "old" topic, and do you think they will get a lot of essays on this topic? I worked for a week on this essay alone, and it's really strong. Should I consider writing a new one?</p>
<p>eagleeye, I am pretty sure that with thousands of applicaitions every year, the ad com has seen just about every issue addressed, and there is nothing you could write that would be totally unique. If your topic is well written and heartfelt I would stick with it.</p>
<p>I think my daughter's gay marriage essay was the weakest part of her app -- but she still got accepted - so you certainly don't have to be perfect on all counts. I think the ad com wants to get a sense of what sort of things you care about, and maybe how you might frame a brief argument in favor of a point. I think it's probably better to write about something that isn't the biggest issue of the day -- I mean, how many essays will they get about global warming, or genocide in Darfur, or the war in Iraq? All very important issues, but the point is it will be hard for any one of them to stand out. </p>
<p>I think it would be tough to think of an issue that is important enough so that it is something you would choose to talk about for an hour, but also is obscure enough that others won't also think of the same thing and write about it. Possibly students who are heavily invested in community service in their local communities may feel strongly about issues that most others are unware of -- but I think that for the rest, its kind of self-defeating to try to think of an important issue that no one else would care enough about to also write about. </p>
<p>I do think it is helpful when you can relate the issue to some personal experience -- it does give a little more personal insight, and gives you an opportunity to talk about something that might not come up elsewhere on the essay.</p>
<p>ummm this is on the common app? or just indvidual college app suplements?</p>
<p>thank you, calmom!</p>
<p>Eagleeye, </p>
<p>I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure the admissions committee has seen just about every topic over the years. As long as it's well written and it's something you're passionate about, you don't need to rewrite it :) </p>
<p>Good luck with the application process!</p>
<p>soyeahiknow, this is on the supplement. :)</p>
<p>okay question about the supplement.. how long can each answer be? there doesnt seem to be a word limit indicated on the commonapp site. for people who applied other years, how long were yours? </p>
<p>thanks!!</p>
<p>my first supplement was the longest one (at about a page) because it was basically two questions put into one...and to people talking about re-using topics...i just wanted to let you know that i had already sent in my application and one supplement that i did (about the fictional character) was about how i am like eloise from the plaza and how we love to see people smile, are extremely bubbly, and share a passion for everything french AND THEN i saw on THIS WEBSITE that another girl (i think it was calmom's daughter) had written on the same topic before...i talked to my college counselor because i was really upset and she told me that i should not do a thing because, even though it might be the same topic, everyone has a different take on things...and i guess she was right so...i wouldnt worry too much!!! good luck to all the ed girls that have not found out yet and all of the rd girls...i hope that you all become a part of the barnard class of 2011 (and you should all check out the facebook group!!! its so much fun!)...</p>
<p>Yeah, bamagal, that was my daughter! I wonder how many of those Barnard gets every year? To everyone else: either that's a very effective choice of topic and guaranteed to win admission, or it's so overused that the next application that comes along with it will lead to immediate rejection.... so who knows? I'd say: stick with something that is truly meaningful to you, and forget about trying to impress anyone else. My d. really WAS a die hard Eloise fan as a child -- in fact, the first time she traveled to New York, when she was 7 years old, we had to visit the real Plaza hotel just so she could see it. I think Eloise & Matilda were the two characters that we all agreed were most like my daughter .... although later on, it turned out that there is a also a good dose of Hermione in her as well. </p>
<p>I would note that my daughter's supplemental essays for Barnard, as well as all other schools, were extremely short --they were very direct and averaged around 160 words each. Keep in mind that the ad coms are very busy -- the advantage of these short answers is that they can reveal a lot about each applicant's personality and interests without requiring a lot of detail -- if you put too many words in, you can blunt the impact of your message. </p>
<p>I honestly don't think there are any wrong or right answers -- I just think that this questions are there to give the ad com a sense of your personality and interests, so they have an idea of who you are as a person.</p>
<p>i dont know how many eloise topics they have had, but when i saw that your daughter did it i almost cried because i thought i had been so original, BUT i realized that the topic was not what made my essay original, it was the fact that i wrote it! and about the length of the essays, i would not make them into a novel, but, i think that how much you write is also a way for the adcom to get a feel for your personality...that sounds weird, but its not always what you say, its how you say them, too.......</p>
<p>calmom, I don't remember the exact number of words in my supplement essays, but I do know they were shorter. I don't know about the online supplement, but I printed out a pdf and followed those directions. The directions asked for "one well-developed paragraph" so this is what I followed. I was extremely proud of my Barnard essays, although I don't feel very confident about my chances. I think each of my answers was about 170 words. Do you think this is okay, versus a one page answer?</p>
<p>I know the Barnard supplement page specifically says to limit each response to one well-developed paragraph, so that's what I did. My essays averaged at about 200 words each.</p>
<p>ahhh one of my essays is ~360 words. is this too long? i have a sort of intro i could cut out, but i think it's really good . ahh :(</p>
<p>aube88, if you want to PM me I'll tell you my thoughts. Please include the question along with the answer, as I don't have the Barnard supplement memorized.</p>
<p>When I type out the supplement answers, am I supposed to start the writing the paragraph on the supplemental piece of paper or can I just type out the whole supplemental? Sorry, it's probably a stupid question.</p>
<p>calmom, if you have time do you think you can take a glance at mine too?</p>